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A Grundtvig transnational Learning Partnership

European History Through Castles

The Historical Guide

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Introduction

"European History Through Castles" was a two-year transnational study project for Adult Education, funded by the European Union's "Grundtvig" programme.

The project focused on the European history and particularly on the history of all the countries involved in the project. The target group was people over 55 years of age. They learned about EU history and the history of all the countries involved in the project. They learned about the history of the country before going to mobility and in each country they visited at least four castles. Each country was responsible to present their own country, its history in general and during mobility their local environment. What better way to do it than through presenting the castles which carry a big part of the history in every country.

Here we present a short historical guide of everything we have seen during the project.

The learners were responsible for using digital technology during the visits, so the majority of the photos in this historical guide were taken by the participants. They also prepared photo exhibitions of the castles and the visits, which were displayed in each of our partner areas

Acknowledgements

With grateful thanks to the Grundtvig programme and the National Agencies in each of our countries.

This Guide, and the overall project, are the result of the activity, eergy and support of a large group of people - staff and learners - across our four countries. The "Castles" partnership would like to especially thank Mateja Rozman Amon, who developed the original concept, coordinated the transnational partnership and worked tirelessly to make the project a success. Thank you, Mateja.

Project Reference: 2013-1-SI1-GRU06-05509-2

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St Michael's Mount

St Michael’s Mount is a small island located off the south coast of Cornwall, with very strong historical ties to Mont St Michel in France. It is connected to the mainland by a man-made causeway, which can be crossed only at low tide.

About 2,000 years ago, the Mount was an important centre of the tin industry. It became an important religious destination and place of pilgrimage during the 6th century. The 12th century castle is known for its library of valuable books, its 18th century tidal clock and its mummified cat. It also has a model of the Mount made entirely from champagne corks.

During the early 19th century, almost 200 people lived there, and the island had several schools, and a chapel.

The St Aubyn family has lived on the island since the 17th century. In 1954, the family gave St Michael’s Mount to the National Trust, who look after it to this day. About 30 people live on St. Michael’s Mount at the present time.

Castles in Cornwall

18th - 22nd November 2013

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Crownhill Fort, Plymouth

Crownhill Fort is one of ten Forts and Batteries built in the 1860s to defend Plymouth’s naval base from a perceived threat from newly emerging French aggression. By the mid-nineteenth century, extended peace with France, coupled with a Royal Navy larger than the combined might of the next two biggest navies, had meant the neglect of coastal defence. However this strategy was thrown into turmoil with the accession of Napoleon III in 1852. The new emperor commenced an arms race with Britain by development of the first Ironclad warship ('La Gloire'; the Glory); this armoured vessel outclassed anything in the Royal Navy threatening their maritime superiority. The British, whose prosperity depended upon the Royal Navy’s ability to protect both the homeland and the increasing number of colonies and possessions overseas, panicked; Crownhill Fort was the product of the subsequent building programme. Instigated by the Government of Lord Palmerston on the advice of the 1859/60 Royal Commission, rings of forts/batteries were built around the sea and land approaches to the key Royal Navy dockyards at Plymouth, Portsmouth, Milford Haven and Chatham amongst other sites along the east coast.

Crownhill fort itself was commenced in 1862 on the summit of the ridge of high ground overlooking Plymouth. Work started under a private building contractor, Mr George Baker, but industrial action bankrupted him in 1866 and the Royal Engineers were required to complete the project. When Crownhill

fort was finished in 1869 it was the largest fortification in the Plymouth region and the centre-piece of the Northern Lines. Like the other forts in the chain, Crownhill was designed by Captain Edmund Du Cane and dispensed

with bastions; instead it was configured in a polygonal shape based on the concept that the forts would act in unison to provide an unbroken wall of fire. However, unlike the other forts, Crownhill was positioned slightly to the north of the main line in an exposed position with its formidable fire-power designed to dominate the area. It was augmented on its west flank by Agaton Fort and Woodland Fort covering all approaches from Crownhill to the River Tamor. To the east Bowden Fort, Austin Fort and Efford Fort covered the approaches upto Cattewater. A military road connected the line of the northern forts.

On initial construction the fort was designed for 32 guns - 6 enclosed in casemates and the remainder installed on the ramparts. These were augmented by mortars, for close in defence, and a deep dry ditch covered by Caponiers. Upgrades to the armaments were made in the late nineteenth century and, unlike many of the forts, Crownhill was actually fully armed with its complete compliment of weapons.

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Although the danger from France quickly passed, the fort remained military property and during World War I was used a transit depot for soldiers on route to the Mediterranean. In the inter-wars years it was first a demobilisation centre and then became home to the Second Battalion of the Royal Devonshire Regiment. As World War II erupted the fort was hastily equipped with anti-aircraft guns - the existing magazines and facilities making it ideal for this purpose.

After World War II the fort was re-tasked into the Headquarters of the Commando Support Squadron Royal Engineers from where they provided significant logistical support for the 1982 Falkland's War. The site was finally decommissioned in 1985 and purchased by the Landmark Trust.

The Landmark Trust acquired Crownhill Fort in 1987 and have undertaken major work to restore the site to closely resemble that of a Victorian Fortress. As well as being available to let for holidays, Crownhill Fort is home to a community of small businesses, an Education Centre and Event Spaces that can be hired for weddings, conferences and parties.

Mt Edgcumbe Country Park

The Edgcumbe family were (and remain) a substantial aristocratic family in the south west of England. The family have owned land opposite Plymouth since 1354, but it was not until 1547 that they began to built a grand new house here. The Edgcumbes had lived at Cotehele, further inland, for centuries, but the wealthy family wanted a new house that would reflect their status - and be more comfortable that medieval Cotehele! The new house at Mount Edgcumbe was innovative, a sign of the more peaceful and prosperous England of the Elizabethan period. For while previous generations of wealthy families built houses that faced inward, huddling about a central courtyard, keeping the world at bay, Mount Edgcumbe faced outward, taking advantage of the long, sloping hill with views across the Sound to Plymouth, and showcasing the confidence and wealth of the Edgcumbes. This was a new type of house, built more for comfort and show than for defence. It was an indication of a major social shift, a change that was to revolutionise English architecture - at least as it concerned the showpiece homes of the wealthy nobility.

