Posavje – 3 cities

The Posavje region is located in the lower reaches of the Sava River in eastern Slovenia, and as the name suggests, the river is important for the region. The region is well connected by rail and motorway in terms of traffic. In the region, they are known for the energy industry (hydroelectric power plants on the Sava and the nuclear power plant in Krško), tourism (castles, spas), and fruit growing and vineries. There are 3 major centers, Brežice, Krško, and Sevnica, which we will visit. Especially old town centers and castles.

Brežice

From Ljubljana, we need a good hour’s drive on the highway to Brežice. We park in the city under the more than 100-year-old Water Tower and head to the old town. We get somewhere in the middle of the First Fighters Road. Turn right past the municipal building and the parish church of St. Lawrence to the roundabout. We return to the other side of the road and continue towards the castle. On the way, we can stop at Rafter’s inn or St. Lucia restaurant. The striking building is a well-preserved castle granary. The road ends at Brežice Castle. The castle is home to the Posavje Museum in Brežice, worth visiting for the painted knight’s hall and arcaded inner courtyard. Today, the 16th-century castle is the scene of events and weddings. Vino Brežice is housed in the Castle Cellar. Once upon a time, the town and the castle were along the Sava River, but with regulation, the river moved away from the town. Let’s head down Old Justice Street back towards the car.

Krško

We drove to Krško, which is only 15 minutes away. But here we did not stay on the left bank in the new part of the city, but crossed the Sava and visited the old town. In the beginning, we park in a spacious parking lot and take the Cesta krških žrtev. There are quite a few attractions around and in the city park: the Capuchin monastery with a church, Valvasor’s library, the monument to the National Liberation War the Hall in the park – the former church of St. Cross, the alley of deserving men in Krško, the tombstone of Janez Mencinger and the Lapajna family, Hočevar’s mausoleum. The next place worth a stop is Hočevar square, named after the patrons of the city. Here we find the Faculty of Logistics and the Faculty of Energy, a bust of Martin Hočevar, the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Valvasor’s (monument) – today the Krško Museum, Jarnovič and Kaplan House, the Church of the Holy Spirit (today the gallery). We returned back to the car on the other side. 3 kilometers away is the 12th century Rajhenburg Castle, which dominates the cliff above the Sava. A steep path leads to the castle, but it is worth the trouble because of the view of the valley from the top. Today, the Museum of Recent History is inside.

Sevnica

We reached Sevnica after another 20 minutes. We started at Sevnica Castle. It is necessary to climb the steep slope of the castle hill again. Here, on arrival, you can admire the castle park and the castle vineyard on the southern slope. In the castle itself, there are museum collections and a gallery. Worth seeing is the four-season fresco in the southwest tower and the arcaded courtyard. They have various events here, including a puppet theater. You can buy various delicacies in the castle shop. The building next to the castle is a Lutheran cellar with interesting paintings and good acoustics. Below the castle hill is the old town. The center is the Main Square. Here is the parish neo-Romanesque church of St. Nicholas from 1862 and the Gothic church of St. Florjan from 1443. On the square is the stone statue of St. Martin from 1755. The lower castle of Sevnica is the oldest building in the area, built before 1563. Today it is the seat of the Municipality of Sevnica. We slowly headed home. The way home lead through Mokronog and Trebnje, for which we need an extra hour.