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- What To Know About Visiting Predjama Castle
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In medieval Europe, castles were a favorite resort of royalty principally because of the safety they accorded. That is especially before the invention of cannon powder. But with the appearance of cannon powder, the value of castles as fortresses was somehow diminished, even if not totally eliminated. Today, there are many reasons we’re intrigued and fascinated by castles. For some, it’s their age. There’s no feeling like touching a wall that’s a thousand years old. For others, it's the architecture and the design. But for a certain class of castle lovers, the beauty of castles is their location.
For the latter, Predjama castle is a gem. Perched on the navel of a high cliff, Predjama Castle’s location is attention-grabbing. But it’s not just the location; it sits at the mouth of a long cave that immediately makes it an object of deep curiosity. Here’s what to know about Predjama Castle.
UPDATE: 2023/02/11 20:08 EST BY AARON SPRAY
What To Know About Visiting Predjama Castle
Predjama Castle is one of the most incredible castles in the world, and everyone should visit it. This article was updated with practical information about visiting the iconic castle and the nearby caves. While the castle is open year-round, the caves are not. Predjama Castle (along with Lake Bled) is one of the chief highlights of the country.
What To Know About Predjama Castle
For starters, only a handful of castles take up space in the Guinness Book of World Records. Therefore, appearing in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest cave castle in the world sets Predjama apart as a building of much fascination. The Guinness Book describes it as “the largest castle built in the entrance to a cave.” The cave itself is long, measuring 8.7 miles in length—and second only to the famous Postojna Caves—a nearby attraction that’s also worth visiting. And then another stunning feature of Predjama Castle is that it sits on a midsection of a cliff that’s 123 meters high. That’s about 400 feet and almost the same height as Sierra Nevada’s Feather Falls. How it was built there, how materials were transported, and the foundation laid is a subject that’ll be on the minds of many a visitor.
The castle snugs itself inside a rocky, natural archway, a location that makes it an impregnable fortress. While the definite date the Predjama Castle was built is shrouded in uncertainty, somewhat aided by the lapse of time, it was first mentioned in official records way back in 1274. This leads some historians to hypothesize that its building may have been way earlier, probably even in the 12th century. From the outside, the castle looks ordinary—except perhaps for its location. Until one gets in—or learns about a remarkable 15th-century story for which it provided a memorable setting.
The 15th-century Siege Of Erasmus Of Lueg Inside Predjama Castle
Legend has it that Erasmus, a son of the Imperial Governor of Trieste, had, somewhere in the 15th century, become a well-known robber baron. In the medieval period, robber barons were usually unscrupulous feudal landowners who amassed wealth by using their powers in an unethical, overbearing manner. During a heated argument that took place in 1483, Erasmus would kill a man known as Pappenheim for allegedly making insulting or derogatory remarks about his departed friend. The problem was that Pappenheim was not just an ordinary man. He was a relative of Frederick III, then a powerful emperor over what was then known as the Holy Roman Empire, and the first emperor of the House of Habsburg.
Pappenheim’s murder would reach the ears of this all-powerful monarch. With the authority of an emperor and the wealth and might of a vast dominion, Frederick came after Erasmus, who, in turn, found refuge within Predjama Castle. The layout of Predjama Castle, however—and the intricate cave tunnels below it—would frustrate the most powerful man on earth after the Pope. Using a secret tunnel that joined the nearby Postojna Caves, Erasmus would even get food and drink from a nearby town.
- Where Is Predjama Castle Located? Predjama is approximately 7 miles from the town of Postojna, which in turn is 32 miles from Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia on the southwestern side.
Sheltered inside this impregnable fortress and aided by a complex network of caves, Erasmus would evade capture for more than a year. He was later betrayed by a servant who waited for him to get on a high floor in the section of the castle facing outwards. The servant then allegedly raised a flag. A single shot subsequently blew up Erasmus off a toilet.
Here’s How The Predjama Castle Looks Like Today
Today, the castle has been completely reconstructed in a Renaissance style of architecture. It is reached through a drawbridge. On getting inside the castle’s unusually cold rooms, safety, not comfort, looks to have been the overriding consideration. There’s a torture room, a dining room, a small kitchen, and an original latrine.
There’s an open terrace on the third floor where one can get a wonderful view of the valley below. On the same floor is a bedroom with a fireplace. Lastly, an attic covers the castle like a fitting hat. Lastly, Predjama Castle is usually open on weekends from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM. That’s what to know about what might just be Slovenia’s number one tourist attraction.
Planning A Visit To Predjama Castle
Predjama Castle is open to the public year-round. Visitors explore the castle and its caves on guided tours, so visitors need to book a tour as part of the admission ticket. Some parts of the caves and other attractions are only open seasonally (the caves are open from June to August). This is due to bats hibernating in the caves. When the caves are open in July and August, there is a shuttle service from the Postojna Cave to the castle.
On the cave tour, visitors see manmade tunnels and natural passages. The caverns are blackened by petrol destroyed during World War Two. The two cave halls people will see are Gothic Hall and Congress Hall. The caves have given up a number of valuable archeological finds from the Stone Age and Roman times.
For the ultimate cave adventure, visit the Son Doong cave in Vietnam - the largest cave in the world.
Visit the Predjama Castle during the peak season (June to August) to visit the caves outside of the bat hibernating season
The castle itself is open year-round.
Entry ticket fees:
- Postojna Cave: €28.50
- Two Adventures: €46.00 - Postojna Cave & Predjama Castle
- 100% Cave Experience: €51.50 - Postojna Cave, Vivarium, Expo Cave Karst
- Full Park Experience: €69.00 - Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, Vivarium, Expo Cave Karst
During the peak season, there are tours every hour or every half hour from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm. During the winter season, there are three tours daily at 10.00 am, noon, and 3.00 pm. The castle itself is open from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm while it is open from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm during the winter. Hours vary during the shoulder seasons. There are a number of other attractions at Predjama Castle to add on as well.
While in Slovenia, take the time to visit the iconic Lake Bled and its island church and stay the night in a historic political prison-come hostel in the capital Ljubljana.