Description
In the special thematic itinerary of the Cobenzl family, we have included castles and manor houses that were owned by the family in the 18th century in the territory of present-day Slovenia and in the cross-border area shared with the Republic of Italy (Mossa Mansion, the palace in Gorizia, the castles of Štanjel, Predjama, Logatec, Ribnica, Mali Grad, and two mansions named Hošperk: in Planina near Unec and Lože near Vipava). Many were considered artistic gems; some were furnished with paintings and works by great painters, and above all, they were owned by the most successful family from this region in the 18th century.
Although Johann Cobenzl was already highly successful as a diplomat and official in the second half of the 15th century, the family reached its peak in the 18th century, when Johann Caspar II Cobenzl rose to become one of the highest officials at the court of the Habsburg Emperor Charles VI. His son Karl and grandsons Ludwig and Philip had an enviable career too. The latter, like his grandfather, became a great confidant of Emperor Joseph II. All three were also admitted to the most prestigious noble orders, reserved for the Emperor’s family and confidants. In their services, they wrote the history of the Austrian Netherlands, the Enlightenment, and diplomacy. Their careers took their toll, and so the family became extinct in the male line in 1810.
