TIME AND PLACE
Mislinja Valley
The Mislinja Valley – between Pohorje on one side and the edges of Karavanke with Uršlja gora on the other – has always been attractive for newcomers. For security reasons, they were drawn by the area around present-day Stari trg that has been settled since the Late Bronze Age. The surrounding archaeological sites testify to that. The best researched is the Roman settlement and postal station of Colatio (Stari trg) along the strategic road Celeia–Virunum (from Celje to Zollfeld).
Castle Hill Above Stari trg
At the Castle Hill above Stari trg was the seat of the land lordship with a fortified dwelling, first mentioned in 1091 as Grez. This name denoted the square, the valley, and the landscape, while the name Windissgraze is mentioned in the 12th century. Even today, the remains of the original defence tower (bergfrid) can be seen in the foundations of the church belltower. The complex is surrounded with anti-Turkish defence walls, within which the former landlord’s chapel, the church of St Pancras, dominates, indeed a Baroquised yet exceptional architectural monument of the Late Romanic and Early Gothic periods.
House of Andechs
The golden period of the medieval past of Slovenj Gradec is connected to the Counts of Andechs-Merania, one of the most renowned Bavarian noble families. At the end of the 12th or at the beginning of the 13th century, the Andechs built a new settlement (the present-day town core) and transferred to it, in addition to the name Windischgrez, also market rights, while the old settlement acquired the name Altenmarkt (Stari trg or the Old Square). The mint also started operating at that time, while the town itself increasingly transformed into an urban centre with regulated trading.
The Town and its Development
Slovenj Gradec developed successfully and freely. In 1267, Ulrik III of Spanheim formally granted it town rights and it soon after acquired the town defence walls, which became the central element of the town seal. In 1270, the Czech king Ottokar II Přemysl, Ulrik’s cousin, marched into the town as its owner during the quick military march over Carinthia and Carniola for the confirmation of his hereditary succession. The town’s development was not hindered either by the defeat or the death of the Czech king in the conflict with the German king Rudolf I of Habsburg. In the mid-15th century, changes in the running of the town followed, while the seat of the parish was gradually moved from Stari trg to the church of St Elisabeth, which clearly indicates the end of the old era and the beginning of a new one.
PERSONALITIES
Bertold V of Andechs (approx. 1180, Bamberg – 23 May 1251, Aquileia)
The Patriarch of Aquileia and the landlord of Slovenj Gradec, one of the last patriarchs of German origin, and undoubtedly one of the most competent and influential in the history of the patriarchate, left Slovenj Gradec a rich heritage. He generously supported this region and left it to the Aquileian Church after his death. He is credited for the construction of the church of St Pancras and the town church. Upon his last visit, on 30 April 1251, he dedicated the latter to his niece, St Elizabeth of Hungary, as the first church in her honour.
St Elizabeth of Hungary (7 July 1207, Bratislava – 17 November 1231, Marburg)
The beloved patron of the poor and the sick, St Elizabeth, always lived modestly and worked generously in her hard life due to her Christian upbringing. As a Hungarian princess, she was engaged at the early age of four years old to Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia. She married him in 1221 and bore him three children. Six years later, she became widowed and devoted her life completely to the sick and the poor. She died prematurely at the age of 24. Only a day after her funeral, miracles supposedly started happening at her grave, thus Pope Gregory IX declared her a saint on 28 May 1235.
Konrad III von Aufenstein (died 18 November 1338, Strechau)
As one of the most important personalities in the medieval history of the town, with the support of the Carinthian count Henrik of Tyrol, he was the absolute authority. He created a true dynastic territory from Železna Kapla to Slovenj Gradec. He brought Jews from his Carinthian estates into the town and strongly supported the operation of the mint.
Johannes von Lakh (Janez iz Loke)
On 21 December 1419, a wealthy newcomer from Škofja Loka established a hospital with a founding letter, the early form of charity institutions which started appearing in towns and squares and along pilgrim routes at the end of the 12th century. The hospital in Slovenj Gradec was managed by hospital masters or caretakers from the lines of esteemed townsmen of Slovenj Gradec, some of them were even town judges. The occupants received all the necessary care and food, while in return they had to regularly participate at masses and perform certain chores according to their abilities.
INTERESTING FACTS
An Important Centre
The town in which the life of the bourgeoisie, gentry, craftsmen, and merchants intertwined developed into a very important centre of supra-regional significance at the turn of the 13th and 14th century. For a short time, the bankers’ family of Frescobaldi from Florence even opened their filial here. Numerous craftsmen worked in the town, even the most specialised ones, such as makers of tunics and crossbows.
First Mentions:
1267 town rights → 1313 town council → 1336 town law, town seal → 1337 town inn → 1342–1366 town teacher → 1382 town square → 1385 tailor → 1391 blacksmith
Inhabitants
Under Habsburg rule, aristocratic towers started appearing in the town, which were used as dwellings and with them came renowned families (Hebenstreit, Muttl, Trapp, Janez iz Loke), who influenced the life of the town and its surroundings. There were also numerous local members of the aristocracy. Since the 15th century, townsmen had been increasingly coming to the forefront, pushing the lower-level aristocracy from the town administration.
Town Seal
The seal of the town of Slovenj Gradec first appeared on a charter from 1336 and was most probably created in the second half of the 13th century. It is especially interesting due to its square form (38 × 38mm) and is as such an exceptional rarity in the wider central European territory. The shape of the seal undoubtedly reflects the influence of the Friulian space since at the time cultural contacts between both areas were well developed.
RADOVEDNI POPEK
Medieval Slovenj Gradec
Did you know that Slovenj Gradec is one of the oldest medieval towns in Slovenia? Its history started on the Castle Hill above Stari trg. A mighty castle stood there that was owned by an important aristocratic family – the Counts of Andechs who regularly visited these places. It was they who moved the old settlement beneath the Stari trg hill to the present-day town centre. Search for three pictures connected to Slovenj Gradec and Stari trg in this room!
A Mighty Castle on the Hill
Assemble the photo below to discover the present-day image of the castle which wrote the first chapter of the medieval town’s past – the castle of St Pancras.
A Walk Through the Medieval Town Centre
Medieval towns had the right to build a defence wall, organise fairs, and mint coins. Even today, remains of a mighty old wall can be found around the town centre. The oldest building in the town is the church of St Elisabeth. Explore the town centre!
Town’s Coat of Arms
Feel the first known coat of arms of our town and discover which images are hidden in it!
