Strmol Mansion, one of the oldest and best preserved Slovenian castles in the north-west of the country, is becoming an increasingly popular destination for tourists, inviting all tempted by the romantic setting and the original furniture left behind by its last residents.
The mansion, overlooking the surrounding fields and pastures, includes a small lake and a golf course. With its fairytale setting, it is especially popular as a wedding venue and a frequent choice to host protocol events, Franci Jagodic of the mansion management has told the STA.
The mansion has been welcoming an increasing number of overnight guests, who spend their stay in one of the mansion chambers, which are equipped as they were left by the mansion's last inhabitants, Jagodic added.
The bulk of the mansion overnighters come from abroad, Jagodic said, adding that domestic visitors are not falling behind in numbers, although they mostly opt to visit the mansion's coffee shop while on a bike trip or attend one of the many conference meetings held in the mansion.
The mansion's last owners before the estate was nationalized after World War II were Rado and Ksenija Hribar, wealthy industrialists, who often invited the Slovenian elite to social events there.
The Hribars owned the successful Šumi candy producer and weaver Pletenina, each one of key players in their respective markets in former Yugoslavia. Additionally, Rado Hribar was a banker and arts collector.
Thanks to the Hribars, golf was introduced to Slovenians as a popular past time activity early in the 20th century.
Most of their fortune, however, was nationalised after the WWII, including the mansion, which became their home in the late 1930s.
The couple's sociable nature, which brought to their home people of all sorts of origins, including representa
tives of the occupying forces, sealed their fate at the end of the war.
The Hribars were accused of collaborating with the occupying forces, even though Hribar was known to finance the Partisan resistance movement throughout the war. The pair was executed by the then security intelligence forces in January 1944.
Their story inspired the award-winning novel "To noč sem jo videl" (I Saw Her That Night) by acclaimed Slovenian author Drago Jančar.
Source: TheSloveniaTimes
