+386 31 879 611The Auerspergs had a reputation as capable military leaders; Ivan of Turjak fell in the battle of Vienna in 1529, Herbard of Turjak (Herbard VIII von Auersperg) died at Budačko in 1575, while Andreas von Auersperg, the "Carniolan Achilles," commanded Carinthian and Carniolan forces at the battle of Sisak and contributed to a decisive victory against the Ottomans on 22 June 1593.
Program
Our first stop leads to a village, approx 20 km south of Ljubljana, where we will begin with a visit to Turjak castle. The current castle is first mentioned in 1220, having being destroyed by the great earthquake of 1511, but then rebuilt in time to successfully resist a furious peasants' revolt in 1515 that laid waste to several other castles in the region. It faced a more serious challenge from Turkish raiders, who undertook major assaults against it in 1491 and 1528, but were successfully repelled both times.
The tour continues to Raš’ca, where we will see the memorial House of Primoz Trubar (1508–1586), founder of the literary Slovene language and leader of the Protestant Reformation movement in Slovenia.
Afterwards we will head to village called Krka in the valley of river Krka, which is considered as the longest completely Slovenian river. With a short stop at the spring, we can see the water which is saturated with limestone and is secreted in the form of a tufa, forming typical barriers and thresholds. Many flour mills and sawmills used to operate there, but today they are only used for recreational and tourist purposes.
Next we will drive to Žužemberg where we will visit a prominent medieval fortress rising above the Krka River. One of its most esteemed owners was Johann Weikhard of Auersperg, the tutor of the emperor Ferdinand III, who was a court councillor and the first minister in the Habsburg monarchy, and who obtained family rights to prevent the castle's sale.
Lunch break
We will continue to Dvor, home to the historic Auersperg iron foundry, one of the largest to the south of the Alps and one of the largest early manufacturing plants in the Slovene Lands, was situated in the town from 1796 to 1891. It produced a wide variety of cast iron and wrought iron products
Further on we drive to Soteska, the most an interesting ‘jewel’ of Slovenia's landscape which is shrouded in a veil of mystery; The Devil's Tower in Soteska, a little village between two forested plateaux. The tower has stood here for over three hundred years and remains a place of entertainment and sinful pleasure.
A place whose history is linked to the princes of Auersperg the Soteska manor house features a garden pavilion: a Baroque tower with a trefoil ground plan and surrounded by a stone wall pierced by three stone portals, was a place in which to escape from reality and into mysticism.
Our last stop before heading back is Dolenjske toplice, a place well known for its spas.
