NAME
1444 as geslos, 1451 as sicz, 1474 as castrum nomine Mocruz
Litography of castle Mokrice made in 1679 by Johann Weikhard von Valvasor.
Country: Slovenia
Region: Lower Carniola
Municipality: Brežice
Settlement: Rajec
Object: Castle Mokrice
First mention: in the year 1444
Preservation: Preserved object
HISTORY
*On the location of the castle Mokrice was a previous roman fort called Romula and under it a settlement with the same name. Fort was surrounded by a wast wall and inside up to 2000 soldiers could camp. To this day you can still se a lot of roman stones and tombstones embedded in walls of the castle.
*On February 1, 1573, Stephan Gregoryancz sent a letter to the commander of irregular soldiers called Uskoks from Sichlberg in Croatia that commander Jost Thurn should immediately send him 400 – 500 Uskoks to help him, because the peasant army was headed to attack the castle Mokrice under the leadership of Ilija Gregorič. The very next day the peasant army encamped between rivers Sava and Sotla. Later in the battle peasants were defited by Uskoks and Jost Thurn cut noses, ears or arms to some of the prisoners. Two of the leaders of the rebellion were in captivity in the castle jail, but were later released.
*During the years 1753 – 1806, Nikolai Tolentin Count Auersperg built a famous English park near the castle, which was the most beautiful one all around. Nicholas also traveled and brought with him a lot of exotic plants that he planted in his gardens. Unfortunately, his mind faded over the years and he burnt the whole of the castle archive, which was supposed to be three wagons of historical documents, leaving very little information about the history of the castle Mokrice.
*One of the entrances to the secret tunnel is between the old tower and the defensive wall. The tunnel than goes underground for about 175m and exits at the small lake under the castle. Sadly part of it has colapsed. There is supposed to be another tunnel that exits at the highway. This tunnels could be used to escape as well as night raids on the enemy.
*Small lake under the castle had in medieval times an additional purpose. In the event of a siege, holding wall could be blown apart and the accumulated water could be quickly released on the attacking soldiers. Their supervisions could be destroyed thus siege would had to be abandoned.
*Somewhere in the middle of the courtyard a roman wall was still standing untill the 16th century when the castle was expanded and the wall was broken down and stones reused in the expansion.
*During the Napoleonic era (1799-1815), when French soldiers were collecting weapons from farmers, they also contacted Franc Nicholas the Count of Auersperg, who secretly gave them a large collection of old Turkish guns, cannons and other trophies.
*Under the chapel of Saint Ana is a place called silent valley where the last of the Auersperg family is buried. Gustav Franc Nikolai Count of Auersperg with his wife Matilda born as baroness Zois and their daughter Beatrice and her husband Henrich von Gagern.
*In 1941 castle was occupied by Nazis and was converted to Educational Institution for the Nazi Youth. In the year 1945 before they retreated from the Allied forces they took with them most of the valuable items from the Knights’ Hall, furniture, paintings and whole-Baroque furnaces and fireplaces.
*On the New Year’s Eve in 1944, the castle was attacked by the Partisans. The Germans troops used a lifting bridge to prevent the invasion of the castle.
COAT OF ARMS
A legend of the coat of arms was kept, which says: There were times when the Turkish incursions into Slovenia were common. The crows gathered on the river Sava plains first felt the hooves of the Turkish horses, they flew towards the castle. The Turks were firing with arrows at the crows and a crow, which had a pierced neck with a Turkish arrow, flew to the castle yard and warned guards about the impending danger. In her honor, Gregoryancz dedicated her a honorary place in his coat of arms in the year 1562.
In ancient times, besides the pigeons, crows were also used for carrying letters. This is why Turks would shoot at them, to prevent call for aid.
HERALDIC COLORS
OR or GOLDEN: Generosity and elevation of the mind
ARGENT or SILVER: Peace and sincerity
GULES or RED: Warrior or martyr; Military strength and magnanimity
AZURE or BLUE: Truth and loyalty
VERT or GREEN: Hope, joy, and loyalty in love
SABLE or BLACK: Constancy or grief
HERALDIC SYMBOL MEANINGS
CROW: Strategist in battle; watchful for friends; divine providence
STAR: Celestial goodness; noble person; Excellence
MOON: Serene power over mundane actions
LEGENDS
*Some Turkish soldier used a ladder to secretly climb into the castle but was caught. He was then tortured, flayed and his skin filled with straw was hung where he first climbed in as a warning for others.
