Mehovo Castle, Castle ruin in Podgrad, Slovenia

Mehovo Castle is a ruined hilltop castle on a conical hill above the village of Podgrad, 11 km south of Novo mesto and just west of the road over the Gorjanci to Metlika. Only sparse ruins remain of what was once one of the largest and oldest castles in Carniola. From the hill there are views north over much of Lower Carniola and west to the Kamnik Alps; the Gorjanci block the view toward Metlika and Croatia.

Mehovo Castle was built before 1162, when a knight of the Counts of Weichselberg named Hartwik de Micho is recorded; it appears as castrum Michow in 1215. The counts used it as a base for campaigns across the Gorjanci into the Bela krajina and along the Kolpa. In 1515 rebellious peasants stormed it and killed the pledge-holder Balthasar Mindorfer and his family; the Paradeisers abandoned it around 1657 for Ruperčvrh.

The castle's name appears in Latin records as castrum Michow in 1215 and in German as Maichau. After 1848 its remaining walls were quarried for the school, the baroque church and the parish house in Podgrad, and for the Marian chapel at Vinja vas. Valvasor's 1679 engraving is the best visual record of the castle before that dismantling.

The site is best reached on foot, as it sits on elevated terrain requiring some climbing. Sturdy footwear and a bit of time for exploring are recommended.

A historical drawing from 1679 shows what the structure looked like before it fell into ruin. This old document helps visitors imagine the castle in its original form.