The Edgcumbes built a banqueting hall beside the house, but this was damaged during the Civil War. But the real change to Mount Edgcumbe came in 1941, when a German bomb, probably intended for military targets in Plymouth, struck the house and left it a shell. The house was completely gutted.

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The 6th Earl was faced with a major decision; should he rebuild the house or let it decay? He chose to rebuild, a project that began in 1951. But the end was near. In 1971 the 7th Earl sold the Mount Edgcumbe estate to the Cornwall County Council and Plymouth City Council jointly. The estate grounds were turned into a country park, complete with follies and grottos built as part of the 18th century landscaping of the

gardens. The house itself, and the formal terraced gardens immediately around it, were filled with 18th century furniture and paintings, and opened to the public in 1988. Mount Edgcumbe has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Cornwall, aided greatly by its location opposite Plymouth - and by the attractive coast and grounds within the park.

The formal garden area is composed of several 'garden rooms', each in its own style, many separated by high hedges from each other. among the highlights are an Italian Garden (1750-1809), French Garden (1803), English Garden (1770), and a relatively recent 18th century rose garden. There is also a

New Zealand garden and a delightful - and very surprising - Geyser, which erupts every 60 seconds.

Apart from the Formal Garden, there are literally miles of trails through the park and along the shore. On the eastern edge, facing Plymouth Sound, are several military buildings, including a curving battery with cannon trained across the harbour entrance.

The first battery here, called the Earls Battery, was built in 1747. This was extended in 1863 when the Garden Battery was added. Just inland of the battery is a small Tudor blockhouse erected in 1540.

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Castle Kamen

The castle is situated on a rocky ridge which closes the valley Draga in Begunje. It is a typical “growing” castle. It was built in the 12th century by the Ortenburg counts but they never lived in it, it was managed by the help of Kastelans. The castle protected an important trading path from Bohinj and upper Sava valley towards Tržič, Podljubelj and from there on towards Carinthia.

After the extinction of the Ortenburgs in 1418, the castle went in the hands of counts of Celje and after that it changed the owners several times. In 1469 it was bought by Jurij Lamberg and he renovated the castle. After the earthquake in 1511 it was renovated again but in first half of the 18th century it was abandoned and with its parts they renovated another castle called Kacenštajn and they built a baroque church in Begunje. Castle Rock started to change into ruin and only in 1957 restorers and conservators gave back a bit of the old image that the castle Rock used to have.

One of the owners of the castle was also Gašper Lambergar, from an important family of Lambergs. He was a knight. A legend from the 15th century tells that he won 85 tournaments/fights.

Castles in Slovenia

13th - 17th April 2014

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Waldenberg

The Lipnica Castle or the Pusti grad (Deserted Castle)

The beginnings of the Waldenberg Castle are closely connected to the Corinthian noble family of Ortenburg. They acquired the estates in the Lipnica valley around AD 1102 with the marriage of the heiresses from the Carinthia noble family of lawyers of St. Hema. In the following centuries the Ortenburg family became the most powerful noble family in both regions of Carinthia and Upper Carniola. After AD 1256 their estates were split between two brothers, count Henrik (Henry) and count Friderik (Frederick).

The Lipnica estate fell to the count Friderik of Ortenbug. He decided to create a new centre of Ortenburg estate and for that he chose that his home was at the Waldenberg Castle, which was mentioned firstly in AD 1228. Nearby he set up a settlement Radovljica with the market rights which later became town as well. The Radovljica dominion consisted of two land registries, Stein (Kamen Castle) and Waldenberg (Lipnica Castle). Kamen Castle estate was a part of the fiefdom of the Upper Carniola, whereas the Lipnica estate was a personal, family fief of the Ortenburg family. The whole estate comprised around 380 farms, 60 of them were located in the Lipnica valley.

The Waldenberg Castle was built on a steep ridge between the Lipnica stream and The Sava River. The base of the castle was built in Romanesque style as origin. In the middle there are seen the shape of the remains rectangular palladium. In the late gothic period a new wall and several defence towers were built around the castle. Within one of the towers there was the chapel of St. Pancras too. The remains of the castle walls with two defence towers are seen there nowadays.

The Waldenberg castle became the allodial residency of Friderik I in AD 1263. Under his jurisdiction belonged the castles Kamen, Ribnica, and Čušperk that time. After the death of his brother Henrik he took over entire Ortenburg estates. Since then the Waldenberg remained as an administrative castle until the Ortenburg family died out in AD 1418/20.

In the 2nd half of the 14th century the Ortenburg family estates included 17 castles and 6 settlements with market

rights. They managed them very economically. They ensured there were growth in both animal and crop husbandries, as well as iron forgings in Kropa, Kamna Gorica and Kolnica. Iron forging and iron mining here were so well formed that the last count Friderik III of Ortenburg issued the first official document of ironwork industry in Carniola called Ortenburg Mining Regulatios in AD 1381.

The peak of Ortenburg family happened during the time of the mentioned count Friderik III. On the basis of inheritance agreement from AD 1377 between the counts of Ortenburg and Celje, all the Ortenburg estates belonged to the counts of Celje due to theirs dying out in AD 1420. Only four decades later it all was handed over to the Habsburg family on the basis of another inheritance agreement. Radovljica domination was given in pawn firstly to different noble families and finally sold to the counts of Thurn-Valsassina.

Feudal law connected with a rise of Radovljica town had been contributing that the influences of the castles Waldenberg and Kamen decline. Waldenberg was gravely damaged by the earthquake in AD 1509 firstly and later by fire. It has not been rebuilt again and fell into decay in the 17th C. It became new name – Desert Castle (Pusti grad).

