Novo Celje Manor stands approximately one kilometre east of the centre of Žalec, positioned on the flatlands between Petrovče and Žalec, overlooking the fertile Savinja Valley. It was built between 1754 and 1760 at the initiative of Count Anton Gaisruck, who sought to create a prestigious rural residence inspired by the Viennese Schönbrunn Palace. Its rectangular ground plan, thirteen‑axis main façade, and richly articulated Baroque exterior with a pronounced central risalit place the manor among the finest Baroque creations in Slovenia.
Architecture and Interior
The manor’s interior was richly furnished in the 18th century. Among its most notable features was a series of Baroque statues representing the Muses, originally placed along the grand staircase. These sculptures are preserved today and displayed on the staircase of the Slovenian Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of Slovenia in Ljubljana. Their survival provides a rare and valuable insight into the artistic quality and former splendour of Novo Celje’s interior decoration.
Ownership and Use Before the First World War
After the Gaisruck family, the manor changed hands several times during the 19th century. By the early 20th century, it had lost much of its aristocratic function and served primarily administrative and economic purposes. Its maintenance gradually declined, although the building remained structurally intact.
Between the Wars – Psychiatric Institution
Historical sources confirm that during the 1930s, under the administration of the Drava Banovina, the manor was converted into a psychiatric hospital. This institutional use marked one of the most significant phases in the manor’s 20th‑century history and continued until the outbreak of the Second World War.
The Beginning of the Second World War – Fate of the Patients
With the German occupation in April 1941, the psychiatric hospital was dissolved. The occupying authorities repurposed the manor as a military hospital (lazaret). The psychiatric patients were forcibly removed.
Documented evidence shows that most of the patients were transported to Linz, where they became victims of the Nazi euthanasia programme, part of the policy of eliminating “life unworthy of life”. This tragic event is one of the darkest chapters in the history of Novo Celje and the wider region. A memorial near the entrance to the manor complex commemorates the victims.
Use After the Second World War
After 1945, the manor became state property. It was used first as a hospital for pulmonary diseases, and later as a home for the elderly and infirm. Although this ensured the building’s continued use, it also contributed to the gradual deterioration of many architectural elements.
In the early 21st century, conservation efforts began to gain momentum. A visual documentation from May 2009 shows the restored entrance hall and chapel, while the remaining parts of the manor are recorded in their pre‑restoration condition.