At one of the most beautiful castles in Slovenia, you can see museum collections that tell about life in the castle with a special focus on the work of the famous Carniolan polyhistor Janez Vajkard Valvasor (1641–1693). Over the centuries, many stories were created behind these castle walls, which continue to inspire visitors. The castle was not only a home to the noblemen, but was also once one of the most important scientific centres in Slovenia. This is where Valvasor created the first museum collections in our land and wrote several books, including the monumental Glory of the Duchy of Carniola, and Duchess Maria of Mecklenburg Schwerin kept a vast collection of archaeological items of invaluable cultural and historical value in the castle premises. Bogenšperk is one of the more recent castles in Slovenia and it was not built for defensive purposes. Instead, it was built at a time when castles were losing their military role and gradually turning into comfortable aristocratic residences. It was named after its owners, the Wagen family – Wagensberg (Wagen mountain) – and this is also the origin of the Slovenian name Bogenšperk.
Grad Bogenšperk Bogenšperk 5 1275 Šmartno pri Litiji t: 01 89 87 664
Kulinarična ponudba Krčma na gradu Bogenšperk Bogenšperk 5 1275 Šmartno pri Litiji t: 041 392 295
The castle well
is hewed in bedrock and is also accessible through a tunnel from the cellar. In the past, it witnessed a serious crime that nevertheless ended well.
The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola original
from 1689 (in German), one of the most important works of literature in Slovenia, is exhibited in Valvasor’s study room. The work has 3,532 pages.
Poroke
Grad je priljubljen kraj za sklepanje poročnih obredov: preplet zgodb iz davnine vabi k sklepanju življenjskih zaobljub v Valvasorjevi knjižnici, med arkadami hodnikov, v kamnitem atriju ali pa v zelenju dišečega lipovega drevoreda – odvisno od navdiha in želja mladoporočencev, ki so organizatorjem vedno individualen izziv.
The secret chamber
is a room on the second floor of the castle where Valvasor spent time with his friends and probably kept his collections of interesting items.
The Davorin Hostnik Russian-Slovenian Centre's
collection is revealing about the life and work of the translator from Šmartno, who lived in Russia; it also includes an original of the first Russian-Slovene dictionary.
Castle cellar
The Wagen dried meat ageing room is located in the castle cellar, where top-quality dried meat products are dried and matured, representing a perfect start for your special culinary experience, which will continue in the “Krčma na gradu” castle tavern.