Two legends of Waldenberg Castle have been survived to the present day. The first one talks about Friderik III and his wife, duchess Margaret of Teck. According the story she poisoned her husband with an apple,

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but the truth is that she died 10 years earlier. The second legend tells us about the secret tunnel leading from the castle under the Sava River to Radovljica Castle but it has not been confirmed by archaeological research.

Every year in August the place of castle remains revival with the host events within the walking spots of Venus Path. The castle turns into a venue for the plays written by the local authors.

Radovljica

Above the confluence of the Sava Bohinjka and the Sava Dolinka stands a town with numerous preserved monuments of civil engineering. The most important are the Chuch of St. Peter with the vicarage, the manor with apicultural museum, Šivec house and the only preserved defence shaft in Slovenia. In Radovljica, the father of Slovenian theatre Anton Tomaž Linhart was born (1756-1795).

It is best to begin a visit to Radovljica at the point where the old and new sections meet, at the area around the bus station. Passing the town’s only hotel, the Grajski Dvor (Castle Court), the work of noted Slovene architect Ivan Vurnik, our path takes us through a corridor lined with white beech trees towards

the Old Town centre. The walkway, alongside of which stands a tomb for the fallen of the Second World War, is a remnant of the baroque gardens that were laid by the Thurn-Valsassina family in the 17th and 18th centuries. “Paradise,” as the gardens were known by townspeople and locals, was originally connected to the Graščina mansion in the Old Town via a wooden corridor and later by the embankment still in use today.

No matter which path one chooses, a beautifully renovated central town square awaits us on the other side, punctuated on every side by medieval monuments and

renaissance burgher architecture. The way through the moat tunnel, however, curtails a look at the artisan houses which began to extend from the town walls in the 18th century. One of the first buildings on the left side is the birthplace of renowned playwright, historian and pedagogue Anton Tomaž Linhart. A little way farther on the street on the left is the Vidic House (Linhartov trg 3) from 1634, an exceptionally beautiful example of a burgher mansion. Across a small ally is the Lectar House, which houses the oldest restaurant in Radovljica. The structure has a medieval plan; however the original form was effaced by later renovations. The entrance portal from 1822, as well as that of the neighbouring Vidic House, is the work of the noted stone-cutting workshop of Kocjančič from Črnivec.

The centre of the Old Town is completely dominated by the imposing Graščina (“Mansion” or Thurn Manor) at Linhartov trg 1. Originally a castle belonging to the Ortenburgs, the structure was rebuilt following the earthquake in 1511 by the building’s then-tenant Count Dietrichstein. A century later the Graščina was farther expanded by the Counts of Thurn-Valsassina. Today the ground floor is occupied by the local music school while the first floor houses the Apiculture Museum, featuring exhibits exploring the colourful Slovene tradition of beekeeping. The indigenous Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica), renowned teachers of beekeeping and painted beehive panels – a unique example of folk art – all bear witness to a rich and independent Slovene way of life. Many important beekeepers came from the Radovljica plain, the most well-known being Anton Janša. A great innovator in the field of beekeeping,

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Janša was the first professor at the Imperial School for Apiculture in Vienna founded by Empress Maria Theresa.

Beside the Graščina stands the Parish Church of St. Peter. Originally built in Romanesque style 750 years ago, the church was rebuilt and enlarged in the mid-15th century. The interior space is covered by a high vaulted ceiling supported by gothic ribs and ornamented with starry keystones, coming to rest on polygonal pillars. The ornamental sculptures and alters are the work of Lodovico Bombassi and Angelo Pozzo, while the side alters were designed by Janez Vurnik, Ivan and Helena Vurnik, Matej Goričnik and sculptors Valentin Vrbnik, Jožef Pavlin and Stane Jarm. Paintings by Leoplold Layer, Pavel Künl and Janez Šubic farther enrich the interior. Among the fortifications still preserved today, in addition to the moat tunnel, this defensive wall is best viewed right at this spot. From the rectory our path takes us towards the former Lower Town Gate, where a road leads towards the Sava and onwards into Lipnica Valley. Here there is a beautiful view on the Jelovica plateau; Mt. Triglav (the highest peak in Slovenia) and the Sava River, whose existing terraces above the current riverbed were also formed by the Triglav glacier.

One of the most interesting examples of medieval burgher architecture – not just in Radovljica but also in the whole Slovenia – is the Šivec House (Linhartov trg 22). The façade is dominated by a 17th century fresco on the jetted first floor. The exceptionally well preserved interior on the ground floor features a double-aisled hall vaulted with crested arches supported by round pillars. The first floor, together with its staircase, has also been preserved as it was at the time of its construction in the mid-16th century and features a kitchen, pantry and living space covered with a wooden gothic ceiling. This room is still used today for weddings, while the ground floor currently houses a gallery. A permanent collection of Slovene illustrations are exhibited on the first floor. On the square towards the exit from the old town, on the spot where a wooden well once stood, stands a monument to the meritorious townswoman and benefactor Josipina Hočevar cast by local sculptor Josip Pavlin in 1908.

The Counts of Celje

They originally derived from the family of the lords of Žovnek from Žovnek castle in the Lower Savinja valley. The inheritance of Celje and the attainment of the Tittle of Count in 1341 was the basis of their rapid economic and political rise in succeeding century. The acquired extensive holdings in Styria, Carniola, Carinthia and countries under the crown of Saint Stephen.

The power and diplomatic skills of the family, the close alliance between Herman II and the mighty Sigismund of Luxemburg made it possible for Ulrich II and Friderick II too attain the tittle of prince in Prague in 1436. The battle of Ulrich II for leading position amongst the Hungarian nobility drove the Family into decline. Ladislav Hunyadi murdered the last male representative of the House of Celje in Belgrade in 1456. Their extensive landholdings within the Holly Roman Empire were seized by the Habsburg.

CELEA - TOWN BENEATH TODAY` S TOWN

As early as prehistoric times the favourable, protected position beside a bend of River Savinja, the rich hinterland of Savinja valley and the intersection of trade routes. The oldest settlement on the Miklavški hrib is known from the Bronze Age and early iron Age-9-6 century BC.

