Istria County
Istria County (; ; , "Istrian Region") is the westernmost Counties of Croatia, county of Croatia which includes the majority of the Istrian peninsula.
Administrative centers in the county are Pazin, Pula and Poreč. Istria County has the larg ...
,
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
, in the municipality of
Kršan
Kršan (, ) is a village and municipality in the eastern part of Istria County, Croatia.
Description
It is located in the eastern part of Istria, west of mountain Učka and south-west of Čepić field, on the state road D64 between county cent ...
. The settlement besides of the village consists of nearby homonymous medieval ruinous castle.
Description
It is located in the
Labinština
Labinština (, ) is the geographical and historical name of the eastern part of Istria county in Croatia. It covers an area of approximately 220 km2 that is 25 km long and 13 km wide. Geographical borders in the west are the Raša (rive ...
microregion in the eastern part of Istrian peninsula, on the western slopes of mountain
Učka
The Učka (, ) is a mountain range in western Croatia. It rises behind the Opatija riviera, on the eastern side of the Istrian peninsula.
It forms a single morphological unit together with the Ćićarija range which stretches from the Bay of T ...
along the
Čepić
Čepić or Cepich is a village in Istria, Croatia. The name is also spelled Ceppi, Cepic, Čepich, or Ceppich.
Climate
Since records began in 1981, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station was , on 3 August 2017. The colde ...
field, on the local road
Šušnjevica
Šušnjevica (Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian: ''Șușńievițe'' or ''Susńievița''; ) is a small village in Istria County, Croatia, in the municipality of Kršan.Vozilići (L50180), 6 km east from the municipal center Kršan ( D64), and 13 km north-east of the city of
Labin
Labin (Italian language, Italian/Istriot language, Istriot: Albona) is a town in Istria, west Croatia, with a town population of 5,806 (2021) and 10,424 in the greater municipality (which also includes the small towns of Rabac, Rabac-Porto Albona a ...
. In the village is the railway station of Lupoglav-Štalije route. Nearby is abandoned village Zagrad which leads to the castle.
The Croatian primary school was founded in 1907. The inhabitants mainly lived from agriculture, and until the drain of former Lake Čepić, even from fishery.
Vladimir Nazor
Vladimir Nazor (30 May 1876 – 19 June 1949) was a Croatian poet and politician. During and after World War II in Yugoslavia, he served as the first President of the Presidency of the Croatian Parliament (Croatian head of state), and first ...
inspired by castles story wrote ballad ''Krvava košulja'' and novel ''Krvavi dani''.
Castle history
In the vicinity of the village is the medieval ruinous castle. The castle is located on a steep cliff (184
m.a.s.l.
Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level vari ...
), along the old road which connected Istria with
Croatian Littoral
Croatian Littoral () is a historical name for the region of Croatia comprising mostly the coastal areas between traditional Dalmatia to the south, Mountainous Croatia to the north, Istria and the Kvarner Gulf of the Adriatic Sea to the west. T ...
(
Kvarner
The Kvarner Gulf (, or ; ; or ) sometimes also Kvarner Bay, is a bay in the northern Adriatic Sea, located between the Istrian peninsula and the northern Croatian Littoral mainland. The bay is a part of Croatia's internal waters.
The largest i ...
). It was built on the place of prehistoric hill fort. It was first mentioned at the time of
Patriarchate of Aquileia
The Patriarchate of Aquileia was an episcopal see and ecclesiastical province in northeastern Italy, originally centered in the ancient city of Aquileia, situated near the northern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It emerged in the 4th century as a m ...
in 1102 under name ''Castrum Iosilach'' in the grant by Ulric II and his wife Adelaide to Aquileia patriarchs. Later it is also mentioned as ''Gosilach'', ''Wachsenstein'' or ''Waxenstein'' (from 13th century), ''Cosgliacco'' (1275), and ''Kožlak'' (''Istrian Demarcation'', 13th-14th century). It belonged to the
Patria del Friuli
The Patria del Friuli (, ), also known as the Patriarchal State of Aquileia (), was the territory under the temporal (political) rule of the Patriarch of Aquileia, and one of the ecclesiastical states within the Holy Roman Empire. It was creat ...
, and from 13th century as loaned feud of
County of Gorizia
The County of Gorizia (, , , ), from 1365 Princely County of Gorizia, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. Originally mediate ''Vogts'' of the Patriarchs of Aquileia, the Counts of Gorizia (''Meinhardiner'') ruled over several fiefs in the are ...
, what would become Austrian part of Istria (
March of Istria
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 21 ...
), situated at the very border area between Austrian and Venetian Istria.
