A farmhouse with probably the most beautiful view of the Novo mesto surroundings.

Our building stands in the middle of the vineyards of Trška Gora with a view of Novo mesto. Trška Gora is also known for its Zidanice, as a scenic wine hill with the most Zidanice in the world, and the Krkin hram is among the most representative examples of the so-called bourgeois Zidanica. These belonged to wealthy merchants, manufacturers, innkeepers, and hoteliers, and therefore differed slightly in size and form from other wine temples. They were usually two-storied, with the upper floor being residential. Winemakers often lived there, working the owners’ vineyards; as payment, they had the right to live in the Zidanica, some land to cultivate, and usually a head of livestock (commonly one cow), with some work compensated in kind or money.

This vineyard temple from the early 19th century was purchased in 1859 by lawyer and notary in Novo mesto, dr. Josef Suppan, representative of Dolenjska towns in the Carniolan Provincial Assembly, later mayor of Ljubljana, and member of the Imperial Council in Vienna. That he partially remodeled the building at this time is evidenced by the stone portal with the year 1860.

In 1916, its new owner became the successful merchant and industrialist Karel Pollack, who employed more than 700 people in his leather factories in Kranj, Ljubljana, and Vrhnika. His company reached its peak during World War I, with the military as the most important client, allowing him to undertake a thorough renovation of his Zidanica – in 1917 it received an annex (press house), marked by a concrete portal with the engraved year.

Three decades later, in 1928, the Zidanica was purchased by Vladimir and Helena Remec. They also owned a furniture factory in Kamnik, and engineer Vladimir Remec was commissioner for public works and crafts in the first Slovenian national government. The new owners had both buildings – the main building and the annex – renovated and expanded that same year to their current size, according to plans by our greatest architect Jože Plečnik. Following his advice, the roofs were covered with straw to “better integrate into the local environment.” In 1928, the Zidanica also received plumbing, a cesspool, and electricity.

In the mid-1930s (Sredi tridesetih let), agronomist and viticulture expert Janko Rataj from Mačkovec bought the vineyard estate on Trška Gora. His wife Vida managed the estate in his absence, learning viticulture; the estate with noble grape varieties gradually became the largest on Trška Gora, using the most modern vineyard and cellar methods of the time. They were the first in Dolenjska to cultivate portugalko.

Vida Rataj opened a wine shop in the Zidanica, which became a popular destination for Sunday outings. She continued viticulture even after her husband’s death (1947). In 1977, she sold the building to Krka, tovarni zdravil, which renovated it, named it Krkin hram, and continued gastronomic activities.

And how it is today:

The Krkin hram is one of the most attractive points on Trška Gora, mainly because of the view – of Novo mesto and the entire Novomeška basin, as well as the Krka River, Gorjanci, and Kočevski Rog.