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In 15 BC the kingdom of Noricum, and the oppidium of Celea within the scope, was annexed to the Roman state. During the rule of Emperor Claudius 4-5 AD in the period when Noricum became Roman procuratorial province Celea was one of the provinces to aqua ire the status of municipium- independent town- , with the full name Municupium Claudium Celea. In museum is represented the period of the towns greatest flourishing and also of physical growth.

Ljubljana

This year is the 2000th anniversary of the first town, the roman Emona. We walked through the medieval part of Ljubljana. It consists from three squares; the Old Square, the Town Square and the New Square. By the Town Square we crossed the Šuštar Bridge towards the other part of Ljubljanica River to the New Square. We walked by defensive wall of medieval Ljubljana which is no longer there of course. Defensive wall had five entrances. It was demolished at the end of the 17th century and in the 18th century since it no longer served its purpose. In this time all major walls were torn down in the empire and mostly in the central Europe.

Ljubljana was slowly developing from little hamlets at the bottom of the castle hill with Spainheim castle, later the country's princely castle and administrative building, first mentioned in 1256 – Laybach, castrum capitalis. It was on the right side of Ljubljanica River. The town was connected to the country part on the left side with bridges.

The Old Square was first mentioned in 1144 as Laybach and two years later as Luwigana. It got the town rights in 1220 when it was mentioned on the coins of Spanheim family who chose Ljubljana as a centre if their estate in this area. In this time Ljubljana already had two bridges; Šuštar Bridge where was a place for tradesmen who were trading with animal skins. By the bridge there was a prison and PRANGER, the medieval punishment and tool of shame. In the 19th century they built the first Ljubljana brewery there.

Also Tromostovje (three bridges) which are the work of our great architect Jože Plečnik, were before the place for butchers, bakers,

tradesmen and merchants who supplied the town with food.

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We crossed the Dragon Bridge, which was called the bridge of Franc Josef till the First World War. He was a very popular emperor of Slovenians during the ruling of the Habsburg dynasty. Ljubljana got its first churches and the bishop at the end of the roman antique and the first parish was around the church of St. Peter in Šempeter. Slovenians are Roman Catholics with the exception of 20.000 Lutherans in the north-east Slovenia. Nowadays Slovenia is divided to several parishes but the centre is the archbishopric in Ljubljana with monastery church devoted to St. Nikolay. It is a piece of historical art of architects, urbanises, painters, and sculptures. In 1996 the monastery church got new main door, a work of academic sculpture Tone Demšar to remember the baptising of the first Carination princes Gorazd and Hotimir. You can see Slovenian countries on the door, the Princes stone, family as the foundation of every society. Oglej on one side, corner of St. Cyril on the other; monks in Stična – literacy and connection to the past of knowledge. There is the whole history of Slovenian nation on that door.

Ljubljana squares arise under the configuration of the floor between the space and the hill where the castle is situated and the Ljubljanica River. The Town square arise first as a market and the fair, today this is a space between the Rotovž and the City hall. Ljubljana had as a leader of the town a judge till the end of the 14th century, but after that time, the town became too big for one person and so they got a council and a mayor as the economic leader of the town. Today the most impressive art in front of Rotovž, there is a Robb fountain, renaissance work of art by Francesco Robb. It presents three Slovenian rivers and by that a wider Slovenian space which is transit and opened from north and north-east towards south-west and on towards the sea or down the Sava River. To the New Square there is a short road on the Jewish street through the Jewish part of the town. Ljubljana is situated on the crossroad of the European, but mostly medieval paths and because of this position it accepted also foreigners, who were sometimes more, sometimes less welcome.

Slovenians lived in several multinational countries before it got independent in 1990. This can be seen in Kongresni square. The name derives from Ljubljana congress in 1825, where most important politicians, knobbles and emperors were deciding what the future political life in Europe should be. There is a building of the Ljubljana University today.

Around all the squares we have mentioned, palaces from different knobble families have been built. But the town being so small, we can’t really talk about the town patrician.

The only town palace that would deserve such name is no longer there. It used to stand in a place where the National Library and the Town Museum are situated now. That was a palace of the Auersperg knights. It was torn down by Ivan Hribar, the mayor of Ljubljana at the end of 19th century, beginning of the 20th century. He thought that it was damaged too much because of the earthquake in 1895.

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Villa Bled

Villa Bled is the former residence of the Yugoslavian President Tito, so there's no surprise to find that the lakeside location overlooking the island is second to none. Surrounded by parkland and with direct lake access it is now a small luxury hotel offering a superb quality of accommodation and a fantastic restaurant in an unforgettable setting.

In Villa Bled there is the Slavko Pengov mural to be seen. The mural is massive, it is impossible to see it all at once. It tells the story of Tito’s partisan army defeat of the German army from 1941 to 1945. The story reads from left to right culminating in the death blow to the invader and the blossoming of the cherry tree on the right. Pengov used a progression of increasing brightness which is not well

recorded in my composite image but the light in the painting gets stronger from left to right too. Pengov was both a pacifist and an anti-Bolshevik (he depicted Lenin as Judas Iscariot at the Last Supper in another work in 1930). He is said to have made this work under duress and added his own comment on the war in it.

The Church on the Island

According to a legend which stayed with the people, the temple of the ancient Slavic goddess Živa once stood in the place of the present Baroque church. The temple disappeared during battles between the followers of the pagan religion and Christians, who destroyed the altar and built a church.

On the Bled Island, archaeologists have discovered traces of prehistoric (11th to 8th centuries B.C.) and Slavic (9th to 10th century) settlements. In the early Middle Ages a pre-Christian, probably Old Slavic cult area stood at the location of the present day church. 124 graves with skeletons from the 9th to the 11th century were found. The foundations of a pre-Romanesque chapel which was built during the process of Christianization also date from approximately the same period - this is probably the

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only discovered example of a cult building from those times on Slovenian territory. According to written sources, the first masonry church on the island, a three-nave Romanesque basilica, was consecrated by the Aquilean patriarch Pellegrino in 1142.

