 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(November 2009) |
Kostel Castle (Slovene : Grad Kostel) is a castle above the settlement of Kostel in southeastern Slovenia. It is located on a steep hill above the Kolpa River, not far from the Croatian border. [1]
The site was originally occupied by a smaller fortification, which was expanded into a castle between 1247 and 1325 by the Counts of Ortenburg, vassals of the Patriarchate of Aquileia. First mentioned in 1336 as castrum Grafenwarth, its current name is first recorded in 1449 as Costel, a corruption of the Latin castrum 'fortress'. After the extinction of the Counts Ortenburg on 28 April 1418, the Counts of Celje inherited their area holdings, expanding the castle into a formidable fortress and renaming it Schloss Grauenwarth, although the surrounding settlement retained the Slavicised Latin name Kostel.
The castle and settlement were both surrounded by a high, two meter thick wall featuring five defence towers, built by order of Frederick II, Count of Celje. The castle's purpose was the defence of the house's landholdings in Carniola; it also housed a local judiciary, and had its own dedicated execution site about 1 km away.
After the death of prince Ulrich II of Celje in 1456 and the extinction of the house, the castle was taken over by the Habsburgs, who eventually granted the settlement market rights, giving rise to a new colloquial name, Trg 'market town'.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the castle was an important strategic fortification against Ottoman invasions. With many of the countries of southeastern Europe occupied by or paying tribute to the Ottoman Empire, Slovenia became exposed to further Ottoman inroads into Europe. The castle, standing along one of the Ottomans' common incursion routes into Slovenia, came under attack several times. Only in 1578 did the castle fall, when the garrison accepted supposed refugees from the Ottomans, but who opened the door that night to the Ottoman forces, who killed and captured the inhabitants of the castle and its village and the surrounding region. The depopulated area was then settled by numerous Uskoks.
Celje is the fourth-largest city in Slovenia. It is a regional center of the traditional Slovenian region of Styria and the administrative seat of the City Municipality of Celje. The town of Celje is located below Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Hudinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna rivers in the lower Savinja Valley, and at the crossing of the roads connecting Ljubljana, Maribor, Velenje, and the Central Sava Valley. It lies 238 m (781 ft) above mean sea level (MSL).
Kostel is a settlement in the Municipality of Kostel in southern Slovenia. It is located on the left bank of the Kolpa River next to the border with Croatia. It is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region.
Ulrich II, or Ulrich of Celje, was the last Princely Count of Celje. At the time of his death, he was captain general and de facto regent of Hungary, ban (governor) of Slavonia, Croatia and Dalmatia and feudal lord of vast areas in present-day Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Austria, and Slovakia. He was also a claimant to the Bosnian throne. He was killed by agents of the Hunyadi clan under unknown circumstances, which plunged Hungary into civil unrest that was resolved a year later by the sudden death of king Ladislas the Posthumous and the election of Matthias Corvinus, the son of John Hunyadi and Ulrich's son-in-law, as king. Ulrich's possessions in the Holy Roman Empire were inherited by Emperor Frederick III, while his possessions in Hungary were reverted to the crown.
Lurnfeld is a market town in the district of Spittal an der Drau in the Austrian state of Carinthia. The municipality consists of the two Katastralgemeinden: Möllbrücke and Pusarnitz, comprising several small villages.
Samobor Castle is a ruined castle atop of Tepec hill in Samobor, Croatia. It lies only a 10-minute walk away from the city centre. Remains of the old castle moat are still visible, as well as the massive entrance and most of the walls.
Brežice Castle is a 16th-century castle in the town of Brežice, in southeastern Slovenia, at the street address Cesta prvih borcev 1.
Kieselstein Castle, also known as Khislstein, is a 13th-century castle in the city of Kranj, in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.
Lipnica Castle, also known as Deserted Castle above Lipnica, is a castle ruin near the settlement of Zgornja Lipnica in Upper Carniola, above Lipnica Creek, in the Municipality of Radovljica.
Weissenfels Castle is a castle ruin above the settlement of Fusine in Valromana in the extreme northeast corner of Italy. The ruins are located 5.7 kilometers (3.5 mi) from the tripoint between Slovenia, Austria, and Italy.
Niederfalkenstein Castle is a medieval castle near Obervellach in Carinthia, Austria. It is part of the larger Falkenstein fortification complex; while the main fortress of Oberfalkenstein today is a ruin, the lower barbican of Niederfalkenstein is largely preserved.
Ortenburg Castle is a ruined mediaeval castle located in Baldramsdorf, in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is located on the northern slope of Mt. Goldeck, part of the Gailtal Alps, above the Drava valley at a height of 740 m (2,430 ft).
Sommeregg is a medieval castle near Seeboden in the Austrian state of Carinthia, Austria. It is situated in the foothills of the Nock Mountains at an altitude of 749 m.
Ortnek Castle is a 12th-century castle ruin in the vicinity of the town of Ribnica, Slovenia. The ruin stands on Big Žrnovec Hill, near the village of Hudi Konec.
Leskovec Castle or Turn Castle is a 15th-century castle north of the village of Leskovec pri Krškem, southeastern Slovenia. It has been redesigned in the 16th and the 18th centuries.
Polhov Gradec Castle is a castle ruin above the settlement of Polhov Gradec, in the Municipality of Dobrova–Polhov Gradec in central Slovenia. It is located on Calvary Hill immediately northwest of the town center.
Lož Castle, also known as Pusti Grad, is a castle ruin above the settlement of Lož in central Slovenia's Lož Valley. The castle and its lordship are mentioned in period documents under various names, including Los, Louse, Lose, and Lösch.
Čušperk is a village in the Municipality of Grosuplje in central Slovenia. It lies in the hills south of Grosuplje in the historical region of Lower Carniola. The municipality is now included in the Central Slovenia Statistical Region.
John II of Gorizia was the penultimate Count of Gorizia. He ruled the County of Gorizia from 1454 until his death.
Fusine in Valromana is a frazione of the comune of Tarvisio in the Province of Udine, in the autonomous Friuli Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy.
Frederick I of Celje, also Frederick I of Cilli, was a Styrian free noble who became the first Count of Celje, founding a noble house that would dominate Slovenian and Croatian history in the first half of the 15th century.
| Slovenia |
|  |
|---|---|---|
45°30′31″N14°54′36″E / 45.50861°N 14.91000°E
  | This article about a castle in Slovenia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
