Vipolže Villa

The threshold of this Renaissance gem on a hill above Vipolže has been crossed by thousands over the centuries — from the Counts of Gorizia, the noble families of Herberstein, Della Torre, Attems and Teuffenbach, and the Venetians, to military medics in the First World War and American soldiers in the Second. Between the wars, the castle suffered considerable damage, and in 1948 it was struck by fire. During socialism, it was used as an agricultural facility, and until its restoration it was home to the Vipolže Tourist Society and the MKUD Hrast cultural association, both of which sustained a vibrant musical and cultural programme for many years. For more than three decades, Vipolže Castle was one of the most important concert venues in the Primorska region. Today, the restored villa serves as a key venue for cultural, social and business events — concerts and weddings, conferences and symposia — yet even in its former, dilapidated state, long in need of renovation, it continued to serve people in a wide variety of ways.

Vipolže was known for its traditional summer Saturday evenings, as, alongside Zeleni gaj, it was the only place offering open-air dances. In the 1980s, the venue’s recognition was largely shaped by the Vipolže Tourist Society, founded in 1983 when the local branch of the Socialist Youth League (ZSMS) decided to revive dancing at the castle’s outdoor dance floor. In 1990, they formally organised as an association aimed at connecting local residents, providing entertainment for young people, and contributing to the development of the village. In addition to dance events held from May to mid-September, they organised carnival celebrations, St. Martin’s festivities, and International Women’s Day events, and also took part in the Cherry Festival, the Days of Poetry and Wine, and motorcycle gatherings. In 1987, for example, the Pop Workshop held in Vipolže attracted around 7,000 visitors.

A new chapter began after 1999, when the premises were taken over by KUD Hrast Vipolže, which continued this mission into the 21st century, until its eviction due to renovation works. Alongside large-scale events such as St. Martin’s celebrations and carnival festivities, Vipolže Castle also hosted a wide range of more niche events — from rave parties in the castle cellar (Chateau Beats, Odiseja, and Castle Party, where the influential Neapolitan DJ Rino Cerrone, who passed away this year, performed), festivals (Hokus Pokus, Lickoff), and commercial events (Žur za 5), to numerous concerts of alternative music (from metal and punk to ska and other genres). In January 2012, as teenagers, we experienced the last large-scale event there — a drum’n’bass and psytrance party Back2theCastle, organised by KUD Hrast in collaboration with Italian partners, which brought more than 1,000 people to Vipolže.

At Vipolže Castle, we attended exhibitions, played billiards or video games, skateboarded through the abandoned first floor with its vast hall, held football tournaments in the castle courtyard, and cooled off beneath centuries-old oak trees. It was a venue, a community space, and a place of gathering that enriched the lives of all who ever found themselves there. After the eviction in 2012, KUD Hrast Vipolže merged with MKUD Strelišče and moved to the premises of the Dobrovo club. Before leaving, the members of the association filmed a short feature film Ples mladine (Dance of Youth, 2012).

Avtor: Jaša Bužinel

Kraj: Vipolže

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