In the 15th century, it was rebuilt in the Gothic style: a new presbytery, a freestanding bell tower and the main altar were built. The renovated single-nave church was consecrated in 1465 by the first bishop of Ljubljana, count Žiga Lamberg.

In 1509 it was damaged by an earthquake to such an extent that it required thorough renovation, and this was carried out in the Baroque style. Only the frescoes in the presbytery and a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, which probably adorned the main altar, were preserved from the previous Gothic church.

The Church today

The present form of the church dates from the 17th century when it was renovated after another earthquake. The main altar with its rich gold-plated carving dates from 1747. On the central altarpiece the Virgin Mary is shown seated, with the donor of the Bled estate, Henry II, and his wife Kunigunda at her side. The side altars, consecrated to St. Sebastian, St. Magdalena and St. Anna, were made at the end of the 17th century.

The bell tower, which was built in the 15th century, has been renovated several times due to damage by two earthquakes, and in 1688 it was struck by lightning. The present tower is 54 m high and has three bells, which were made by Samassa and Franchi, bell makers from Ljubljana. Like the church, the other buildings, the walls and the monumental staircase (99 stairs) preserved their image from the 17th century.

The wishing bell

Of special interest is the ""wishing bell"" from 1534 in the upper roof beam above the church nave, by F. Patavina from Padova. According to the legend, a young widow Poliksena once lived at the Bled Castle, who had a bell casted for the chapel on the island in memory of her husband. During the transport of the bell, a terrible storm struck the boat and sank it together with the crew and the bell, which to this day is said to ring from the depths of the lake. After the widow died, the Pope consecrated a new bell and sent it to the Bled Island. It is said that whoever rings this bell and thereby gives honor to Virgin Mary gets his wish come true.

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Bled Castle through the ages

The history of the castle reaches back to 1004 when the German Emperor Henry II gave his estate at Bled to Bishop Albuin of Brixen. At that time, only a Romanesque tower protected by walls stood in the place of the present day castle. The first castle was built in approximately 1011 but the Bishops of Brixen never resided there. This is precisely why the castle has no luxurious halls as the greater emphasis was placed on the defence system.

In the late middle Ages more towers were built and the fortifications system was improved. Can you imagine entering through the outer walls with the Gothic arch and walking over the drawbridge above the moat? Today, the moat is filled with earth, but the sight is still able to stir up your imagination.

The distinctive feature of the castle is its double structure – the fortified centre part was intended for the residence of feudal lords, whilst the outer part with walls and buildings was intended for the residence of servants. In 1511 the castle was heavily damaged by the earthquake. Later on, the castle was restored and given its present appearance. The castle buildings are decorated with coats-of-arms painted in the fresco technique or carved in stone.

The Castle Chapel

The most interesting of all the preserved buildings is most certainly the Gothic chapel on the upper courtyard, which was consecrated to the Bishops St. Albuin and St. Ingenium. It was built in the 16th century, and was renovated in the Baroque style around 1700, when it was also painted with illusionist frescoes. Next to the altar there are paintings of the donors of the Bled estate, the German Emperor Henry II and his wife Kunigunda. Their portraits can also be seen in the Church of the Assumption on the Bled Island.

From 1951 to 1961 the castle was restored and embellished with certain architectural details under the leadership of architect Tone Bitenc. The servant building on the lower courtyard was equipped with the castle printing shop, whilst the castle wine cellar found its place exactly beneath it. The upper courtyard hosts a museum which represents the history of Bled.

Bled Castle today

Bled Castle is now arranged as an exhibition area. Display rooms next to the chapel present the ancient history of Bled from the first excavations and the castle in individual stages of its historical development with furniture, characteristic of those times. Although these pieces are not originally from the Bled Castle, they are important as an illustration of the style of living in the historical periods presented.

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Catalonia is a land of castles. The own name of the country derives from the Latin word “Castlans" to refer to the inhabitants of the castles.

For the visit in our project we selected four castles, they represent different periods and different facts and history of the country: The castle of Gelida, the castle of Cornellà, the castle of Castelldefels and the castle of Montjuic, and the visit of the town to Vilafranca del Penedès (include the Vinseum .Vine museum) and the Born in Barcelona city

Montjuic Castle

Castles in Catalonia

5th - 9th November 2014

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The first fortification on Montjuïc Mountain was built in 1640, during the revolt against Felipe IV. It consisted of a quadrilateral structure covered in stone and mud. It first saw action on 26 January 1641, when an attack by the Castilian troops of Pedro Fajardo de Requesens-Zúñiga y Pimentel, the Marquess of Vélez, was repelled in the Battle of Montjuïc.

In 1694 the fort became a castle and the grounds took up most of the summit, with three bastions looking inland and a line of saw-tooth ramparts looking over the sea.

During the War of the Spanish Succession, the fall of the castle to the hands of Charles Mordaunt, Lord Peterborough, on 17 September 1705, was one of the factors that tipped the Catalans to the cause of Archduke Charles of Austria. Felipe V took it back on 25 April 1706, but lost it again on 12 May of the same year, and it was not again his till 12 September 1714, when, according to the fifth article of the capitulations —which the Duke of Berwick offered the city on the same day—, it surrendered to Bourbon troops.

In 1751, the military engineer Juan Martín Cermeño demolished the old fort of 1640, which still stood inside the new walls, and gave the complex of fortifications their present shape, providing them with services and cisterns (one of which being potable water), and also excavated a moat. Further construction work was done between 1779 and 1799, to accommodate the doubling of the castle’s population, including kitchens and ovens to feed 3,000, by which time the castle had taken on its final appearance. It was also when it was equipped with artillery, with 120 cannons.

