Ravne Castle ( sl, Grad Ravne, german: Streiteben) is a castle near the town of
Ravne na Koroškem, in the
Carinthia
Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...
region of northern
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
.
History
The castle's German name is derived from the name of the
Hebenstreit family, who built the castle in the 16th century. It is located on a gravelly terrace above the center of the town of
Ravne na Koroškem, on the Ravne plateau near the banks of the
Meža
The Meža ( Slovene) or Mieß (German; ) is a river in the Austrian state of Carinthia and in Slovenia, a right tributary of the Drava. It is long, of which are in Slovenia. Its catchment area is , of which in Slovenia.
Name
The Meža River w ...
(german: Eben) River.
In the mid-17th century, the castle passed into the hands of the Sichten family, and a
foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...
was established on the terrace beside the river. From 1700 on it was owned by the Gačnik (german: Schlangenberg) family. In 1809 it was purchased by the Counts of Thurn, who rebuilt it into its current
neo-Baroque form in 1863 and established the surrounding park.
The historian
Johann Weikhard von Valvasor included an etching of the castle in his 1688 ''Topographia Archiducatus Carinthiae'', the image likely reflecting the appearance of the original Hebenstreit building.
The castle's most recent renovation was conducted with respect to its cultural value. Since 1949 it has housed the Dr. Franc Sušnik Central Carinthian Library ( sl, Koroška osrednja knjižnica dr. Franc Sušnik). The Art Salon (''Likovni salon'') shares the site, operating (under the auspices of the
Ravne Museum) exhibits on the history of the town and the Meža Valley, as well as regular art exhibits. Since 1969, artistic retreats have been held at the castle; as a result, the castle exhibits include a rich collection of paintings and small sculptures.
Slovenia.info
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References
{{coord, 46, 32, 31.08, N, 14, 57, 27.08, E, type:landmark_region:SI, display=title
Castles in Styria (Slovenia)
Palaces in Slovenia
Museums in Slovenia