KOSTANJEVICA CASTLE AND GALLERY

This former Cistercian monastery was founded in 1234 by Duke Spanheim. Two painted towers mark the entrance. The three-storey arcaded courtyard is one of the most imposing in Central Europe. The monastery was dissolved in 1785 and the building became an administrative centre until its destruction in 1942. The Church of the Virgin Mary is the oldest part of this vast complex. There is a strange atmosphere with these contemporary works facing the whiteness of the walls. In the courtyard stand three lime trees symbolizing the SHS (Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, the three members of the kingdom after 1918). The gallery gathers engravings, pastels, oils by Jakac and other Slovenian artists such as France Kralj (1895-1960), Tone Kralj (1900-1975), Joze Gorjup (1907-1932). Pleterje's collection includes paintings by French, Italian and Flemish masters of the 17th and 18th centuries. These works come from the former Cistercian monastery of Bosserville in France. When it was abandoned, they were passed on to the monastery of Pleterje. The sculptures on display in the monastery park are the work of artists from Symposium Viva. The church, the magnificent courtyard with arcades, sculptures and paintings of the old masters contribute to create a surrealist atmosphere. The visit is a must in this fascinating place with a great variety of shapes, the alternation of the brick, the whiteness of the façades and the flowers that in the summer months marry the arcades and galleries.