Podčetrtek belongs among the oldest castles in Slovenia. It was once located at an old national border, at Sotla river facing Croatia or Hungary. Podčetrtek is located in the area which already in 1071 became a property of Krško diocese. The construction of the castle can be dated to a time after the first third of the 12th century. First written record dates from 1361.
On 12th of November 1441 bishop of Krško Johan temporarily gave his castles Pilštanj, Podčetrtek, Bizeljsko and Mokronog to emperor Friderik IV who kept them until 1445, Afterwards the castle was governed by managers and between 1479 and 1490 it was in the hands of Hungarian army. In 1515 the castle succumbed to peasant revolt.
In 1527 the castle possession was moved to Hans Tattenbach and his successors leased and rented the castle and in 1612 Krško diocese imparted them the castle as heritable or private possession. At the execution of Erazem Tattenbach in 1628 the castle was confiscated by the province from which Ignac Attems. The castle was completely renovated in 1874 and remained a property of Attems' until the World War II.
After the war when the castle became a general public property it served various purposes and gradually it was soon completely robbed. Only a few artworks were rescued and are stored by Posavski muzej in Brežice. Nowadays it is abandoned.
References:The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.
The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.
The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.
The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.