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Weissenfels Castle (german: Schloss Weissenfels, it, Castello Fusine, sl, Grad Bela Peč) is a castle ruin above the settlement of
The castle was ordered built after 1431 by Frederik II of Celje, as a well-fortified stronghold atop a hill of the same name. The
Fusine in Valromana
Fusine in Valromana ( sl, Fužine or ; german: Weißenfels; Friulian: ''Fusinis'') is a ''frazione'' (fractional parish) of the ''comune'' of Tarvisio in the Province of Udine, in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy.
...
in the extreme northeast corner of Italy. The ruins are located from the tripoint between Slovenia, Austria, and Italy.
History
The castle was ordered built after 1431 by Frederik II of Celje, as a well-fortified stronghold atop a hill of the same name. The Counts of Celje
The Counts of Celje ( sl, Celjski grofje) or the Counts of Cilli (german: Grafen von Cilli; hu, cillei grófok) were the most influential late medieval noble dynasty on the territory of present-day Slovenia. Risen as vassals of the Habsburg dukes ...
had controlled the area—a nexus of important trade routes between Friuli, 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 ...
, and the Upper Sava Valley
The Upper Sava Valley ( sl, Zgornjesavska dolina) is an alpine valley in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. The Sava Dolinka River flows along it. It begins in Rateče at an elevation of 870 m and ends at Moste at 560 m. It is the geographic ...
—since 1418, having inherited it from the Counts of Ortenburg.
In addition to its primary function of defending the house's area landholdings, the castle served to protect the iron-ore mines and smelting furnaces of the upper Sava Valley, a sovereign possession of the Counts and a jealously guarded one because the industry was at the time normally a royal prerogative.
After the extinction of the house of Celje in 1456, the castle and associated lordship were inherited by the Habsburgs
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
, who managed the estate via a succession of ministeriales. During the 16th century, its owners were the Bucelleni family of Jesenice, also active in the iron industry. The castle's last owners were the Kos family, landlords of numerous area settlements, including Bela Peč, Rateče, Podkoren
Podkoren (, german: Wurzen) is a settlement in the Municipality of Kranjska Gora in the northwestern Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.
Geography
It is situated in the Upper Sava Valley. The Zelenci nature reserve, at the source of the Sava River ...
, Kranjska Gora, Gozd Martuljek
Gozd Martuljek (; sl, Gozd - Martuljek) is a settlement in the Municipality of Kranjska Gora in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a count ...
, Dovje
Dovje (; german: Lengenfeld) is a village in the Municipality of Kranjska Gora in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia, located on the southern slopes of the Karawanks at an elevation of 703 m. It has a rich history and rural tradition and is kno ...
, Hrušica, Planina pod Golico, Jesenice, Javornik, Koroška Bela
Koroška Bela (; german: Kärntner Vellach) is a settlement in the Municipality of Jesenice in northwestern Slovenia. The village has long been a center of iron mining and processing; until recently a majority of its inhabitants were employed in ...
, Potoki and parts of Žirovnica, Zabreznica
Zabreznica () is one of ten villages in the Municipality of Žirovnica in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.
It is the location of Žirovnica Primary School, which serves the primary education needs of all the villages in the municipality.
Abo ...
, and Doslovče.
The castle was abandoned in the 18th century and left to decay. The impressive ruins are nonetheless indicative of its former might.
See also
*Kos Manor
The Kos Manor ( sl, Kosova graščina) is a 16th-century manor house located in the Murova neighborhood of the town of Jesenice, Slovenia, at the street address of ''Cesta maršala Tita 64''. It is one of four so-called "ironworks castles" built i ...
Sources
*Jakič, Ivan: "All Slovene Castles" (''Vsi slovenski gradovi''), DZS, 1999, {{DEFAULTSORT:Weissenfels Castle Castles in Friuli-Venezia Giulia Ruined castles in Italy