Rajhenburg Castle

Perched on a 60-metre promontory overlooking the confluence of the Brestanica Stream and the River Sava, Rajhenburg Castle (Grad Rajhenburg in Slovene), considered one of the most important monuments of medieval castle architecture in Slovenia, has for centuries kept watch over the surrounding area. It was the first castle to have been built in the territory of the relatively vast South Styrian lands belonging to the Salzburg Archbishopric, initially constructed between 1131 and 1147 under Archbishop Conrad the 1st; the oldest Romanesque part attesting to this fact. The castle and the belonging estate were for centuries managed by legates who took the name of the castle – Rajhenburg (‘Reichenburg’ in German). After the family died out in 1570, their successors began adding contemporary elements to the structures and gradually created what we can admire today. In 1881, the Castle and the land belonging to it were purchased by the Trappist monks and converted it into a monastery, which remained active without interruption until the War in 1941, when the occupying German forces used in to set up a camp for the expulsion of Slovenes. After a relatively short restoration period, the new government nationalised and confiscated the Castle and its estate in 1947. A year later, the main Castle building was converted into a correctional facility for women, later followed by other penal institutions. From 1968 onward when an exhibition on exiles was inaugurated, the Castle became a venue intended primarily for museum activities and events.

The castle’s visitors can attend various events (concerts, plays, lectures, etc.), and learn about the history of the castle, town, and its wider area at permanent and temporary exhibitions. As they stroll through the building, they gain insight into the castle's architectural development in the Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance periods up until present day. There are two chapels in the castle complex: the original twelfth-century Romanesque chapel and the later, Gothic chapel, which was added in the sixteenth century. The Renaissance residential area boasts a magnificent hall and terminates in a room decorated with lavish frescoes. The museum installations at the National Museum of Contemporary History offer an insight into the history of the Trappist monks, the fate of Slovene deportees, and the period when the castle was home to various penal institutions. The visitors can also see castle furniture from the collections of the National Museum of Slovenia. Late nineteenth-century Brestanica townscapes the and scenes illustrating various aspects of local life are represented in a series old postcards on display. Also on display at the castle, are the gold medals won at the Olympic Games and world championships by hammer thrower Primož Kozmus, Brestanica's most famous athlete. Academic painter Jože Ciuha’s works decorate the walls of the Renaissance hall. Art exhibitions are also held in the Great Hall, which is notable for its four-paned Gothic window featuring a stone cross. Since Rajhenburg Castle is among the most significant medieval castle architectural monuments in Slovenia, we place special emphasis on the building's architectural history.

In 2014, a herb garden was established on the carefully laid-out castle grounds. This element of Trappist heritage is further revived through cultural and tourism events such as the Rajhenburg Chocolate and Liqueurs Day and the Rajhenburg Sparkling Wine and Cheese Day. A wine gallery operates in the castle cellar, while the museum shop provides exhibition catalogues and numerous local products including local chocolate from Brestanica. The castle café serves coffee and excellent pastries. With its picturesque setting, the fully restored castle also makes a wonderful wedding venue. Its contemporary fittings ensure that the entire building is also accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.