Medieval Sevnica castle: A gateway to history, culture, and art

The castles of Posavje, the monuments of history and culture, were created in the landscape that is approached by the Mirna, Sava, Krka, and Sotla rivers, where people have lived, built, and traveled for thousands of years.

Spanning from Mokrica to Kostanjevica na Krki, and from Brežice through Brestanica to Posreda, their story ends in Sevnica, a town situated merely about 50 kilometers from the Slovenian-Croatian border.

Sevnica Castle, Photo: Andrej Tarfila, www.slovenia.info

It is a small town whose name was first mentioned in the 13th century and which has been engulfed in turbulent history throughout the centuries. Affected by fires, plague, angry farmers, and invasions of the Ottoman Empire, expulsions until the end of the Second World War, one thing certainly remained the same in it, and that is Sevnica castle.

First documented in the Salzburg register for Brežice and Sevnica in 1309 under the name “castellum” Lichtenwald, Sevnica Castle rests atop a hill overlooking the historic center of the city. It is believed that the original castle, constructed in the first half of the 12th century, once occupied this site.

Sevnica Castle, Photo: Adria.fun

Once serving as the headquarters of the Archbishopric of Salzburg, Sevnica Castle changed hands multiple times over the years. Within its walls, a clandestine Lutheran chapel was constructed, later repurposed as the tomb for Sevnik nobles.

In the 16th century, the castle underwent extensive reconstruction, acquiring its distinctive Renaissance appearance and becoming a residential complex. The only part of the castle that remains intact to this day is its tower, which still stands above the eastern residential wing.

Dvorac Sevnica (Sevnica Castle), Photo Iztok Medja, EKVisuals d.o.o., www.slovenia.info

After the Second World War, the Sevnica castle was nationalized, the valuable equipment of the castle that survived the war was lost, and the castle was inhabited by poor families, who also contributed to the destruction of property. It was only in the sixties of the last century that the attitude towards this castle began to change.

Today, the castle space is used for various events such as festivals, exhibitions, plays, concerts, and weddings, offers various programs for children, and rooms for business meetings, and also contains its wine cellar with a large selection of local wines and themed trail called Forest is a culture.

Winery Sevnica castle, Photo: Rocus18, CC BY-SA 4.0

If the road takes you to this area or you are looking for an opportunity to explore something new, then definitely visit this castle and other castles of Posavje. The entrance fee is 8 euros.