Fala Castle

In the second half of the 12th century, the Pohorje area between the Radoljna and Bezena basins was firmly under St. Paul's estate. By the end of the 12th century, it was evident that St. Paul had secured a leading position in the Drava Valley, especially in its central part with its center at Fala. The abbots of St. Paul moved the center of their Styrian Drava estates from the remote Lovrenc on Pohorje to the Drava Valley, at Fala, which was first mentioned in 1245.

Throughout the century, the core of St. Paul's Styrian estate was located east of Remšnik at Fala. Until the death of Bernard Spannheim, it seemed that the center of the monastic estate would emerge around Maribor near Razvanje. However, with Bernard's death, the property situation for St. Paul in Styria changed significantly.

In the new situation, the Benedictines were looking for a new center for their Obdrava council, and in doing so, decided not to go to the remote Lovrenc but to Fala ob Dravi. In 1311, they signed a contract in favor of St. Paul at Fala.

In 1259, the Hungarians besieged Radlje ob Dravi, and at that time, what was likely the first outpost at Fala, located slightly higher than the current castle, became a casualty of the war.

After 1340, the castle changed hands among various owners. In 1377, Fala was owned by Albrecht von der Fall, an administrator in Graz. Later, Otto Pergauer from Muta, a vassal of the Counts of Celje, devastated Falski Grad in 1407. Among the more notable stewards of the Fala estate, although historically not always reliably documented, was Hofrichter, who is mentioned by the respondent of a survey from the Fala recruitment district, Pokorny. Other notable names include Alojzija Sparovitza (Šparovec, who later bought the estate of Studenice), Johann Tschinkowitz, and Carl Ipawitz (a relative of the renowned musical family Ipavci).

The arrangement of a small monastery in the castle was of great importance in the history of Fala Castle. It made Fala a cultural center even before Maribor. An internal higher school was organized as an introduction to theology, but only for future Benedictine priests. In 1620, a department of the University of Vienna with lectures on philosophy, theology, and economics was founded in Fala. By 1628, the University of Vienna officially recognized the status of the University at Fala. The influx of students and novices was considerable, as Falski Grad offered refuge from the horrors of the Thirty Years' War and Turkish invasions. Among those who came was Merninger. However, after his election as the abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Šentpavel in 1638, the school was dissolved.

The Fala Jesuit College played a significant role in the Academy from 1644 to 1759, as it was run by priests who taught students. During this period, 6,931 students graduated from high school, including 603 sons of the Austrian nobility, who later became archbishops, prelates, governors, princes, and counts.

When the Fala estate was under Benedictine administration, it was the largest estate in the Drava Valley. The monastery managed the extensive forested areas exemplary. They introduced systematic reforestation with high-quality conifers, and generally, coniferous forests began to replace the predominantly beech forests, as beech wood was not as useful for the economy of the time.

With the Josephine reforms, monasteries were dissolved, and after the abolition of the St. Paul Monastery in 1782, Fala became a state estate managed by civil administrators. In 1824, Martin Liebmann, a wealthy businessman, bought the castle, and he was later knighted as Martin Freiherr von Rast. During his ownership, the Fala manor contributed to the socio-economic development of the region in many ways. Many owners of ironworks, glassworks, and other businesses concluded long-term contracts with Rast for the exploitation of the forest economy. In 1830, Rast decided to build a bridge to improve management and connectivity with Maribor. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by a flooding river in 1836. Only a support structure on the right bank remains from it.

Between 1860-1875, Peter von der Kettenburg ruled the castle, and Count Zabea and their son-in-law Pavel Glančnik managed it from 1875-1945.

After the liberation, the estate was transferred to public ownership, and during this post-war period, most of the rich interior furnishings along with many valuables were either lost or destroyed by the occupants who kept passing the keys to the castle doors among themselves.