Kos Manor
Encyclopedia
The Kos Manor is a 16th century manor
house located in the Murova neighborhood of the town of Jesenice, Slovenia
, at the street address of Cesta maršala Tita 64. It is one of four so-called "ironworks castles" built in the area during the 16th and early 17th centuries by owners of local iron-mining and -processing facilities, in what were then the clustered settlements of Plavž
, Sava
, Murova and Javornik
, amalgamated into the town of Jesenice in 1929. The Bucelleni-Ruard Manor
in Sava is another survivor of the original four; the Plavž and Javornik manors have been torn down.
The Kos manor was built in 1521 by Sigismund (Žiga) of Dietrichstein, a leaseholder of the Bucelleni family, owners of the Sava ironworks. It is located in what was then the heart of the Murova settlement, at the foot of the path leading to the Church of St. Leonard
atop a small hill a few hundred meters away.
The manor is mentioned in period documents as the "old belopeš castle," in reference to the ancestral home of its builders the Bucelleni family, the village of Bela Peč ("White Furnace," ), between Rateče
and Tarvisio
in present-day Italy
. It was also described in Valvasor
's 1689 survey The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola
.
The manor obtained its current name in 1821, when its then-owner, the local merchant Frančišek Pavel Kos, enlarged and renovated it in neoclassical style. At some point thereafter it was acquired by the Ruard family, from whom it passed into the hands of the KID company in 1872, by then the sole operator of the local ironworks. Ten years later it was purchased by the Jesenice municipal government, initially for use as a public school, in which capacity it served from 1883-1915. In the interwar period the manor, by then commonly known as the "old school" (stara šola) was converted first into apartments and city offices and later into a courthouse and prison; it saw use as the latter during World War II
as well, when the occupying Wehrmacht
used the building as a transfer prison.
Currently the manor is administered by the Upper Sava Museum, Jesenice
, and serves various cultural and public functions:
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
house located in the Murova neighborhood of the town of Jesenice, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, at the street address of Cesta maršala Tita 64. It is one of four so-called "ironworks castles" built in the area during the 16th and early 17th centuries by owners of local iron-mining and -processing facilities, in what were then the clustered settlements of Plavž
Plavž (Jesenice)
Plavž is a settlement in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia, part of the town of Jesenice. The name Plavž means "blast furnace" in Slovene.-History:...
, Sava
Sava (Jesenice)
Sava, today more commonly known as Stara Sava is a formerly autonomous settlement that is now part of the town and municipality of Jesenice, in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.-History:...
, Murova and Javornik
Slovenski Javornik
Slovenski Javornik is a settlement in the Municipality of Jesenice in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. Commonly known simply as Javornik, the place name is derived from the Slovene word javor 'maple'....
, amalgamated into the town of Jesenice in 1929. The Bucelleni-Ruard Manor
Bucelleni-Ruard Manor
The Bucelleni-Ruard Manor, commonly referred to as the Ruard manor , is a 16th century manor house located in the Sava district of the town of Jesenice, Slovenia, at the street address of 45 Prešernova...
in Sava is another survivor of the original four; the Plavž and Javornik manors have been torn down.
The Kos manor was built in 1521 by Sigismund (Žiga) of Dietrichstein, a leaseholder of the Bucelleni family, owners of the Sava ironworks. It is located in what was then the heart of the Murova settlement, at the foot of the path leading to the Church of St. Leonard
Church of St. Leonard (Jesenice)
The Church of Saint Leonard is a Roman Catholic Parish Church located in the town of Jesenice in northwestern Slovenia. It belongs to the Archdiocese of Ljubljana.-History:...
atop a small hill a few hundred meters away.
The manor is mentioned in period documents as the "old belopeš castle," in reference to the ancestral home of its builders the Bucelleni family, the village of Bela Peč ("White Furnace," ), between Rateče
Ratece
-External links:** *...
and Tarvisio
Tarvisio
Tarvisio is a town in the Province of Udine, in the northeastern part of the autonomous Friuli–Venezia Giulia region in Italy...
in present-day Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It was also described in Valvasor
Janez Vajkard Valvasor
Johann Weichard Freiherr von Valvasor or simply Valvasor was a Slovenian nobleman, scientist and polymath, and a fellow of the Royal Society in London.-Biography:...
's 1689 survey The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola
The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola
The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola is Johann Weikhard von Valvasor's most important work on history and natural history of his homeland Carniola, a central part of the present-day Slovenia and Istria in Croatia....
.
The manor obtained its current name in 1821, when its then-owner, the local merchant Frančišek Pavel Kos, enlarged and renovated it in neoclassical style. At some point thereafter it was acquired by the Ruard family, from whom it passed into the hands of the KID company in 1872, by then the sole operator of the local ironworks. Ten years later it was purchased by the Jesenice municipal government, initially for use as a public school, in which capacity it served from 1883-1915. In the interwar period the manor, by then commonly known as the "old school" (stara šola) was converted first into apartments and city offices and later into a courthouse and prison; it saw use as the latter during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as well, when the occupying Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
used the building as a transfer prison.
Currently the manor is administered by the Upper Sava Museum, Jesenice
Upper Sava Museum Jesenice
The Upper Sava Museum Jesenice is a regional museum based in the town of Jesenice and the neighboring municipality of Kranjska Gora, both in northwestern Slovenia. The museum's name refers to the general area it documents, the upper Sava Dolinka river valley...
, and serves various cultural and public functions:
- Ground floor: art gallery (with rotating exhibits), permanent exhibit "Occupation Terror of the Years 1941-1945"
- First floor: permanent exhibit (since 1984) "The Workers' Movement and the National Liberation Struggle," on the 19th and 20th century workers' movement and its connection to local partisan resistance against the German occupation
- Second floor: multipurpose hall for municipal functions and cultural events, wedding hall