LOZE CASTLE
written by EVA ŠUŠNIK
Southwest of the town of Vipava in the upper Vipava Valley, on the terrain that rises towards the Karst, at the transition between the green valley and the red Karst soil are the picturesque villages of Goče, Slap, Lože. The latter is a clustered settlement consisting of three parts: Srednja vas, Zadnja vas and Jamški. It is made up of typical homesteads with characteristic stone window frames and portals and fenced courtyards – borjači, which are protected from the bora wind. The backs of the houses face the village roads and form characteristic streets – gase.
West of the hamlet, on a slight rise, a special building rises, more important and larger than all the village buildings. It is Lože Castle, also called Cobenzl Castle, Leitenburg. The building is protected in the cultural heritage register as a monument of local importance, as a manor house with a garden, the beginnings of which date back to the 12th century. The description of the monument states that it was on the site of ” “A Baroque mansion was built in the mid-17th century on the site of a medieval castle, which served as a residential building with two twisted corner towers and a chapel.” The courtyard is bordered by partially demolished farm buildings from the 19th century, and a garden with terraces once stretched along the axis of the mansion.
Today, the still imposing building above the village hardly stands the test of time, but beneath its crumbling plaster it carries almost 1000 years of history, family stories, social changes, important personalities and progressive ideas. The history of the entire area is reflected in the private history of the villa and testifies to the role and importance it once had for our space.
The architect and art historian Prof. Dr. Igor Sapač briefly writes about the history of the villa: “The building was built as an unfortified medieval manor in the 12th century. It is believed that it was commissioned by the Counts of Bogen. In the 16th century, the estate passed into the possession of the Carinthian Cobenzl family. The villa was built (before 1675) by Janez Filip Cobenzl, married to Katarina Lanthieri; in the design of the main building, he was probably inspired by the Venetian type. After the extinction of the Cobenzl family in 1810, the villa, together with all the estates of the extinct family, passed into the ownership of the Coronini-Cronberg family, who in 1822 sold it to the physician Dr. Jožef Mayer. The last owner of the villa before World War II was the great-grandson Evgen Mayer, a graduate agronomist, fruit grower and wine grower, who successfully managed the estate until 1940. Between the two wars, numerous well-known cultural workers gathered in the Mayer family villa, including the painters Veno Pilon, Rihard Jakopič, Avgust Černigoj and the writer France Bevk. Veno Pilon wrote about the appearance of the castle in his autobiography as follows: “At that time, I was most looking forward to the company of my friend France Mesesnel, who often came to his home in Vipava. He introduced me to the Loška villa at Mayer’s, where I often enjoyed the hospitality and admired Cobenzl’s large collection of old paintings.” (source: I. Sapač: Castle buildings in western Slovenia, Upper Vipava Valley, Ljubljana 2008)
The Cobenzl family, who had the villa built, worked in the service of the Habsburgs and, with their consistency and perseverance, became known throughout Europe in the fields of politics, diplomacy, philosophy and art. They also had a significant influence on numerous settlements in our area, especially Štanjel. In Gorizia, Janez Cobenzl had the Cobenzl Palace, or today’s archbishopric, built in 1587. It is a noble palace that the scholar Carlo Morelli described in the 18th century as “the most beautiful house that existed in our city at that time”.
The villa in Lože has changed, developed and been extended throughout history, according to the needs and capabilities of the owners. From the original holiday villa, which consisted of a central building and a house for the servants, the estate began to spread towards the valley with a system of terraces. The last owners, the Mayers, who are mentioned by important artists and writers from the period between the two wars, left the greatest mark here. The forward-thinking Mayer family originates from Germany, and during their ownership the estate became a real small village: ” The villa complex consisted of a central, representative part, which housed the Mayer family’s apartment, and two side wings, which were intended for the servants’ quarters and horse stables. There were also buildings with a blacksmith’s shop, a carriage garage, a carpentry workshop and rooms for livestock. Until World War II, the Cobenz family’s rich painting collection and rich Baroque furniture were preserved. The large library and family archive were also preserved. During World War II, the Mayer family left the villa, taking with them some of the equipment and Cobenz’s valuable collection of paintings. According to the testimony of local resident Jože Benčina, after the war, the remaining equipment was distributed by locals to their homes. The soldiers even intended to burn the villa down, but they responded to the locals’ rebellion with a compromise. They took away all the windows and doors. ” (source: Manica Lavrenčič, diploma thesis Središče gastronomija, 2013)
As an interesting fact: Ana Kansky, sister of the last owner of Lože Castle before nationalization, Evgen Karl Mayer, was born in Lože Castle in 1895. She was the first woman to hold a doctorate in science (chemistry and physics) from the University of Ljubljana. Despite the many prejudices of the time, she graduated with honors, and is said to have paid for her studies by organizing the picking of apricots from Lože orchards in the summer and selling them to Trieste and Gorizia.
After World War II, when the atmosphere in the country changed, the building was nationalized along with the entire estate, which consisted of vineyards, orchards, and forests. Between 1949 and 1961, a viticulture school operated in the villa, and later housing for workers was organized here. In the 1980s, the mansion was rented by the Mlinotest company from Ajdovščina, which wanted to renovate the complex into a casino with a restaurant and a hotel. However, due to the slow deterioration, the villa was completely closed in 1987. Such a space became attractive for various private gatherings of locals, which ended with damaged furniture, fireplaces, and decorations. The baroque Cobenzl gate with wrought iron fittings disappeared without a trace. The garden was also completely overgrown. Later, several ideas were prepared for the villa, even transforming the villa into a museum of the national liberation struggle for the entire Primorska region.
Recently, in 2013, the building was denationalized and returned to its owners, descendants of the Mayer family, who manage the estate and, above all, preserve, maintain and defend it from potential vandals and foreign investors who see the old building only as a means of making money, regardless of the importance of cultural heritage and tradition. In the same year, then-architecture student Manica Lavrenčič from Vipava defended her diploma thesis entitled: Gastronomy Center – Conceptual Plan for the Renovation of Lože Castle near Vipava. In the project, the architect presents the idea of renovating the complex based on the conservation plan of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. She envisages that by supplementing the program and including local cuisine, the new gastronomy center would become a global gastronomic center, which, in addition to education and tastings, would directly contribute to the tourist and cultural enrichment of the wider area. The reflections from the thesis contributed to the establishment of the von Leitenburg Cultural Society by the new administrators. The purpose of the association is to revive the villa, to involve and connect the local community of the upper Vipava Valley, and various events are organized in this spirit. They also want to raise awareness of the potential for renovation and use of the estate, such as renting the castle for filming or for weddings. However, things are going slowly and there is no money for major moves. In 2023, they erected the Big Bench Community, on the path between Lože Castle and the village of Slap, which is part of the international network of giant benches. Its erection was encouraged by KD von Leitenburg in order to introduce a new attraction to the valley. The project was made possible thanks to a donation from a private supporter. It is an oversized bench that attracts hikers and offers a beautiful view of the Vipava Valley.
With its material presence, rich history and exceptional personalities associated with the castle, the building bears witness to its importance for our space, its progressiveness and its excellence in the given context. This is sometimes deliberately overlooked in the local environment, which is a shame, because as in the past, the story of the castle is also closely connected to the Vipava Valley.