Reifenberg castle

Reifenberg is a small village on the eastern side of the Karst plateau (Branik since 1955). During the great battles between 1915-1917, it was an important logistics center behind the front. Various institutions were established here, including a field hospital. It was located in the village’s castle. Although it was not damaged during the war, it was set on fire by Yugoslav partisans in 1944, so it partially burned out. It was completely restored in the 1980s, as can be seen in the recent photo.

The first mention of the Reifenberg Castle (now called Rihemberk in Slovenian) dates from 1188: the castle belonged to the Reichenberg noble family, who were vassals of the Görz count family. The donjon in the middle of the castle dates from this time. The male branch of the family died out in 1371. At that time, the castle and the estate returned to the Counts of Görz. After the extinction of the Görz count family, the castle came into the hands of the Habsburg family, and then the Lanthieri family bought the estate from them. In 1533, it was significantly expanded and a chapel was added. In 1649, a new palace wing was added to it. The castle remained in the possession of the Lanthieri family until nationalization after 1945. During the Great War, a military hospital was established in the castle.

The photo attached to the post shows nurses on duty at the hospital. That’s why I chose the beautiful nurse badge of the Arkansas company for this post.