Šteberk Castle

45°44′57″N 14°26′47″E

Ruins of Šteberk Castle

Šteberk Castle (top left) as depicted in 1679 by Johann Weikhard von Valvasor

The ruins of Šteberk Castle (Slovene: Grad Šteberk, also known as Stari grad 'the Old Castle'; German: Stegberg^[1]) stand at an elevation of 647 meters (2,123 ft) above the settlement of Podšteberk southeast of Cerknica, Slovenia. The ruins are located in the territory of the village of Žerovnica.^[2]

History

The castle was first mentioned in written sources in 1274.^[2] The castle fell into ruin by the 15th century^[3] or in the earthquake of 1511.^[4] In 1635, Prince Johann Anton Eggenberg purchased the Stegberg Estate^[3] and built Lower Stegberg Manor from the ruins of the old castle on the site of a former manor and the later castle farm. Count Johann Caspar Cobenzl purchased the manor and the estate from the Eggenbergs in 1761. In 1846, Prince Weriand of Windischgrätz became the owner. The property remained in the possession of his heirs until the end of the Second World War.