Gorizia Castle

Gorizia Castle is located in northeastern Italy , at the foot of the Alps, and here the border with Slovenia is very close. This intriguing medieval castle is situated on a hill above the Italian town of the same name and is the main tourist attraction in the area.

For the first time the town of Gorizia is mentioned in a document on April 28th, 1001, by which the Emperor Otho III provides half of Gorizia Castle to the church authority. Built probably in the early 11th century, the castle of Gorizia suffered repeated attacks, resulting in a fire resulting in it being restructured many times over the next centuries. A large-scale reconstruction of the whole palace in 1937 restored the original appearance of the palace with all its pageantry and splendor.

During the First World War the castle of Gorizia suffered its first major destruction more than nine centuries ago. After the war, as a result of bombing, the palace was actually thrown down to the ground. It was rebuilt in 1934-1937 on the original appearance of the 16th century. In 1943 the castle was occupied by German troops, who used the garden of Gorizia for executions.

Today castle Gorizia remaines the size of a stable structure in the shape of a pentagon surrounding a courtyard. From the courtyard it leads to the building which was separate to the main hall of the counts and is located in the western part of the castle. It is remarkable for its original Romanesque windows which connects in a special pavilion that leads to one main building, dating from the 15th century.

All halls and rooms in the castle of Gorizia are furnished with furniture from different periods. On the ground floor there is a small dining area and kitchen that are decorated with authentic medieval furniture. The public halls of the palace are located on the main floor.

There is the Hall of Counts in which today holds various conferences, seminars and symposia. In this and the other main hall you can see beautiful frescoes and impressive interior decoration. There is also a music hall, which today are exposed to multiple copies of medieval instruments. On the second floor of the castle of Gorizia there are several exposures consisting mainly of works of art, paintings, and a weapons exhibition.