Kožljak Castle

Kožljak Castle

The castle is located on a steep cliff (184 m above sea level) above Čepić field (the former Čepić lake), along the old road that connected Istria with Liburnia. It was built in the XI century at the latest, on the site of the former prehistoric fortress, and was first mentioned in the time of the Aquileian patriarchs in 1102 under the name castrum Iosilach; it is also known by the names Gosilach, Wachsenstein (from the 13th century) and Kožlak (in the Istrian divide). It belonged to the Austrian part of Istria and was located on the very border of Austrian and Venetian Istria (as evidenced by the toponym Kunfin).

The castle consisted of two parts, residential and commercial, and had a smaller space for fairs and trade occasions. It was surrounded by defensive walls with two semicircular towers, and within the walls is the Romanesque church of St. Hadrian. It is particularly interesting that there is a preserved prison in the Kožljak castle.

The fate of Kožljak is like that of many Istrian castles, frequent conflicts and various debts of its owners made it constantly change owners, from the Counts of Gorica, the Venetians to the Patriarch of Aquileia and of course Austria. The Barbo family, which also lived in the castle, in the 16th century partly joined the Protestant ranks, and one of the most prominent protectors of the Reformation in Istria was Franjo Barbo-Waxenstein. He received prominent preachers and writers, helping the Protestants, but the Church soon expelled all preachers and writers, leaving them at the mercy of the Inquisition.

Dates of visit:  16.02.2020, 21.08.2021

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