The Tuštanj manor archives (1547–2001)

The forgotten treasury of historical recollection

Abstract

The archives in the Tuštanj castle (German Tuffstein) in Moravška dolina, approximately 25 kilometres northeast from Ljubljana are is Slovenia the sole manor archives that remained up to the present time "in situ" and in possession of the castle family. By a lucky combination of circumstances the archives have survived the ideologically motivated arsons of castles during World War II, and the after-war wave of plundering and expropriations. During the last year the archives have been reviewed, organized, and summarily indexed. The archives are composed of two large groups of materials roughly divided by the 1848 land release. The first complex is the Tuštanj manor archives in which materials that the owners and their relatives brought from elsewhere can be found, and the second is composed of the materials of the Pirnat family who are managing the castle since the year 1854. Exceptionally valuable in this complex is the legacy of the Slovenist and Professor Maks Pirnat (1875–1933) commenced in places of his dwelling where among other he collected original older documents. Published and commented in the contribution are some interesting documents from various periods. Special attention is among those dedicated to the descriptions of the castle property, the castle complex and the premises inside the castle.