Radece - Novi dvor Manor House

The Novi Dvor manor house, which some sources state was also called Marijin Dvor, Dvor, Weichselbergerhof or Weichselstein, began to be constructed in the second half of 1535 by Lord Žiga Višnjegorski at a cost of 2000 florins. The house took shape alongside the road between Radeče and Boštanj, which had been opened in 1458, and the estate was connected to nearby Sevnica by the ford between Čot and Loka. At the end of the 17th century, Valvazor wrote the following about Novi Dvor: The Weichselstein manor house is a quarter of an hour away from the town of Radeče and enjoys a splendid views of the river. A linden tree stands in the large courtyard. Before the house we can sees fields, precious fruit trees and wine-covered hills nearby. There are beautiful views over the neighbouring manor houses. The current owner, Baron Sigismund Wilhelm, has beautified the house and decorated it with a number of additional features. In 1853 the estate and manor house were bought by the wealthy and highly educated aristocrat Dr Ludwig von Gutmannstahl-Benvenuti, who began to lay out the famous park that sits alongside. The Baroque building was given a Neo-Classical makeover and the park began to be established, with plants being transported from Trieste and the Botanical Gardens in Ljubljana. In the period leading up to the Second World War, the estate came into the hands of the Sisters of Mercy of the Order of St Vincent, and after the war it served for a time as the administrative headquarters of the coalmining companies of the Zasavje region. It later became a youth correctional centre.