From the 13th century, the feud was hereditary possession of Counts of Görz. Its first manor was counts vassal and castle governor Philip, mentioned several times between 1234 and 1264, and then his heirs, son Karstman I, grandson Karstman II, and great grandson Filip Macić (was involved with Istrian Demarcation) and Ulrich. With the death of count
Heinrich III Henry III may refer to:
* Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor (1017–1056)
* King Henry III of Castile (1379–1406)
* King Henry III of England (1207–1272)
* King Henry III of France (1551–1589)
* King Henry III of Navarre (1553–1610), also King ...
in 1323, the castle was in conflict of interest between Gorizia counts, Aquileia patriarchs and Venice. The counts of Gorizia, Heinrich III's wife Beatrix and brother Albert II, ascribed the feud and in 1325 give away for debt settlement to Hugo III of
Duino
Duino (, ) is today a seaside resort on the northern Adriatic Sea, Adriatic coast. It is a ''hamlet (place), hamlet'' of Duino-Aurisina, a municipality (''comune'') of the Friuli–Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy. The settlement, pict ...
, but patriarch
Pagano della Torre Pagano may refer to:
* Pagano (surname), including a list of people with the name
* Pagano (Milan Metro), a rapid transit stop in Milan, Italy
* A kit car originally designed by Ockelbo-Lundgren
* Pagano (wrestler), Mexican professional wrestle ...
prevented it in 1328. In 1331-1332, helped by Fridrik III of Krk (Frankopan), the Venice tried to take possession of the castle, but unsuccessfully besieged it almost a year. In 1342, although patriarch Bertram of St. Genesius gave the feud to Juraj and Rudolf III of Duin and their cousin Hugo V, it also ascribed by count Albert III, who somehow managed to acquire it and defend it between 1359 and 1361 from patriarch Lodovico della Torre. In 1508, the Venice, and in the 15th century on two occasions Ivan VII Frankopan of Krk, tried to conquer it.
The count Albert III gave it in the second half of 14th century to Filip of Gutenegg (fort Guteneck, Gvothnic, Gotnik) family. The feud was from counts of Gorizia inherited by
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
family. It was in the possession of his son Filip III, grandsons Herman and Nikola, and grangrandsons Ivan and Juraj, who without heirs, the castle becomes property of Ivan's wife Anna Schonberg cousin, Grgur Moysevich.
From 1436 until 1518 was in the possession of Moysevich (Moise, Mojsijević) patrician family from
Senj
Senj is a town on the upper Adriatic coast in Croatia, in the foothills of the Mala Kapela and Velebit mountains.
The symbol of the town is the Nehaj Fortress () which was completed in 1558. For a time this was the seat of the Uskoks, who were ...
, and in the period of Martin Moysevich manorial estates significantly extended their possession and included Brdo, Grobnik, Posert Castle, Letaj, Šušnjevica and Nova Vas.
As his heir had no son, the hereditary rights were transferred on his daughters so the castle in 1529 came into dual possession of Castellano Barbo and Jakov Nikolić. The son of Jakov, Josip, known for arrogance and cruelty, was murdered in 1574 by the rebel villagers, and his line extinguished with Ivan in 1600, when the castle has entirely become the property of
Barbo family
The Barbo () were Venetian patrician family prominent between the 14th and 16th centuries.Pietro Bosmin"Barbo" ''Enciclopedia Italiana'' (Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 1930).
One branch, the Barbo von Waxenstein, settled in the Duchy of Ca ...
, whose member Francesco Barbo stood out particularly as made the castle the center of
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
in Istria, and cherished the
Glagolitic
The Glagolitic script ( , , ''glagolitsa'') is the oldest known Slavic alphabet. It is generally agreed that it was created in the 9th century for the purpose of translating liturgical texts into Old Church Slavonic by Saints Cyril and Methodi ...
cultural tradition from before. In 1668 it was sold to the Johann Weikhard from Auersperg noble family, and since then has remained unkept, becoming only the ruins.
The castle had access only from the west, and was well adapted to the terrain, on three terraces, extending in north-south direction. It consisted of defensive walls, and the main gate led to a small yard, from the south closed by bastion, while north by the fort, with two towers. Within the walls was the single
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
Romanesque
chapel
A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...
, after the parish church of St.
Hadrian
Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...
which in 1834 was rebuilt. Outside the walls at the graveyard are two more chapels, of St.
George
George may refer to:
Names
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
People
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE
* George, stage name of Gior ...
, in which is plate with Glagolitic inscription from 1590, and of the Holy Cross, created with a Baroque upgrade of
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
to medieval nave.
Demographics
According to the 2021 census, its population was 160. It was also 160 in 2011.
Note: ''Named as Sela in 1880 and Selo from 1980 until 1910, and from 1921 until 1991 as Kozljak. From 1991 is named as Kožljak. Contains part of data for ex-village Katun, which from 1880 until 1910 was separate settlement, and for ex-village Mala Kraska which in 1857, 1869 and 1921 was considered a village.''
Gallery
File:Kožljak 2.JPG, The inside of the castle
File:Kožljak 4.JPG, The church of St. Hadrian and walls of the third terrace
File:Panorama of Čepić field seen from Kožljak.JPG, Panorama of
Čepić
Čepić or Cepich is a village in Istria, Croatia. The name is also spelled Ceppi, Cepic, Čepich, or Ceppich.
Climate
Since records began in 1981, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station was , on 3 August 2017. The colde ...