"Turjak castle" a Turjak Travel Page by Glorija

Turjak castle is inseperable connected with the history of the literature. Protestant theologian, writer and translator of the Bible - Jurij Dalmatin (1547-1589) held sermons in the castle chapel.
The old castle stood below the present building. Present castle was first mentioned in 1220 as Owersperch. Owner of the castle was family Auersperg.

The castle was burned down in 1943. Some parts of the castle were renovated later. Frescoes in the old chapel are still very beautiful.

What is special about Turjak Castle are its round defence tower (bastille) and its triangular defence corridor. The latter originates from the Renaissance period and is one of the first of its kind in Central Europe. The parts of the castle originating from the Romance period include the tall building called Palatium and the Dalmatin Chapel with several partially preserved Gothic frescoes. The chapel was named after Jurij Dalmatin (1547-1589), who made the Slovenian translation of the Bible while hiding in the castle.

Turjak Castle was never surrounded by a park, but its surrounding area is criss-crossed with walking paths. Situated in the forest near the village is a walled graveyard with a chapel and the temple-shaped family vault of the Counts of Auersperg, where the heart of Count Hanno von Auersperg was buried in 1861, after he had fallen in action near the Italian city of Gaetta at the age of 23.