Brežice, a place of mystery

Brežice, a place of mystery  

 

  

Photo: Water tower in Brežice, Bine Leben, 20.1.2024 

 

Travel writing from the University of Maribor, Faculty of Tourism. Masters Programme: English in Tourism – Higher Level 2 

 

Author: Teja Leben 

 

Mentor: Dr. Jasna Potočnik Topler 

 

Brežice, a place of mystery  

Already from afar, after the highway exit for Krško from the direction of Ljubljana, I notice the silhouette of Brežice, highlighted by the Water Tower and the bell tower of the Church of St. Lovrenc, which I read about before the trip. Both rise above the houses and grove of the old town. Otherwise, you can also see a few taller high-rise buildings next to them, but very few, so even from a distance it can be concluded that Brežice is a small town. I am on the right track, as I would like to discover something more about Brežice and share it with the world. 

 

Photo: Brežice from highway,  Nina Lovrek, 21.1.2024 

 

The confluence of the Sava and Krka rivers

 I leave the highway in Čatež ob Savi, where the road to Brežice takes me over the bridge of the Sava River, from which there is the most beautiful view of the confluence of the Sava and Krka rivers. In the distance I notice two bridges of iron construction, which were built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Photo: Confluence of Sava and Krka (left) with old bridges, Kraji EU  21.1.2024

The small town rests on a nearby bank and got its name after that. From a distance, you can mainly see houses, business facilities and boards with advertisements, but I know that somewhere in the middle lies the old town, which I will explore. 

 

 

 Photo above: A town on the bank, Google Images  21.1.2024

The Old Town of Brežice

Photo: Curved chimney in the center of Brežice, Posavskiobzornik 21.1.2024

The town is small, so I am almost immediately in the center and thus also in the old part of the town, which consists of several parallel streets. When I arrive in the center, I am greeted by the old Water Tower, which has been very nicely restored. It rests on an old town defence wall next to a row of older houses. Immediately behind it, it is clear that we have entered the old town, as the buildings appear older and are generally two-storied, with architectural decorations here and there. Some of them have a balcony above the entrance, which I think probably served so important functionaries could read proclamations to the residents or emphasized their importance. I read somewhere that on the balcony of the town hall, which is also next to the main street, the town judge used to read proclamations and sentences. On one of the roofs, I notice a very special chimney (curved). There is no space between the houses, and they are lined up next to each other. I stand at the intersection in the middle of the main street and look to the left and between two rows of old but mostly beautifully renovated houses, I notice rows of trees and at the bottom of the street a castle, I look to the right and notice a similar row of houses on both sides of the road, which meet somewhere in the distance. The silhouette of an anchor can be seen on one of the old doors, which shows that navigation was important here. The street looks nice. 

 

 

Local Voices

I was interested in what the locals had to say about the town and where they would send me to research history, take a walk and eat and relax with refreshments. So, I walk down the main old street and get into a conversation with a middle-aged woman and man and a younger man and woman. I chatted with each of them separately because I was interested in where they would send me. To research history, all four of them kindly sent me to Brežice Castle, which is in the middle of the town and hosts the Museum of Posavje region, and to the Water Tower, which is described as a symbol of the town. They suggest that I walk around the old town, as it won't take me much time, so I get a sense of how small or how big the town used to be in the Middle Ages, when it was inside the town defence walls, which are still visible in some places. If you would like to take a walk in nature, it is best to go towards the hydroelectric power plant and walk along the shore of the so called Brežice Sea, the water accumulation next to the Brežice Hydroelectric Power Plant, because there is a very nice walking area and a wonderful view of the plain. 

 

Photo: Path by the Brežice sea, Franc Šavroč, facebook, 17.1.2024

 

The younger two tell me that I can also exercise in the park next to the Youth Center, as there is outdoor exercise equipment. The older two say that I should pay attention to the fact that there is a board with facts about what the building was used for and information about it next to all of the important buildings in town. They also point out to me, that there are boards in some places in the old town, where I can read something about the history of the town, the old town defence walls, how the town was created and how it grew. I am told that the old town used to have a town defence wall that can still be seen in some places today. There is an explanatory board about this at the castle. They also say that the town is quite empty at the end of the working day, but that events are also organized that make it more cheerful. Everyone misses life in the old town and wants its revival. Currently, the Municipality invites young people to contribute ideas to the revitalization of the old town center. They say that in the afternoon there is more life in the shopping centres on the edge of town. The younger two say that unfortunately there are very few things for young people in the town and that most of the fun in the town takes place in the Youth Center, which is near the castle. They suggest that if I want fun and entertainment, I should go to Terme, as there are two of them  nearby. If I want to get a feel of the area, they recommend that I go on some farm tourism in the nearby villages. 

