Žovnek Castle - Vransko

Region	Savinja Statistical Region
Starting point	Parking lot at the foot of the castle
Route length	1,5 km (0.16 miles)
route duration	1 h
Best time to visit	All year
Appropriate for	Baby Strollers , Baby Carriers , 1-3 years of age , 3-6 years of age , 6+ years of age , Dandy Horses, Bikes
Level of difficulty	Moderately demanding route

Route Description

Žovnek Castle in the town of Vransko is one of the oldest such buildings in Slovenia and its origin is unknown.

The history behind its walls is immensely rich. The lords of this castle located on the Sann (Savinja) River in Lower Styria, were first mentioned around 1123/30 as the Sann Lords. The family changed its name to the Lords of Žovnek in 1150. They were in possession of Ojstrica Castle, Šenek Mansion, Libenštajn Castle, Lemberg Castle and later on many others. The Lords of Žovnek gradually increased their estates, financial and military power and reputation. In 1333, after purchasing the second half of the town of Celje, the lords moved their administrative center and residence. Friderick I. received the title of a count in 1341 at Munich, which was given to him by the Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV. In 1436, the Counts of Celje were further elevated into Princes of the Holy Roman Empire.

They were very attached to the Žovnek Castle and returned here often. With the assasination of Ulrich II in Belgrade in 1456, the male line of the Counts of Celje died out, and after a war of succession all of their estates and property were handed over to the House of Habsburg on the basis of the inheritance agreement (Source: Wikipedia). In 1635 the castle was abandoned by its owner Jožef Čokl von Ruhethal who moved into the newly built Žovnek Mansion in 1826. The castle was from then on used as a rock quarry. During World War II, the occupying forces stole the entire inventory from the big castle tower, which was supposedly still furnished (Source: gradovi.net website). Nowadays the castle ruins, which are being slowly restored, still fire one’s imagination.

The entrance tower, which used to be surrounded by a deep ditch, has a wide profiled portal, which was reconstructed. The castle entrance gate has two separate entries: one used to be for the horses and one for people on foot. On the left side of the portal stands the round two-storey defense tower, which was a part of the old castle in the Gothic era. This is where the former chapel used to be.

We left the car at the parking lot and set off on foot along a short and well-maintained path towards the castle. Our two year-old daughter walked the whole way all by herself, and the descent from the castle back to the car was a piece of cake for her.

Interesting Facts

How did the town of Vransko get its name?

According to an old folk tale, the name of Vransko developed from the Slovenian word for the crow (“vrana”). Once upon a time, there was a lake in this area, which was dug up, drained and a village was built in its place. Because flocks of crows (“vrane”) gathered along the lake and later on in the swamp, the inhabitants named the village Vransko. The village where they dug up the lake was named Prekopa (“kopati” means digging in Slovene), and the village where people sailed by boats across the lake was named Brode (“brod” means a boat/ferry in Slovene).

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Žovneški grad

Start point coordinates	46,274765
	15,006124

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Nearby Restaurants

Gostišče Grof

This restaurant has a long tradition, which is reflected in the menu itself, although it has changed significantly in the last 100 years. They still use the old innkeeper Neža's recipes from the time when she cooked for the Hachenberg Manor lords. The surrounding area heavily influenced their traditional way of food preparation.

Kovego, d.o.o.

Čeplje 12,

Vransko,
05 923 37 85