Planina’s beginnings can be dated back to 11th century, when Planina was owned by the Countess Hema and her husband, the Count of Breže and Savinjska March, William II. Due to William’s murder and the deaths of their two sons, the family died out by the middle of 11th century. Countess Hema established a Convent in Krka in Carinthia in 1043 and donated Planina to the convent. In 1072, Archbishop Gebhard from Salzburg dissolved the convent and created the first diocese in Carinthia. Planina became one of the five main feudal estates( feuda principia) of Krka diocese.
The Planina Castle was most likely built in the last quarter of 12th century to protect the Sotla  region against the Hungarians. It is possible that a smaller fort or a manor was located on its place already in the 11th Century. Ortolf, the first known owner of the castle, was first mentioned in documents using Planina’s original name Ortolfus de Munparis in 1190. The name of the Planina castle Montparis, Montpris, Montpreis can be translated into the mountain of fame, honour, prize etc. It is of roman origin and suggests the popularity of the South French court epic poetry among the aristocracy of the Eastern-Alps region.
At the same time, Ortolf also got another feudal estate of Krka – Podsreda, and became the most powerful vassal of the Krka diocese in the Posavje – Sotla region. His daughter Herada married Frederic IV. of Ptuj, his son Ulric married Adelhajda, the daughter of Hartnid II of Ptuj. Ulric’s marriage stayed without children; therefore Ulric’s niece Geburga II inherited Planina after his death. Geburga II married Henry III of Svibno. With Henry III, Planina faced incredible economic and political growth, followed by decline.
In 1345, Planina came under the ownership of Frideric of Celje and his family. But the golden age for Planina was definitely over. After the death of the last Count of Celje in 1456, the castle became the property of the provincial prince and was run by various, more or less successful, tenants. Among them were also JoÅ¡t Jožef, baron Thurn, who completely renovated the castle, the Moscon family, Anthony Protasi, dr. Jožef GoriÅ¡ek etc. In 1863, the Count Gustavus Blome took over the land. It seemed that the castle would finally face better days, but that did not happen. Blome wished to completely renovate the castle, but his architect Hansn from Vienna advised him not to do it, as the rocky overhang on which the castle is situated could not stand any extra burden. Therefore, instead of renovating the castle, Blome built a smaller mansion on the foothills of the castle. The castle has been empty and on the verge of ruin since then. Due to the high tax on the roof surface, the roof was taken off and the logs on the top floor were removed. In addition, the earthquake further contributed to the destruction of the castle, which has become a home for wild birds and ivy-clad, while ancient stories and secrets remained buried under the stacks of rocks.Â
2003
We have decided to protect the castle’s stories and at the same time write new ones. Together with the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, we began with the preservation interventions.
Our goal is to return life between the castle’s walls and create a story with a happy ending.
