Branik Castle

[1] Fortified settlements have been present on the hill above what is now the village of Branik since prehistoric times; the site was once occupied by a Roman castrum.

The name Rihemberk derives from the name of the family's former castle, and is a compound of the German words Riffe ("ridge") and Berg ("mountain").

[2] In the 14th and 15th centuries the lordship contracted to the immediate surroundings of Rihemberk, a small part of the Vipava Valley, and the Karst Plateau.

The castle complex is centered on a prominent 13th-century round keep, around which a substantial Baroque residential tract was later developed, all surrounded with Renaissance defensive walls and 16th century corner turrets.

The design of the entrance gate suggests the garden belongs to the Baroque period of the castle.