Brežice Castle and its baroque hall of myths

The story of Brežice Castle

The Posavje Museum describes it as a two-storey Renaissance castle with a lavish baroque interior. It went up in the mid-16th century on the site of an earlier castle burnt in 1515, during the great peasant revolt, and Posavje.com dates the start of the new fortress to 1529. The town of Brežice, whose rights were confirmed in 1353, grew up beside it.

In calmer times the Attems family turned it into a residence, first in the early 17th century and again in the late 18th. Since 1949 it has housed the Posavje Museum, which tells the region’s story from the earliest times to the present.

The Knights’ Hall

This is the highlight of the building, and the reason I’d come. Count Ignac Maria Attems rebuilt the east wing and had this hall decorated with scenes from Greek and Roman mythology. Posavje.com presents it as a unique example of baroque secular painting in Slovenia. The tourist board adds that its acoustics make it a special venue for concerts and gala events, and the museum includes it in a route with the staircase and the chapel.

The Posavje Museum

The museum has several permanent exhibitions. One covers the peasant revolts and the legacy of Posavje’s Protestants, another the town’s burghers, and a third, called Under Nine Flags, Posavje from 1900 to 1990. Nearby, in the town centre, the same museum runs the Water Tower, with exhibitions on its upper floors and its own ticket.

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Opening times and prices

From November to February it opens Tuesday to Saturday 10:00-16:00 and on Sundays and holidays 13:00-17:00. In spring and autumn it closes at 18:00, and from June to August it also opens on Mondays and stays open until 20:00. It doesn’t open on New Year’s Day, 1 May or 1 November, nor on 24, 25 and 31 December. Last entry to the Water Tower is an hour before closing.

Tickets cost €6 for adults, €5 for pensioners and €4 for students, and the combined ticket with the tower €14. There are free days too, including 8 February, 18 May, 26 June and 3 December.

Pairing it with Čatež

Allow 90 minutes to do the castle justice, Knights’ Hall, staircase and chapel included. Afterwards, spend the afternoon at Terme Čatež or in the Bizeljsko cellars. Following the Sava upstream, Rajhenburg Castle is a short drive away, and my guide to castles in Slovenia has the rest.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Brežice Castle and pick one that fits your day.

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