In the footsteps of Apollonia

Red haired Apollonia Heric used to collect herbs to cure sick animals or offer remedies to her fellow villagers. Allegedly, her cows were healthier and she could make much more butter from their milk. Back in those days in the 18th century, people in the countryside didn’t know the term herbalist. But they did know another word: witch. There were floods, there were poor harvests, plagues, or raids by enemy troops. Somebody had to take the blame. So Appolonia was captured and imprisoned with the charge of witchcraft. Luckily her case, which was the last witch trial in Styria, ended well: instead of finishing her life on the stake, or being thrown into the water to be judged by God, after 450 days she was eventually released from prison.

Apollonia would be very surprised to see the important role that herbs play nowadays in Negova. Firstly, collecting and using herbs is not considered a sin - on the contrary. Anyone can freely visit the annual Herb Day in the castle (without being thrown into prison) and enjoy interesting presentations and practical workshops. If you want to use herbs, just like Apollonia once did, you can learn from the experts how to choose, pick, dry and store these precious plants. Which one will make your dinner tastier, which one is for stress, or helps to sleep better? If you are a pro, it’s a perfect opportunity to dig yourself into advanced topics like making tinctures, ointments, or even soaps from herbs. During the day dozens of organisations from all over Slovenia present themselves in the herb market, offering exchanges of herb seedlings, and an abundance of herbal products. Some edible, some to put on the skin or inhale. If you miss the date of the Herb Day, inside the castle there is a herbal exhibition to visit, with a corner dedicated to Apollonia.

But the real surprise waits for you outside the walls: the castle even has its own herb garden. However, it’s a little bit bigger than the usual herb plot we would have in our backyards. The Negova Adventure and Educational Herb Park has 300 flower beds with more than 550 plants, organised in thematic sections, each plant marked with clay tiles, where the name of the herb is written in Slovene and Latin. The garden is taken care of by the people of Negova themselves who are happy to show their beautiful garden to the visitors.

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The pranger, the “pillar of shame” in Negova.