Strmol Mansion (Slovene : Dvorec Strmol) is a 15th-century manorhouse located on a low hill above the old town center of Rogatec, Slovenia. It is notable as one of the few castles in Slovenia to have retained a Slovene name throughout its history.
Slovene or Slovenian belongs to the group of South Slavic languages. It is spoken by approximately 2.5 million speakers worldwide, the majority of whom live in Slovenia. It is the first language of about 2.1 million Slovenian people and is one of the 24 official and working languages of the European Union.
Rogatec is a small town in eastern Slovenia, on the border with Croatia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Rogatec. The area traditionally belonged to the region of Styria. It is now included in the Savinja Statistical Region.
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a sovereign state located in southern Central Europe at a crossroads of important European cultural and trade routes. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest. It covers 20,273 square kilometers (7,827 sq mi) and has a population of 2.07 million. One of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, Slovenia is a parliamentary republic and a member of the United Nations, of the European Union, and of NATO. The capital and largest city is Ljubljana.
The mansion was first mentioned in 1436 [1] as a simple fortified tower in the possession of the counts of Celje, who gave it in fief to Jakob Strmol of Cerklje. The tower became the core of the later manorhouse, and is partially preserved within the later additions, beginning with a second tower and defenses added in the 16th century. At the end of the 16th century, the castle was purchased by the Auersperg family, from whom it later passed to the Frankopans.
The Counts of Celje or the Counts of Cilli were the most influential late medieval noble dynasty on the territory of present-day Slovenia. Risen as vassals of the Habsburg dukes of Styria, they ruled the County of Cilli as immediate counts (Reichsgrafen) from 1341 and rose to Princes of the Holy Roman Empire in 1436.
The House of Auersperg is an Austrian princely family, which held estates in Austria and Tengen. The princely family of Auersperg was a junior branch of the house of Counts of Auersperg from Carniola, one of the hereditary Habsburg duchies and what is now in Slovenia. It rose to princely status in 1653 and after acquiring Tengen, they became immediate Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. The princes of Auersperg also held at various times the duchies of Münsterberg and Gottschee. Their territories were mediatised by Austria and Baden in 1806.
In 1620 it was bought by Jurij Reising von Hartenstein; a chapel dedicated to St. Vincent Ferrer was first mentioned in 1682. The manor had largely lost its defensive role by the late 17th century, when its fortifications were demolished.
In 1730 it was inherited by Marija Izabela Petazzi (Slovene : Petač), who leased it to the von der Durr und Egkh family for several decades. In 1804 it was purchased by Baron Wintershofen, from whom it passed to the Windischgrätz family. [2]
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary. The female equivalent is baroness.
The small 16th-century two-story annex with inner courtyard served as an Austro-Hungarian district court during the 19th and the early 20th centuries; prison facilities are preserved in the basement. After World War II, the castle was converted into apartments.
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire or the Dual Monarchy, was a constitutional monarchy in Central and Eastern Europe from 1867 to 1918. It was formed by giving a new constitution to the Austrian Empire, which devolved powers on Austria (Cisleithania) and Hungary (Transleithania) and placed them on an equal footing. It broke apart into several states at the end of World War I.
World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
In 2003, the mansion was thoroughly renovated and declared a cultural monument. It currently serves in both hospitality and museum capacities:
A museum is an institution that cares for (conserves) a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these items available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. The largest museums are located in major cities throughout the world, while thousands of local museums exist in smaller cities, towns and rural areas. Museums have varying aims, ranging from serving researchers and specialists to serving the general public. The goal of serving researchers is increasingly shifting to serving the general public.
- Third floor: chapel, with restored Baroque murals; two large halls, available for banquets, conferences, or weddings [3]
- Second floor: art gallery, featuring rotating exhibits
- First floor: divided into pub and restaurant [4]
- Cellar: Vinoteka za prijatelje (Wine Cellar for Friends) tasting rooms, historic dungeon
The Rogatec Open-Air Museum is located nearby. [5]
