Haasberg Palace (FKS07/HA)

Haasberg palace was built on the edge between Planina's fields, at Stari grad's hill feet where once upon a time it used to be its medieval predecessor Hošperk castle.

The older Hošperk was first mentioned as "castrum Moevntz" (Unec castle) in 1295 and it was built on top of the hill where the modern Haasberg lays, but it was severely damaged by the most powerful earthquake that destroyed almost every castle on the region in 1511.

In 1614 Eggenberg family begins the construction a new but smaller building at the feet of the hill. This baroque palace was a 2 storey building without defensive loops and the main entrance was marked by a 3 storey tower. On its right side it had a small baroque garden and in front of it a large service building for servants and horses.
In 1716 Marija Šarlota Eggenberg sold the palace together with the feuds Šteberk and Logatec to Johan Caspar Cobenzel (Janez Gašper Kobenzl).

Kobenzls used to lived in Prosecco, near Trieste city, they afforded the renovation of almost all properties they owned among them Predjama and Haasberg. They trusted an italian architect Carlo Martinuzzi to renovate the old Haasberg mansion and to transform it into a larger baroque palace.
Martinuzzi gave Haasberg a new identity, a brand new 4 storey building with high roofs, larger windows and a charismatic portal-balcony which still nowadays it could be luckily found in the ruins. Traces of the original Haasberg still could be seen on the ruins.
The long service building didn't suffer any changes rather than the small tower with bells to call the servants when meals were served.
A large terrace was built in front of the palace and on it they had one of the largest baroque gardens in the region.

In 1810 when Cobenzl family died without inheritors, Mihael Coronini Cronberg from Kromberk (a distant relative of Cobenzel family) inherites all Cobenzel's properties among them Haasberg palace.
In 1824 Mihael passes away leaving his properties to his wife Sofia Fagan-Coronini, later in 1846 she sells the feuds Planina, Štemberk, Logatec and Predjama to the prince Weriand von Windischgraetz.

We could say that with both Kobenzl and Windischgraetz families, the castle had its most important and prosper periods of life.

Unluckily barbarism and insensibility took place during the second world war and most precisely the 28.4.1944 slovenian partisans set on fire the beautiful palace. In about half hour the fire burnt almost the hole roof.
A few days later, local people they took most of the items, furniture, curtains were used as carpets in their houses, books and paintings were taken to their home. Important work of art has been lost forever, also part of the feud's archive which suddenly disappeared without any trace. It is said that it burnt during the fire, many years of story, local legends and testimonies had been lost with the flames, but there are people that we believe that most of this important documents are somewhere kept in secret.

There have been many attempts to reconstruct the palace, but unluckily since the beginning the authorities always had stopped a possible reconstruction. Personal interests, bureaucracy, old ideologies, fights and many human sins more are cooperating together with time and nature to make disappear what could be a symbol of peace and union among brothers.
While in silence, each winter takes newer pieces from the palace and make them to fall down. Snow, wind, rain, nature are destroying it more and more each day.

Nowadays the external walls are still standing still, facing the strong wing, the cold snow and the constant autumn rain. In the middle of the forest could be seen traces of stairs and paths where princes and princesses walked.
The old service building it has been demolished by the authorities in charge to protect the Slovenian heritage. The famous Windischgraetz's tombstone has been profaned and demolished and where once there was the beautiful baroque garden nowadays it is used as a planting field...

Centuries of story overshadowed in a couple of years by the lack of information, misunderstanding or ignorance.

Haasberg is a scar still open over Planina's fields which is trying to heal but unluckily many people don't allow it to close.
These days many people still have Haasberg's furniture, paintings. They don't want to talk about it because they are afraid to be labeled as thieves, when asking for information about the palace, most of them they prefer not to say a single word and some of them they get angry, they feel like you are meddling...
The younger generations they keep visiting the palace's ruins without knowing that those stones are still very important. Kids wonder and dream about old and forgotten stories never told.
That's why we please people to share everything they know or have from Haasberg, for the palace and its stories are still beating out there on Planina's streets.

Haasberg's reconstruction it wasn't so hard for I had many old pictures from where I could get a lot of information.

Most of this pictures had many details such as doorknobs, mouldings and the position of statues.
There are still elements that would need further analysis such as statues and interiors. On the pictures, statues couldn't be identified and interiors are difficult to locate because the palace had many rooms.

Regarding colours, most of the materials are still found on the site so I could identify the colour of each element on the 3d.

During the research and thanks to Haasberg, I've met wonderful people and I made wonderful friends such as Tanja Žigon (author of Grad Haasberg in Knezi Windischgraetzi) who gave me a lot of information, she also introduced me to Prince Mariano Hugo von Windischgraetz, who shared his passion for the palace and who cares about its future. Goran Tenze, who interviewed me for ARS on his program Pogled v Znanost and who we share the same passion for knowledge, story and life and Maruša Mele Pavlin who interviewed me on Radio 94 and helped me to promote Feniks and FKS07-HA Haasberg project.

Tina Poljšak, Muzej Krasa and TIC Postojna who collaborated with me on the exhibition of FKS07-HA project and Barbara Renčof, she interviewed me for RTV Slovenija, interview that brought the Slovenian's attention to Planina and Haasberg's future.
Of course I could not forget my colleges and friends Igor Sapač and Miha Preinfalk, who helped with information and who showed my reconstructions on Haasberg's round table at ZRC SAZU.

I know that there are still many things to know and to discover about Haasberg, I know that old boundaries could be released in order to build more positive days to come.
That's why I invite Planina's neighbours and all the people who has something to share about Haasberg, to see this palace as an union symbol, to unite and join people. The idea is not to denounce who has objects from the palace, but to built a friendship based on Haasberg's legends in order to bring it back to life once again.