On 13 February 1808, French troops entered Barcelona with 5,427 men and 1,830 horses. At first they were only supposed to remain in the city a few days but, on 29 February, a corps of Napoleon’s imperial troops, commanded by Colonel Floresti, climbed Montjuïc Mountain to capture the castle. This they achieved, but only by annoying the soldiers there because the Captain General of the Principality had received the direct orders of the Court itself to receive Napoleon’s troops with benevolence.

In 1842, during the regency of General Espartero, the city was bombed from the castle to quell a revolutionary uprising. The next year, General ordered a further bombing of Barcelona, with the firing of more than 2,500 projectiles during the 81 days that the siege by government troops lasted.

In the 1890s, the workers involved in the wave of anarchist violence were locked up here. As were the detainees of the Tragic Week of 1909, at the time the Catalan educator and creator of l’Escola Moderna, Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia was executed by firing squad also in Montjuïc. In 1919, more than 3,000 workers were jailed because of the Canadenca conflict. It was filled with right-wing prisoners in 1936, and between 1936 and 1938, in addition to continuing as a prison, 173 people were executed by firing squad. Also executed was the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Lluís Companys, on 15 October 1940.

The castle remained a military prison till 1960, when it was ceded to the city under the direction The castle remained a military prison till 1960, when it was ceded to the city under the direction and administration of the army. After three year’s work to refurbish the complex as a military museum, on 24 June 1963, Francisco Franco presided the inauguration.

A ministerial order of 27 April 2007 modified the transfer of Montjuïc Castle to Barcelona City Council. Subsequent negotiations and meetings allowed Montjuïc Castle to return to the city as a municipal facility and finally be officially recognised as the property of all the Barcelonese.

A public celebration was held on 15 June 2008, to mark its recovery for civil, social and cultural uses. It was “invaded” by some 40,000 people who occupied all the positions in the castle and jointly conquered the

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premises with traditional gegants, grallers, falcons, folk dancers, an exhibition, concerts and workshops to inform the general public on many of the castle’s lesser-known nooks and crannies.

To finish the day marking the recovery of the castle for use by the city’s citizens, Raimon, a well-known protest singer/songwriter from the last days of Franco, gave a concert in Santa Eulàlia moat in memory of and homage to the President of the Generalitat Lluís Companys and the educator and founder of l’Escola Moderna Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia.

The Castle of Cornellà del Llobregat

1st stage: the thirteenth century until the fifteenth century

From 1202 to mid- seventeenth century, lands of Cornellà were bought by different lineages of knights and bourgeois of Barcelona, usually linked to the home county of Barcelona and the Mediterranean expansion.

One of these, Mallol, belonging to a noble family of Barcelona, reorganized farm domain, from the mid thirteenth century, he developed a task of settlement which gave rise to many of

the houses and buildings of the parish house Cornella, probably the first construction of the castle Construction elements of this period (XIV and XV) are downstairs and the two towers of the facade. At the fifteenth century, during the Catalan Civil War (1462 -1472), the castle was confiscated by the Council of the Generalitat and was handed to the captain of his troops, who set the centre of military operations. It is very probable that in this period, the building were fortified, as it is corroborated by some documents after the war, being known as the Tower, as always.

2nd stage: CENTURY XVI

After the Catalan Civil War, the castle returned to the Ribes family, the last owners before the conflict, which retained ownership throughout the sixteenth century . One of its members, Adriana de Ribes, had a special significance in the history of the castle and city of Cornella. She wanted to convert the castle in a residence for upstanding people and therefore conditioned as such: Raised the first floor of the castle, built stone steps of the courtyard and incorporated the family chapel of San Antonio inside the enclosure. But she also made some contributions to aesthetic character, introducing the oldest Gothic windows on the walls, in order to unify the style of the palace house. The castle lost the appearance of strength to become a stately home. The military elements are preserved

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more as a symbol than as a real function. In the late sixteenth century, we know that the property was ruined by floods and lots of lands disappeared, as well as many fields became uncultivated.

3rd stage: the seventeenth and the twentieth century

In the early seventeenth century, the castle of Cornellà and outbuildings were demolished nearby when a member of the new nobility, Baltasar Oriol, bought the property in 1666.

The new owner was part of the new aristocracy, born and developed in the wake of the bureaucracy and faithful executor of the policy of Austria dynasty. It was a social class educated, rich and powerful, who eagerly sought the acquisition of domain and partnership noble family representatives to members of the old nobility of feudal origin.

The family Orioles changed the castle into a farm house, conducting a rigorous administration,

establishing and putting into cultivation land and property constantly expanding. The castle of Cornellà was the centre of the farm, into a large farmhouse.

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the castle was enlarged and transformed on a number of items related to the function of the building land.

In 1992, the City acquired the building. The city of Cornellà intended to assign it to public use and did the first works of consolidation.

The restoration maintained the original structure, although at some points it was necessary to lay the foundations, it was not sufficient for the new base. Superimposing architectural styles and different materials over the centuries, taken as a cultural value in respect of a building 700 years old . With the inauguration of the castle on May 5, 2000, the city of Cornellà regained an asset with an unquestionable historical value and a symbolic significance as a center of power for centuries.

The first and second floors of the castle houses is a site of the Municipal Historical Archive of the Cornella and Utopia Foundation. Downstairs can visit the majestic exhibition hall, while the courtyard becomes a setting for various activities: concerts, conferences, public presentations, etc.

Gelida Castle

The castle stands in the highest part of the town of Gelida. This fortification was documented for the first time in 945 as one of the castles on the Ordal mountain range border between Al-Andalus and the county of Barcelona. It was built on a rocky steppe with cliffs on both sides, which is bordered by the Cantillepa and Sant Miquel streams. Within the castle area, there is a visitors’ centre that organises guided visits and provides information on the area. The walls, defence towers, a collection of anthropomorphic tombs from the 5th and 6th centuries and the Sant Pere del Castell church all stand out. This temple, of pre-Romanesque origins (10th century), is the castle’s most outstanding element and it was the parish church in Gelida until 1871; it has been renovated many times in different styles throughout the centuries from 998, when it was documented, until the Baroque period (18th century). As well as being architecturally attractive, Gelida castle provides some of the best panoramic views of the Penedès plain and the region of Anoia.

