| |
|
|
| Vipolže castle |
Vipolže, a remarkable village, is known for its two castles: more recent in the upper part of the village, much older (from  the 11th century) in the eastern part of the village. The latter used to be a representative building and at one time a hunting manor belonging to the Counts of Gorica. The following owners of the castle were the Herberstein family, the family Della Torre, the Attems family and lastly the Teuffenbach family. In the 16th and17th century the castle witnessed the war between the Hapsburg and Venice with Venice conquering it. In the first half of the 17th century, the damaged building was restored and rearranged into a marvellous Renaissance manor house, built in a Venetian style and then used as a summer residence. Rectangular in shape, the castle has two angular towers leaning towards the main building. In front of the castle there used to be a marvellous park with a magnificent Baroque fountain. During WWI, the castle was used as a military hospital; unfortunately a bomb damaged the building during that time and later, in 1948, a fire caused even more damages. The architecture of this old castle, built between the Renaissance and the Baroque, is one of the nicest in Slovenia. It is a pity it has not been restored, however, visitors can certainly admire the impressive hundred-year-old cypresses and oak trees. Today, youth from the Brda region and the vicinity frequently use the nearby dance floor, making it the symbol of the old Vipolže castle after the WWII.
|
|
|
