Luknja Castle

Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg donated Luknja Castle to Frederick pl. Gallenberg, and members of the pl. Gallenberg family still owned the Luknja Castle back in the 16th century. In 1545, it was inherited by the family of Gall pl. Gallenstein (Bernardin Gall pl. Gallenstein), who owned it until 1618. The Gall family restored the ruined castle and surrounded it with walls and defensive towers in the Renaissance. Between 1618 and 1624, the castle’s tenant was Vid Jakob pl. Egkh. In 1624, the castle and lordship came, through inheritance, into the possession of Count Barbo Wachsenstein for almost 200 years (from 1624 - 1813). Janez Jurij Maksimilijan, Count Barbo of Moravia, inherited the Luknja estate from his mother Katarina, daughter of Maksimilijan Gall from Rožek, and gradually sold it to Franc Gašper, Baron Brenner, in 1646, 1647 and 1649. The latter left his lordship to his daughter, Kristina Marija, who was married to Maksimilijan Valerij Barb from Rakovnik, brother of Yuri Maksimilijan. At the end of the 17th century, the Herberstein family owned the castle and the lordship, since Marija Felicita, Countess of Herberstein, sold it to Sigfrid Baltazar, Count of Gallenberg, in 1711. Count Jožef Viljem Barbo (grandson of Maksimilijan Valerij) re-purchased the estate of Luknja in 1738 and left it to his son Evgen, who inherited the estate in 1786. Evgen had no children and decided to leave the estate to Vincenc Count Schweiger pl. Lerchenfelda. The will was executed in 1813. In 1827, Baron Schweiger sold the estate to Anton pl. Fichtenau, succeeded in 1854 by his son August. The latter died without descendants in 1860, and the estate came into the possession of Ida pl. Langer, born Fichtenau. From her, the castle was purchased in 1876 by Franc Anton Langer pl. Podgorski, and in 1883 it was sold to Alojzij Schiebel from Šlezija. In 1896, his wife Amalia made an exchange of property with Adolf Count Thurn-Valsassin. The Thurn-Valsassin family owned it from 1896 to 1904. In December 1912, the castle was purchased by the company called Ljudska posojilnica v Ljubljani, and was subsequently bought by a merchant from Novo mesto, Franc Seidl, who owned the castle until World War II. Due to the roof tax after World War I, the owner had uncovered the roof and left the castle in ruin.

The castle ruins are still visible today, showing the original tower building of the rectangular ground plan. The remains of the defence towers are also partially preserved.