Pristava History

The times and tales of Pristava Počakovo 

The rise and rebirth of the Lordship of Svibno

Pristava Počakovo stands as a quiet sentinel in the Sava Valley hills above Svibno, in Slovenia's Lower Carniola, its story woven with medieval strongholds, noble lineages, and cultural rebirth. Linked to the ruins of Grad Svibno, this manor traces centuries of lordship, conflict, and renewal.

Early Lords and Castle Origin

Tradition credits Arnold of Svibno with founding Grad Svibno (Scharffenberg) around 928, a tale blending legend with the crag's strategic perch over the Sava River trade route. By 1169, the Ostrovharji (Ostrovrharji/Scharfenberg) family held the castle, anchoring power in Lower Carniola through the 12th–13th centuries.

The fortress gained explicit mention in 1327, overseeing a landscape of subordinate manors; Pristava Počakovo likely hosted an early hunting lodge or farmstead here, unnamed but tied to Svibno's domain. Local lore speaks of Wilhelm the Bold, a knight whose ghostly rides guard phantom treasures in the ruins, evoking the era's feudal past.

In the 1420s, Svibno emerged as a market town with some 30 homes, thriving briefly before decline set in around 1400–1450. The castle was pawned to the Counts of Celje in the 1450s, signaling shifting allegiances amid Habsburg influence.

Ottoman Shadows and Ruin

Post-1526 Battle of Mohács, Ottoman forces solidified south of the Sava River by 1457, raiding north and controlling the river border. Jurij Gallenberg, last of the Scharfenberg line, died fighting the invading Turks in 1562, closing out the old nobility's chapter.

Svibno Castle crumbled into ruin by the 17th century—"razdejan in prepuščen propadu"—its fall undated, perhaps from assaults or neglect. Pristava  endured as a modest manor; the Pasarelli family built its core structure in 1647, routing iron ore from the Javorniški Rovt mines past its doors.

Peace came with Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699, easing the frontier's strife and paving the way for the next chapter of change with myths and legends central to the reawakening of Slovenia identity. 

Zois Patronage and Manor Life

Michelangelo Zois acquired the Svibno estate in 1762, his iron wealth elevating the family to baronial rank. Son Žiga Zois (1747–1819), Enlightenment polymath and Slovenian cultural father, transformed Pristava into a hub for scholars, writers and artists; his brother Michelangelo Matija added clerical depth.

The villa solidified around 1844 on older foundations, noted in 1700 and 1860 cadastral records, serving as the agricultural seat over growing peasant settlements by the 1750s. Anecdotes recall Žiga's hillside elixirs from Sava herbs, fueling visionary gatherings. Lordship waned by 1830, the estate passing to church ties by the 1890s, linked to Svibno's parish below.

Modern Transitions and War

Through the 20th century, Pristava absorbed the surrounding lands of Počakovo village, functioning under church oversight. Nazi occupation gripped the area 1941–1945, a dark interlude amid partisan shadows in the hills.

The church sold the Pristava estate to Canadian owners in 1991; they carried out the first renovations around 2010. Cultural rebirth began with 2015 Medieval Days Festival, reviving knightly medieval heritage, and was furthered by the formation of the cultural organization KUD Pristava Pocakovo in 2023.

Cultural Renaissance

New owners took possession in 2020 and were inspired by the estate history to carry on the Zois tradition of promoting cultural heritage. 2024 saw the return performance of the popular band Orlek for an enthusiastic audiance. In 2025, Art Kum Extempore's extensive collection of modern art relocated to halls of Pristava. The Art Kum Gallery opened in shortly thereafter in 2026, as a showcase for over 430 paintings, photographs and sculptures by 140 European artists across 35 years on its historic walls. From university seminars, to concerts, lectures and theater, Pristava Počakovo has returned to the Ziga Zois tradition of nurturing the arts and community.

Overlooking Svibno ruins, mount Kum, Jatna forest and the Sopota River, Pristava Počakovo today hosts a wide variety of cultural and educational events blending its layered past—from Ostrovharji keeps to Zois salons—into a living Posavje museum and historic cultural landmark.