 

Eating in Brežice

When it comes to food, their opinions are different. An older woman suggests that I go to the Štefanič restaurant for a classic Slovenian lunch for a low price, I will eat the most there, she says, and it will still be good. An older man suggests that I go to eat at the inn "Pri Šefu", where I will get a variety of food for a solid price in a nice atmosphere. The younger boy sends me to eat at the Les inn in Čatež ob Savi, he says that it is very close and very tasty and has a large selection, the prices are still quite solid, the younger girl suggests that I go at Pizzeria Huda, where they have very good pizzas, but rather inconsistent work schedule. As for the relaxing drink and refreshments, all four of them send me to the Café Kavarna next to the Water tower and all four of them say that it has a nice atmosphere, and they also have good pastries with a very unique look. An older woman recommends also Jazz Pub to me and says that if I like a very picturesque atmosphere, I'll like it there the most, but that they don't have desserts there. 

 

Before I came to Brežice, I found information that there is also Oštarija Debeluh in the town, which has received several awards, including the Michelin plate award. 

I'm glad I won't be hungry. 

A dash of history 

 

I go to the castle to see what the Museum of Posavje region has to offer. I find that the exhibitions on the themes of water, fire and earth are very interesting. That the life of the farmers several decades ago is represented in several rooms, old peasant revolts, the periods of the two wars, painting exhibitions and the wonderful Knight's hall, which I know is one of the most beautiful such large castle halls in the whole of Europe. Objects that were found during the excavations in Brežice and the surrounding area are also on display, such as jewellery, excavated dishes, reconstructed graves... There are many other things on display that are worth seeing. 

Photo: Castle and the old town center PMB 22.1.2024

I run into a lady who tells me that she likes to visit the museum and see the new exhibitions. She says that she works in the Municipality of Brežice and that within the framework of the implementation of two mainly infrastructural projects "Renovation of the Road of the First Fighters" in the years 2005 to 2008, and later "Renovation of the old town center of Brežice" in the years 2008-2010, the construction sites were under the supervision of archaeologists, who carried out extensive archaeological excavations in the area of ​​the wider town center of Brežice. The research is presented on posters and free-standing boards that can be found around the town center.  

 

As part of the research, it was established (see Figure under) that the Renaissance defence system consisted of: a castle with a moat and the walls (1), town walls (2), a town defence moat (3), a tower on the eastern side of the walls (4), eastern side-gate? (5), town bastion? (6), upper town tower-gate (7) and lower town tower- gate? (8). However, these are predictions, and it is not possible to fully confirm the aforementioned from the research so far. 

 

 

Figure: The Renaissance defence system of Brežice – probably around 1529 

Resource: Brežice - outdoor exhibition - secrets of the fortified town, Life in a fortified town 

 

She also tells me that there are several protected buildings in Brežice, among them the two iron road bridges over the Sava and Krka rivers that I saw before (technical monuments on which Jackie Chan filmed several action movie scenes), the castle park (monument of designed nature), the castle, Water tower, church of St. Rok and St. Lovrenc. They also found much more during the excavations, which is not presented to the public. In the middle of the town, opposite the church of St. Lovrenc, there is an unimaginable underground port, which several centuries ago had an outlet to the Sava River, which at that time flowed elsewhere. 

I am slowly getting a picture of the ancient town. I decide to return to Brežice after a while and check if the town's secrets have been revealed or if they will also be publicly presented. When I walk around the town, I notice several signs with inscriptions about how it used to be, the very ones I have been told about. In this way, I can guide myself around the town and create images from several centuries ago. 

 

 

Photo: Old bridge, facebook Franc Šavrič, 28.10.2023

As my guides warned me, I'm also going to see the pride of the town, the Water Tower. About 40 years ago, it took care of the town's water supply. It was built in 1914 and is also a protected cultural monument, which was completely restored in 2022, including an elevator, so that everyone can see it. From the top of the tower, there is a wonderful view of the town itself and the surrounding hills and plains, which in their depths hide many sights and opportunities to see and try, to climb (Sv.Vid, Špiček...) and to dive into natural water (Krka river, Terme Čatež, Terme Paradiso Dobova). 

 

Bye until next time 

I end my visit to Brežice this time in the Cafe Kavarna next to the Water Tower, where they really have special desserts, the taste of which is worth a sin. Join me and enjoy some of the secrets of this small town. 

Teja Leben 

If you would like to read more on our Masters travel writing workshops in Slovenia, please go back to our first workshop by clicking here. 

 

 To cite this travel article:

Leben, T. (2024). 'Brežice, a place of mystery.' Travel Writers Online, ISSN 2753-7803. 

Photo: Radio Brezice 23.1.2023

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