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Vilafranca del Penedès

Vilfranca del Penedès is the capital city of the Alt Penedès and the most traditional and important wine region in Catalonia. Its origins date from the early 12th century, from which time Vilafranca has existed as the main centre of communication.

Historically, Vilafranca is one of the most important middle-size Catalan cities due to an important historical-artistic heritage, formed by a group of faithfully restored Middle Age buildings (making Vilafranca look like a medieval city). There are also a number of modernist buildings of great importance, which were built during the expansion of the city at the end of the 19th century. In Jaume I Square you can find the Santa Maria's belfry, the Marquis of Alfarràs' House and the house of the Bishop Torras i Bages, nowadays a library. The most significant building of this historical centre is the Comtes-Reis Palace, a building dated from the 12th-13th centuries where King Pere the Great died in 1285. Nowadays, the Vilafranca Museum hosts the Museu del Vi which has amongst other sections, archaeology, geology, ornithology and painting. The Wine Museum is considered one of the best museums of its kind in Europe. It provides a journey through the history of vines and of winemaking in the Penedès region, with a collection of rich documentary evidence.

Casteldefels Castle

The castle sits atop a hill, dominating the coastal strip between the Garraf Massif and Barcelona. A network of pathways lead slowly up to the castle and the Castle Park, with a range of different routes through the abundant flora, including such exotic species as Mediterranean fan palms. The summit of the hill is the best point from which to look out over the Garraf Massif, the Collserola Uplands, the Plain of Barcelona, Montjuïc, the Llobregat Delta and the coastline.

The Castle Park belongs to the Castell district, north-east of the town centre, occupying a prime

spot between the castle itself and the urban districts. It is bounded at the upper end by the castle walls and further down by the sports area and the streets Bisbe Urquinaona and Doctor Marañón.

The Romanesque Castle Chapel

In the 10th century, Castelldefels was on the frontier with the Arab Caliphate of Cordoba. It was in this era that Count Sunyer commissioned the Monastery of Sant Cugat to set up what would ultimately become Castelldefels. Under the direction of the monastery, work began on the construction of the Church of Santa Maria. The first documentary records available date from the year 967.

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Castelldefels City Council bought the castle in 1988. A historical and archaeological study of the site began the next year, and plans were drawn up to restore and refurbish the church. This project involved the reconstruction of the damaged areas and the repainting of a number of structures: the white of the Romanesque building and the blue of the Capella de la Salut or Our Lady of Good Health Chapel. Inside, the presbytery was adapted in order to allow the Ancient Iberian and Roman remains in the subsoil to be viewed. The Capella de la Salut was also refurbished, preserving both the neoclassical paintings and the graffiti dating from the Spanish Civil War (1936-39).

“El Born” Cultural Centre

The Cultural Centre is a unique and exceptional place that brings together three centuries of our history. Below the cast-iron structure of the iconic 19th century marketplace lies the Barcelona of 1700, the prosperous city that suffered the siege of 1714 and that put up an epic and heroic resistance before Catalonia's national liberties were eventually lost, yet to be restored three later. The timeline that naturally emerges in this memorable space invites us to look into the past, the present and the future of our country; an entirely appropriate and necessary thought process at this crucial point in Catalan history. By knowing where we come from and who we are, we will have a much better awareness of where the road ahead should be taking us as a people.

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Hauszmann-Gschwindt Mansion (Velence)

The Meszleny family of the XVIII century built their first mansion in Velence. It was created by Alajos Hauszmann, one of the greatest masters of the Hungarian eclectic, mainly with neo-baroque style elements.

The Meszleny descendants gradually sold their earlier possessions and then bought the old family mansion, together with the Burchard family. From them in 1913, the estate was bought by Alajos Hauszmann architect, one of the greatest masters of Hungarian eclecticism.

The castle itself was built as a summer house. The renowned architect of the building was not used for a long time, since 1926, has died. His heirs sold the Budafok Gschwindt industrialist family in the castle.

In 1954 the building was nationalized and became the headquarters of the tobacco industry trade union. The area covers a group of buildings, of which the most valuable aspect is this castle. Part of the interior of the building still remains in its original state: Baroque fireplace in the lobby is the ceiling is covered with stucco. The stairs lead up beautifully carved wooden staircase. The ceiling of the hall is decorated with stucco, the corner is the original majolica stoves. The rest of the buildings found in the area is poor. The castle park is protected linden and chestnut trees can be found, but unfortunately, the garden overgrown with weeds and other weeds. The park is closed, not open.

Brunszvik Palace (Martonvásár)

Already two or three hundred years before the area was inhabited Martonvasar, deserted during the Turkish occupation, and thereafter the Beniczky family, it took possession of Alexander Beniczky.

Older Korompai Brunswick Anthony, Maria Teresa was given the title of count and Martonvasar estate. After his death, in 1783 the estates were distributed among the children. By DOLNÁ KRUPÁ lot of the younger boy, Joseph Martonvasar became Antal, where he built his son Francis of Brunswick mansion in 1785?., When the estate was the Beniczky family owned, it was built The part of the castle, which was a single-story Baroque mansion.

Castles in Hungary

13th - 17th April 2015

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Construction of the castle in 1783 - occurred between 1785, it was one of the 11 rooms flank 6-7 room on the opposite side of the church. Francis Brunswick in 1820, built floors of the castle and the castle was

rebuilt in classical style.

Son was built in neo-Gothic style Geza Brunswick over the castle in 1872 - in 1875. Then, in 1893, he sold the property for a short time and was in possession of Archduke Joseph. He has carried out renovations and four years later, in 1897, sold the castle Anton Dreher Brewery considered, whose family owned until 1945.

The small building alterations were made in the 1920's. They

staged a military hospital on the building in 1945. From 1953 under the jurisdiction of the Academy of Sciences. After the war damage and in the 1970s was restored Buda Aurel plans.

