Rifnik (, german: Reichenegg) is a settlement in the

Municipality of Šentjur A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

, eastern

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 ...

. It lies on Rifnik Hill, just south of the town of Šentjur. The settlement, and the entire municipality, are included in the

Savinja Statistical Region The Savinja Statistical Region ( sl, Savinjska statistična regija) is a statistical region in Slovenia. The largest town in the region is Celje. It is named after the Savinja River. The region is very diverse in natural geography; it mainly c ...

, which is in the Slovenian portion of the historical Duchy of Styria.

Name

Rifnik was first attested in written sources in 1326 as ''Reichenekk'' (and as ''Reiheneck'' in 1335 and ''Reihnek'' in 1343). The name originally referred to the castle at the site, a compound formed from the

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. Hig ...

personal name ''Rîcho'' + ''egge'' 'hill, castle'. The name therefore originally meant 'Rîcho's castle'.

Archaeological park

Rifnik archaeological park is located on the hilltop above the settlement. It has a permanent exhibition about local prehistoric and ancient finds curated by the Celje Regional Museum.

Castle

The settlement is best known for its 13th-century castle. The castle was abandoned in the 17th century, but the remains of the residential part and the fortifications are still visible.Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage
reference number ešd 7923

References

External links

Populated places in the Municipality of Šentjur {{ŠentjurpriCelju-geo-stub