Grad Kacenštajn

Begunje na Gorenjskem, Slovenia, Slovenia

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Grad Kacenštajn, also known as Katzenstein Castle, stands in the center of Begunje na Gorenjskem in northwestern Slovenia, first mentioned in historical records in 1428 and rebuilt in the 16th century by the noble Kacijanar (Katzenstein) family. Birthplace of military leader Ivan Kacijanar in 1491, it served as a Protestant gathering spot until its chapel was destroyed by Counter-Reformation forces in 1601, later gaining Renaissance and Baroque features under owners like the Lambergs from 1765. Converted into a women's prison in 1875, it became a notorious Nazi internment camp during World War II for resistance fighters, and today houses a psychiatric hospital alongside a hostage museum commemorating wartime victims.