Festetics Palace (Dég)

Festetics Palace is located in the town of Keszthely, Zala county, Hungary. Its construction, started by Kristóf Festetics in 1745, lasted more than a century, during which the palace, built at first on the foundations of a ruined castle, was tripled in size, in two subsequent building campaigns, most recently in the 1880s, to designs by Viktor Rumpelmayer, living in Vienna. When Rumpelmayer died in 1885, the work was carried to completion by architects Gusztáv Haas and Miksa Paschkisch. The result is one of the three largest country houses in Hungary.

The Festetics counts were progressive landowners: Kristóf Festetics founded a hospital, Pál Festetics established a school in the town, and in 1797, Count György Festetics opened an agricultural

college, the Georgikon, the first of its kind in Europe, which is still in operation as a faculty of the University of Pannonia.

The library wing was built by György Festetics in 1799—1801, with guidance from András Fischer of the Vienna Academy. Execution was entrusted to local artisans. The dining room (now a concert hall) has stucco decor by Mátyás Vathner from the town of Pápa. Stonework was executed by the local mason József Zitterbart, locksmithing by a local master craftsman, József Dobrolán, tiled stoves by József Pittermann and inlaid floors and woodwork by master carpenter János Kerbl, who was also responsible

for the fittings in the library. The book collection was made available to students of the Georgikon. The great book collection that remains in the castle is the only extensive aristocratic library that survives in Hungary. The result is that the central axis of the garden front is centered on one pavilion of the corps de logis, rather than on the prominent central tower of the extension built in the 1880s, with prominent mansard roofs and richly framed dormer windows typical of the neo-Baroque French Second

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Empire style, and neo-Renaissance woodwork in some of the interiors; on the entrance side facing the town the axis remains centered on the original baroque structure, now a flanking wing.

The elaborate expansion was carried out for Count Tasziló Festetics, who married Lady Mary Douglas-Hamilton (1850-1922) on 2 June 1880, and who entertained Edward, Prince of Wales in October 1885 and again in 1888, during his "incognito" Hungarian visits, accompanied by his great friend the Duke of Hamilton, Festetics' brother-in-law. Portraits of Festetics in tartans remain in the palace. Unlike the surrounding area, the palace was not damaged during World War II. The palace has housed an independent museum (Helikon Castle Museum) since 1974; it is visited by 200,000 people each year.

The parterres in which the palace stands were extended in the nineteenth century with a naturalistic landscape park in the English fashion. Open-air concerts are held on the grounds during the summer.

The stable block now houses a collection of coaches and carriages.

Simontornya castle (Simontornya)

The Tower was built in the 13th century by Simon (Son of Salamon) among the swamps of the Sió river. The name Simontornya means Simon's Tower. Nearly all owners of the castle made some alterations throughout the centuries. The Lackfi's built a new gothic wing in the 14th century, altered the old Tower, and added an arcaded loggia to the back-front. After the extinction of the House of Garai in 1482, the castle again belonged toQueen Beatrix, wife of Matthias Corvinus.

Mózes Buzlay, marshall of King Ulászló II improved the castle into a renaissance palace with the help of Italian masters and craftsmen from Buda. After Buzlays' death the castle was taken over by the Turks in 1545. This event marked the beginning of a new era with an emphasis on military requirements. During the nearly 150 years of occupation minor alterations and refinements were constantly being made.

Simontornya, the center of a sandjak was recaptured by Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden in 1686. In just two years (1702-1704) major alterations turned the castle into a fortress. During the revolution against the Habsburgs, led by Prince Francis II Rákóczi, Simontornya became the stronghold of the Kuruc rebels in southwest Hungary. The fortress was captured by the Austrian army in 1709 housing troops until 1717. The castle fortress was later donated to the House of Limburg-Stirum, but, after building a new a castle, they turned the old one into a barn. It has been used as a barn by all new owners until 1960, when archeological excavations started.

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Ozora Castle (Ozora)

Pipo Castle at Ozora is unique in Hungary – a piece of Italian Renaissance in a small Hungarian village. The castle was built for Filippo Scolari, otherwise known as Pipo of Ozora, who came to Hungary as a

merchant’s clerk/assistant when he was 13 years old and rose to become a renowned economist, a brilliant soldier and a distinguished diplomat at the 15th century court of King Sigismund.

The castle contains important Renaissance furniture, fabrics and travelling trunks. Its courtyard features a fountain that is topped with a copy of a Verrocchio putto, while one of the walls boasts a reproduction of a Michelangelo relief. A relic of St George is to be found treasured in the chapel. The reconstructed Renaissance kitchen provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of medieval Hungarian kitchens, of victuallers, cooks and servants. The

armory houses a splendid display of replica weapons from the Sigismund period. Outstanding copies of works by the great masters of the Italian Renaissance, Verrocchio, Donatello and Michelangelo, are to be found in the knights’ hall.

Nádasdladány Mansion (Nádasdladány)

The Nádasdy Mansion is a Tudor - Romantic style manor house designed by Istvan Linsbauer and Alajos Hauszman for Ferenc Nádasdy. It's situated on 24 hectars in Nádasdladány, Hungary. It dates from 1873-1876.

The walls and the ceiling of the hall are covered with carved wooden paneling, The chandeliers and fireplace are also original.

The rooms were equipped with talking tubes (the foreunners of the telephone) and were heated with air heating system, while gas lamp lit the halls. Every technological innovations of the age were included in the castle. The building is being renovated at the moment. The work is carried out by the State Office of Listed

Monuments. Apart from this there is busy life in the building due to the Nádasdy Academy. There are symposiums, evening programs organized by the grandson of Count Ferenc Nádasdy, whom the school was named after. The castle itself is also worth visiting. Nándor Hübner, architect from Székesfehérvár, started to build the new castle commissioned by Count Ferenc Nádasdy upon the plans of István Linchbauer, architect from Budapest.