Black Cross Monument

The monument was erected in 1605 by Count Ivan Friderik Herberstein of Hrastovec. It stands on the site where his mother had his wife Agata beheaded on charges of witchcraft. In the 16th century, the young Count Friderik of Hrastovec fell in love with the beautiful Agata from the nearby manor of Štarlek. As often happens, Friderik’s mother opposed their love, but Friderik was resolute and secretly married her nonetheless. When he left home to go to war, his mother tortured young Agata so severely that she gave birth prematurely to a stillborn child, for which she was then accused of witchcraft. Upon his return, Friderik did not find his wife alive, but in her memory he erected a cross made of black marble, in remembrance of his deceased wife.