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Brezice Castle The first historical mention of Brezice Castle dates back to 1249, at which time it was called Rein, which means "riverbank" in German. Soon after this date a medieval town began to grow up around the castle. The town was given the name Civitas Rein; it's Slovene name "Brezice" is derived from the translation of this. From the 11th to the 15th century, the castle was owned by the Salzburg Archdiocese, who turned the town of Brezice into the administrative, law, defence and economic centre of their holdings in the Posavje region. In 1479, war broke out between the Hapsburgs and the Hungarian king Matija Korvin (known to the Slovenes as King Matjaz), who according to legend sleeps under Mt. Peca. As it happened, the Hungarians won and thus took over the town and its castle. They left in 1491 and the Habsburgs returned with haste, but in 1515, a devastating blow came in the form of a peasant uprising. Both the castle and the town were burned to the ground. However, as the region suffered frequent Turkish raids during those times, the Hapsburgs decided to rebuild the town and the castle as part of their defence line. They employed well-known Italian architects and the new castle was finished around 1590. Today it stands as a prime example of fortified Renaissance castle architecture. The two-storey building is surrounded by a large bailey and a lovely park with a fountain in the middle. Originally the castle was protected by a drawbridge over a moat, which was later filled in. The fortified corners and imposing round defence towers - which in some places are as thick as four meters - have numerous crenels and cannons which were used to prevent the peasants and the Turks from getting close to the castle. After the land redistribution measure of 1848 and Count Attems's departure, the castle gradually grew more and more dilapidated. It changed owners several times before WWI, when it served as a military hospital for wounded from the Isonzo Front. After WWII, the castle became the headquarters of Vino Brezice and home to 26 families. In 1949, the Posavje Museum was established there. It seems Brezice castle is like a cat with nine lives, for despite its turbulent history - during which it suffered fire, an earthquake in 1917 which demolished its decorative stucco work, and the damage wrought over the years by numerous inappropriate reconstructions - it managed to rise like a Phoenix to stand as one of the best preserved and designed castles in Slovenia. The Richness of Slovenian History on Display The Brezice Castle is now home to the Posavje Museum which houses various valuable collections. The archaeological collection displays artefacts from the Posavje region from the late Stone Age (5000 B.C.) up to the time following the Slav migrations (around 700 A.D.). With around 600 items, the ethnological collection presents a detailed record of everyday peasant and town life in Posavje through the centuries. Handicrafts and trades - such as those of the wheelwright, the blacksmith, and also wicker-working, pottery-making, honey production, spinning and weaving, as well as winemaking - are represented with their commonly used tools. The section on life in the Posavje region describes the heroic peasant uprisings of the 16th century in text and pictures, and you can experience the creepy atmosphere of the Middle Ages with a visit to the guard towers. The most exceptional piece in the museum's collection is a Dalmatin Bible from 1584, the first translation of the bible from German into Slovene. This translation established Slovene as a recognized literary language and served as a model for further translations and original works in the following two centuries. The text in black and red is centred within a woodcut frame as in Luther's German bible, and the book contains 222 woodcuts in D�rer's style and numerous printed square initials. Out of the 1500 copies printed in Germany, 78 copies are still in existence, 36 of which are stored in Slovenia. The castle also has some beautiful Baroque art on display, which dates from around 1700. The stunning Knights' Hall contains the longest secular Baroque painted space in Slovenia, which features scenes from mythology. The hall is an architectural wonder, for it has the fourth best acoustics of all the castle halls in Europe. Every year it hosts one of the most prominent European festivals of early music - the "Brezice Festival of Early Music." Another architectural point of interest in Brezice is the unusual Water Tower from 1914, which has an octagonal roof. The striking pink tower with a red roof looks as if it came straight out of a fairy tale - or out of a comic book for that matter. The town also has a 527m-long bridge with Secession parapets on both sides. Golfers Courses and Spa Tourism is one of the driving forces behind the area's economy. Leading the pack of tourist destinations is the Terme Catez spa, the largest natural health resort and second largest tourist centre in Slovenia. The spa boasts excellent gastronomic options and hotel services, indoor and outdoor swimming pools with all sorts of special attractions, as well as a top-notch health and wellness centre. More than 640,000 visitors come to the spa every year, and in 2003 the spa won the "Best Slovenian Water Park" contest, for the category of large thermal water parks. Another magnet for well-to-do travellers is the medieval Mokrice Castle, which has been turned into a luxurious hotel of the highest standards. Intimate rooms with thick walls are furnished with period furniture, and an intricate web of corridors links the restaurant with a number of lounges. The inner courtyard is a perfect place for receptions and open-air social events, and the castle keeps local culture alive with concerts, theatre and art shows. Due to its 18-hole golf course, it is also very popular with golfers. After all the sightseeing and sports activities, one definitely feels ready to indulge in the traditional culinary delights of the area's homely inns. Wine lovers are in for a unique experience at the 13th century Bizeljsko Castle and its nearby wine cellars, called "repnice." These underground storage caves were dug into the limestone to store food, mature wine, or enable locals to hide from enemies. The name comes from "repa," which means "a turnip" in Slovene, and some "repnice" are over 200 years old. There are two wine tourist roads to choose from - the Bizeljsko Sremiska Wine Tourist Road and the Podgorjanska Wine Tourist Road - and on both you will be greeted by friendly locals. They might also show you the widest oak in Slovenia or a unique bird that loves to munch on bees - that's right, the bees and their stingers, not the honey.