Vipolže

Vipolže village is located directly on the border in the extreme south-eastern part of Brda and is one of the oldest villages, first mentioned in 1170. Here, you will surely be enchanted by the old 11th-century castle and the huge cypress trees of venerable age beside it. The castle used to be a representative villa and a hunting manor of the counts of Gorizia where horses were bred, while later on, it changed hands between members of Herberstein, della Torre, Attems Petzenstein and Teuffenbach families. The building was rebuilt several times, in 17th century into a Renaissance villa in the Venetian style. In front of the castle there used to be a magnificent castle park with a Baroque fountain, several hundred years old cypresses and oaks. During World War I, the castle was used as a military hospital while in 1948 it was damaged in a large fire. It is one of the most beautiful examples of castle architecture in Slovenia built between Renaissance and Baroque.

The exterior and interior of the mansion were restored by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia with the support of the European Union. The complex conservation work was carried out under the expert supervision of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, Nova Gorica. The most beautiful Renaissance villa in Slovenia is the new heart of cultural tourism, exhibitions and events in the Brda region.

In the so-called new castle, which was built in 18th century in the Baroque style, there was a seat of a cooperative after World War II, while afterwards it was used as an apartment building. In Vipolže there is the only preserved water mill that still operated in 1990s and the village is also known for fossil numulitins that were found there.