Take a peek at Predjama Castle, the largest cave castle in the world
You may have seen a cave. Maybe a castle. Probably the cliffs. But have you ever seen them intertwined in such a way that it’s hard to know where one ends and the other begins?
My husband Dean and I spent 3 days in the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, as part of a VBT extension before traveling for our cycling in Slovenia, Austria and Italy. It seemed wise to arrive in Slovenia early so that we could adjust to the time zone change before the actual cycling began.
I didn’t know that we would have free time to visit the spectacular Predjama Castle, the largest cave castle in the world. It has been lying in the middle of rocky Slovenian cliffs for more than 800 years. To add to the intrigue, somewhere beneath all this stone lies an intricate network of caves and tunnels.
Come with me to know more about this wonderful place.
History of Predjama Castle
More than 140 m high, the Gothic Predjam Castle is built into the rock. Historical records of the castle date back to the 12th centuryth century, but archaeological findings near the castle indicate human habitation already in the Stone Age.
In 1570, Baron Phillip von Cobenzl rebuilt the castle with a Renaissance look and feel. Eventually, the wealthy Luegers family acquired and developed plans to expand this architectural marvel.
The Legend of Erasmus
What’s a castle without a foolish knight? Part history, part legend, part warrior fiction… who can say? (If you looked hard enough, I’m sure you could find a damsel in distress!)
Legend has it that it was in the 15th century. the owner of the castle, the Imperial Governor of Triesteth century, and his family lived there, including his son, the not-so-venerable knight Erasmus Lueger. Through a series of events, Erasmus made enemies with the Austrian Habsburgs and the Austrian Emperor Frederick III. The emperor gathered his army to capture and kill Erasmus, who fled to Predjama Castle.
The army’s plan was to starve the burghers by cutting off their food supply. To their astonishment, Erazem and the company held on for more than a year. How did they do it? Through an elaborate, hidden network of caves and tunnels to bring food and supplies to the castle!
Not only did they not starve, but they apparently also liked to show off their abundance of food by pelting the enemy army with fresh cherries. Another time they said that Erazem had delivered them a whole roasted baby. So much for starving them!
How then did Erasmus meet his death? The poor man was staying in the castle toilet (on the outer wall for easy waste disposal) and a disloyal servant betrayed him to the enemy, who fired a strategically placed cannonball at a precisely determined, for Erasmus, inconvenient time.
Erasmus was history, the rest is history. The army invaded and occupied the strategic position of Predjama Castle. Or so the story goes…
Sights of Predjama Castle
It was extraordinary to walk through this amalgamation of castle, cave and cliff. We’ve seen this combination everywhere. For example, we walked on floors that were obviously part of the castle, and the adjacent wall was a natural cliff.
We took a 60-90 minute self-guided audio tour of the castle. The castle has fascinating features and the audio tour was very entertaining and full of detail.
Pro tip: Predjam Castle is a popular attraction for visitors from all over the world; make sure the audio is in the right language. The options I saw were Slovenian, Italian, German and Chinese.
Gutter
As we moved through the castle, we came to a higher floor towards the front of the castle and the audio tour encouraged us to take a peek inside the dungeon. I looked down and saw the castle drawbridge and moat. Why this view?
Sound filled the gaps. Apparently, one of the defensive tactics was to throw boiling water, hot tar or large boulders down the gutter at enemies trying to break into the castle. That would slow them down!
Different rooms
We looked at several bedrooms that were quite elegant and grand. The dining room was a large room, perfect for a medieval feast. Other rooms included a modest chapel and a large weapons room with armor, battle axes, crossbows and the like. We even saw a medieval torture chamber (yuck) located in a dungeon (where else would it be?) with a stretcher and other “equipment” that we won’t discuss.
A hidden cave
We climbed a long and winding staircase to reach the Hidden Cave, which looked like a platform with high rock ceilings. (Perhaps Erazem hid here?) From this vantage point, we could see the Slovenian countryside through a large opening.
Next to the ceiling we saw a large horizontal container that was used to collect rainwater. Pipes in the walls also directed rainwater to other central collection points.
After we finished touring the castle, we took the bus about 6 miles to the next stop: Postojna Caves.
Under the castle: Postojna Cave Park
As if the largest cave castle in the world wasn’t fascinating enough, there is a network of tunnels and caves under and around the castle (perhaps there is some truth to the legend of Erasmus?).
Postojna Cave, nicknamed the “Queen of the Underworld”, is a system of 11 interconnected rooms. The entire area is called Park Postojnska jama. It was discovered in 1818 and has about 15 miles of underground passages, galleries and halls.
Pro tip: The official entrance to the cave is about 15 minutes from the castle. You will need your own transport if you want to book transport as part of a package (like us, through our hotel) or take the transport between the two attractions, if available.
Visiting the Postojna Cave was my first. I’ve visited the caves before, but I’ve never taken them subway train delve into one. We rode this unique railway for about 10 minutes through a series of corridors and halls. At times the track wound into areas where the ceiling seemed so low or the walls so close that I instinctively ducked, even though there was always plenty of room.
Another “first time” on the train: We saw a chandelier in the great chamber of the cave!
After the train stopped, the guide took us through the cave for about 90 minutes and we saw various sights including the stables, the main passage, the White Hall and even a concert hall with incredible acoustics.
The walk was very good (for the cave) – it was paved, the cave was lit, some rocks were lit from behind. There is also apparently a colony of bats in the cave, but we didn’t see them.
We crossed a footpath called the Russian Bridge, which was built in 1916 (and probably renovated since then). Later on the tour, we also walked under it.
Pro tip: We were not here over the holidays, but traditionally A living nativity scene the cave features more than 100 actors and musicians who bring 16 biblical scenes to life along a 3-mile path illuminated by 2,100 lights.
Planning a visit
Predjam Castle is a 45-minute drive from Ljubljana, and Postojna Cave is another 15 minutes away. Tickets are required at these attractions.
We booked this trip through our hotel in Ljubljana and it included transportation, an audio tour of the castle, and a guided tour of the caves (where we joined a much larger tour group). Driving and excursions easily took up the entire morning; time varies depending on how fast or slow you move around the castle on your own.
Pro tip: Review Information about transport, tickets, visiting times, opening hours, and parking before your visit. To save time, buy tickets online at least one day before your visit.
Perfect combination for a picture
A word yarn means “in front of the cave”, and in the case of Predjama Castle, the cave is behind it, under it and all around it! I hope you enjoyed this peek into this beautiful city. It is a perfect combination of a cave, a castle and a cliff. Part lore, part fact, part legend: exactly what a medieval castle should be!
Pro tip: There are stone steps and some uneven pressure in the castle, so watch your step. Dress in layers when visiting the cave, as the cave and train ride can be cool.
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