Kodeljevo castle, Renaissance mansion in Kodeljevo district, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Kodeljevo castle is a Renaissance mansion in the Kodeljevo district of Ljubljana that showcases architectural features from the 17th century with late Renaissance characteristics. A Baroque chapel with frescoed walls sits within the estate and is surrounded by landscaped gardens and park areas.
The mansion was built in the first half of the 17th century beside a large bend of the Ljubljanica, later regulated. In 1700 Peter Anton Codelli, who had moved from Bergamo, bought it with the Kodeljevo estate; the family kept it for generations. After 1945 it was nationalized and served as flats, a youth correctional home, a party school and a retirement home. Renovated in 1973, it was leased by the Figovec catering firm and is now in denationalization proceedings.
The name Kodeljevo comes from the Codelli family, who bought the estate in 1700; the neighbourhood took their name. The Baroque chapel added in 1738 by Avguštin Codelli is dedicated to the Immaculate Virgin Mary and holds three altars of Carrara marble, the main one with a figure of the Virgin flanked by four saints carved by Jacopo Contieri. Fran Jelovšek painted the chapel interior.
The property is located at Koblarjeva 34 on the outskirts of the city center and is accessible by public transportation. The surrounding park grounds invite leisurely walks and provide orientation points for exploring the neighborhood.
Anton Codelli, the estate's last owner, brought the first car to Ljubljana in 1898. He was an inventor holding several patents, most notably for his work on electronics and the daljnozor, a long-range viewing device. A memorial plaque to him was set into the facade in 1995.
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