*After the death of Ambroz Gregoryancz the castle was taken over by his two sons, Pavel and Nicholas. Pavel was appointed as Supreme Commander of the Kingdom, but he did not have any children since he did not want to remarry after the tragic death of his fiance Dora, who was poisoned by the evil Baroness Klara from city Samobor in Croatia. On the other hand his brother Nikolai had two sons, but both his sons had died at an early age. Because of this misfortune the Gregoryancz family died out.
*In the castle jail there is a memorial stone of Mathias Gubec, who was supposed to be imprisoned there. Historical sources say that this was not true and that two other important leaders of the peasant rebellion were locked there. But according to the folk stories, captured Mathias was taken from city Kostanjevica to the crowning in city Zagreb and was, stopped in every castle to show him to all of the nobles. Mathias was a leader of peasant revolt in 1573 but was defeated by united noble army and brought to the city Zagreb in Croatia. There he was tortured, than they put iron crown on his head that was hited in the fire which killed him instantly and at the end four hourses torn him apart.
*According to the legend, Countess Barbara Moschkon, born as Countess Draskovich committed suicide by jumping from the tower in to the abyss. She committed suicide because of unbridled love that was not ment to be. She was forcebly married to another man. The legend then says that the old Turkish cannonball in which Barbara’s spirit resided, rolled around the castle courtyard three times every year on the day of Saint Barbara. This cannonball was in front of the castle gates till the World War II, when it was taken to museum in Zagreb, Croatia. It is interesting that in her memory tombstone in chapel of Saint Ana her last name was written as a Draskovich and not by her husbants last name. Later her memorial tombstone was stolen newer to be seen again.
Portrait of Countess Barbara Draskovich, married Moschkon from 17th century
OWNERS
1540: David and Sigmund noble Sebriach
1558: Partial owner Lucas Szekely and Ferenz Tachy
1560: Ambroz Gregoryancz (first independent owner)
1572: Nikolai and Pavel Gregoryancz
1610: Widow of Nikolai Gregoryancz, Ana Maria noble Ainkürn
1612: Daughters of Nikolai, Marta and Ana Maria
1637: Baron Jobst Josef Moscon
1695: Nikolai Count Erdödi
1695: Izabela Rosina Countess noble Gallenberg
1719: Barbara Ana Countess Erdödi
1727: Wolfgang Nicholas the Count of Auersperg
1760: Nikolai Tolentin Count Auersperg
1812: Franc Nicholas the Count of Auersperg
1847: Gustav Franc Nikolai Count of Auersperg
1880: Beatrice Aloysius Serafina
1915: Brothers Nikolai and Janez noble Gagern and Count Economo
1922: The share of the brothers Gagern is bought by Miloš Rafajlović and Jew Berger
1937: Becomes a possession of the Zagreb Archdiocese
1941: Educational Institution for the Nazi Spring
1978: Terme Čatež
IMAGES
Images made by Vigilant Knight
BOOKS
Dr. Ivan Brlič: Mokrice, dvorac i perivoj spomenik naše prošlosti
August Šenoa: Zlatarjevo zlato
Friedrich von Gagern: Cesta, ljudstvo
Paul Parey: Mokric, Die Heimat von Freiedrich von Gagern
Ivan Stopar: Gradovi na Slovenskem
Ivan Stopar: Grajske stavbe v osrednji Sloveniji, Dolenjska-druga knjiga, med Bogenšperkom in Mokricami
WEB
Site: Grad Mokrice Wikipedija
Site: KRAJI – Slovenija
Site: GRADOVI V SLOVENIJI, Neme priče preteklosti
Site: KAMRA, digitalizirana kulturna dediščina slovenskih pokrajin
GPS
45°51’30,33″ N 15°40’32,32″ E
Vigilant Knight 