Plaque with coat-of-arms of the Dukes of Auersperg

The owner of the ironworks at Dvor in Dolenjska, Duke Viljem Auersperg, in 1820 appointed the noted expert Ignatius Vitus von Pantz as its director. He had formerly been employed as technical director of the Blansko ironworks in Moravia. Pantz soon set about a thorough modernisation of the fairly obsolete ironworks, even inventing some equipment. He changed the production programme so that the former smelter evolved into the larges foundry south of the Alps. Its products were sold both at home and abroad, especially in Italy and Croatia. In addition to cast iron objects, of which there were altogether ninety-four types, including machinery, kitchenware, irons, stoves, tiles, tombstone crosses, fences and weights, Pantz was particularly fond of the seventy-nine types of decorative ironwork for personal, household and church use. They included imperial royal coats-of-arms, religious and classical revival relief plaques, figurines, writing sets, paper-weights, watch stands, spittoons, candlesticks, jewellery etc. The coat-of-arms of the Dukes of Auersperg made in 1833 is among the highest quality early products of decorative cast ironwork from the Dvor foundry. It was probably made to order for Duke Karl Viljem – Carlos Auersperg. The coat-of-arms, surmounted by a ducal crown and mantle depicts an ox in the first and fourth parties of the field, and in the second and third a golden eagle on a wooden block, which symbolises Šumberk castle. The eagle first appeared on their arms in 1497, when the Auerspergs were elevated from knights to lords. The lion rampant in the central party is probably connected with Žužemberk, which was bought in 1538. Janez Vajkard Auersperg was elevated to Duke of the Holy Empire in 1653, so the original insignia of a count was changed by the addition of three further parties with the arms of his new estates, the Silesian Dukedoms of Münsterberg (eagle) and Frankenstein (lion rampant) and the Princely County of Tengen (lion passant).