APRIL 11, 1451 – FREDERICK II OF CELJ GRANTED CITY RIGHTS TO CELJ

On April 11th, the City of Celje celebrates its municipal holiday.

Celje was first referred to as a city in documents as early as 1436, although it was not yet legally and formally recognized. Therefore, the "privilege charter" of Celje from 11 April 1451, when Frederick II of Celje, at the request of "all our citizens of our Celje", granted Celje all the rights of Styrian cities, was merely a refinement of the already existing city status.
The recognition of city rights meant more than just a symbolic act of the wealthy and influential Celje people. The city had to be surrounded by walls, which was not an obligation of all cities only for defensive reasons, but also for legal and status reasons, since "the city air was liberating". Around 700 of Celje's residents at the time became personally free with urbanization, and their city community gained broad self-government and thus became autonomous in decision-making and management of the city. The citizens elected the administration from among their ranks: the city council and the mayor or judge. They could decide on their own development without the consent of the provincial prince, the holder of sovereignty in the country at the time. They took advantage of the "privilege right" to hold fair days, collect tolls, and carry out blood justice, and they took over the city hospital for care.
More: http://ook.knjiznica-celje.si/zgodilo/Friderik.htm

We also recommend:
Ignac Orožen, Celje Chronicle, 1854, p. 74
and at the link: http://www.dlib.si/details/URN:NBN:SI:DOC-0IR7V0ZY/?euapi=1&query=%27keywords%3dcelska%27&pageSize=25

Janko Orožen, History of Celje and the Surroundings, Part 1, From the Beginning to 1848, Celje Collection, 1971, pp. 267 and 337
and at the link:
http://www.dlib.si/details/URN:NBN:SI:DOC-OP7VOKOS/?euapi=1&query=%27keywords%3dzgodovina+celja+in+okolice+1971%27&pageSize=25

The published postcard is from the local history collection of the Celje Central Library.
https://www.kamra.si/mm-elementi/item/celje-5427.html