Fort Possert

The Medieval Fort of Possert

The medieval feudal fort of Possert (Shabez) is in the Municipality of Cerovlje, in the vicinity of Belaj and nearby the town of Paz above the Letaj stream. It was built in the late Middle Ages. It was a sign of the seat of a feudal estate. Over the years, this fort belonged to several families (Kožljak, Guteneck, Moyses and Barbo).

Historical information about the fortress is rather meager and leaves many open questions. As it was assumed at the end of the 19th century by the prominent researcher of local history Carlo de Franceschi, and later it became generally accepted, Possert was identified with the fortress of St. Martin, which was mentioned for the first time in the grant of Emperor Henrik IV. to the Istrian margrave Urlich I, to whom the emperor donated twenty estates in Istria in 1064 for his faithful service.

As the fort deteriorated over time and became unsuitable for living, it was necessary to rebuild it. The renovation was carried out by Juraj Barbo in 1529. It is likely that since then the building has been referred to under another name – Shabez. The fort, however, did not remain in this renovated version for long, because already at the beginning of the next century, most likely during the Uskok War (1615–1618), it was significantly damaged and abandoned.

The confirmation of such a state was found in Valvasor’s graphic, which shows the state from the second half of the 17th century: in the background of Belaj, Shabez is shown as an abandoned ruin. It is also the oldest known graphic representation of the fort.

Thanks to archaeological research that lasted from 2007 to 2016, this fortress was finally repaired and opened to the public. Today, it is possible to visit the fort at any time and climb the stairs to its viewpoint.

Date of visit: 28.07.2018

Sources

• Višnjić, J. (2013, November 18). Srednjovjekovna utvrda Possert Šest godina arheoloških radova i konzervatorsko-restauratorskih zahvata na sačuvanim arhitektonskim strukturama. Portal Hrvatskih Znanstvenih I Stručnih Časopisa – Hrčak. Retrieved January 15, 2023, from https://hrcak.srce.hr/129556
• Kaštel Possert. (n.d.). Bale Valle. Retrieved January 15, 2023, from https://www.bale-valle.com/izleti-iz-bala/kastel-possert