On Thursday, 16 April 2026, Brežice Castle, the most magnificent building in Brežice and home of the Posavski muzej Brežice since 1949, became the centre of the first Festival Gradovi Posavja 2026.
The central event, Baroque Afternoon, began in the Knight’s Hall with a welcome speech by the museum director Alenka Černelič Krošelj and an address by the Mayor of the Municipality of Brežice, Ivan Molan, who also officially opened the renovated south-west tower of Brežice Castle. Among other features, the tower preserves the original wooden ceiling structure, bearing witness to the rich heritage of 16th-century master carpenters.
The Municipality of Brežice submitted the renovation project of the south-west tower of Brežice Castle to the public call of the Ministry of Culture “Sustainable Restoration and Revitalisation of Cultural Monuments Owned by Municipalities and the Inclusion of Cultural Experiences in Slovenian Tourism – Cohesion Region Eastern Slovenia.” The operation was partly financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund. It was implemented within the framework of the European Cohesion Policy Programme for the period 2021–2027 in Slovenia.
With the renovation of the tower, the castle has become fully accessible to visitors for the first time, while an important improvement is also the enabled access for visitors with reduced mobility.
This was followed by the first public tour of the restored castle tower and a walk through the museum in the company of Notable Women and Men of Posavje, who shared the spirit of the past with visitors. In the museum, visitors met entrepreneur, patron and supporter Josipina Hočevar (Klavdija Mirt and Ivanka Černelič Jurečič), Ana Maksimila Valvasor (Sonja Levičar), the second wife of the famous polymath, Countess Marija Auersperg Attems (Vesna Žučko, costume by the Cultural Society Leskovec pri Krškem), a court minister (Metka Vrhovšek), a castle scribe (Mija Baškovč), teacher Ana Schmidinger Romih (Karmen Lipej Tramšek), an empress at court (Jana Kovačič), and photographer Davor J. P. (Davor Lipej). Together with museum staff, they also took part in creative workshops, from making candles in the shape of a votive piglet to museum games and crafting stars and little chests.
The festival afternoon concluded with a concert by outstanding musicians, violinist Jerica Kozole and pianist Primož Urbanč, who created a superb musical experience in the unique setting of the Knight’s Hall by performing three sonatas by one of the greatest composers of all time, Ludwig van Beethoven.
Baroque Afternoon offered visitors an opportunity for a deeper encounter with the past while at the same time opening the door to new experiences that will continue to connect the community and preserve cultural heritage for future generations.
