Predjama castle
One of the most visited places in Slovenia is definitely Predjama castle. It is situated close to Postojna cave about 9 kilometres further down the narrow road. When you get there it is obvious why - the place is incredible! It is hard to imagine that how hard was to build it in this remote location in front of Karst cave. Virtually impossible to conquer - this was a true Eagle’s nest!
There is an interesting story about this castle;
Erazem Lueger, who in the 15th century defied the imperial army in his rocky fortress, passed into legend shortly after his tragic death. The episode has frequently been used in literature and depicted in paintings.
The historical background to the story shows that the knight had incurred the wrath of the imperial court for two reasons: the murder of a kinsman of the emperor and his dealings with the emperor’s Hungarian enemies. When he succeeded in fleeing to Carniola, he committed a number of brigandish attacks. As a result of all this, the governor of Trieste, Casper Ravbar, set out to hunt him down. To try and force Erazem to surrender, Ravbar laid siege to the castle for several months (the winter and spring of 1484), during which time he received a number of gifts from Erazem: meat, fish, and even cherries, with which the inhabitants of the castle were supplied by means of a secret passage. It was only after bribing a messenger that he was at last able to seal the fate of the rebellious knight with a well-aimed cannonball.That the legend is still alive and just as interesting today as it was in the past is demonstrated by the great popularity of the annual medieval tournament which bear’s Erazem’s name. [source: http://www.postojnska-jama.si/]
The castle is located in a very scenic place.
The dungeon.Very humid and cold. It is hard to imagine how difficult was to be imprisoned in here.
The castle’s interior is renovated and presenting medieval scenes.
There are nice views on the Predjama village.
Siege Catapult balls.
A view from a cave behind the castle.
This is the Watermill where my Great-Grandfather lived. It is located just under the castle and beautifully renovated.
Awesome castle!! The caves underneath it are worth exploring as well. They even give you your own torch - a very different experience than either Postojna or Skocjan caves.
Poor Erazem, what a crappy way to go
One of the best and most interesting castles I have visited in Europe. I visited it in 2000 with a friend and hope to make it back again some day.
I saw something today on TV that is not brought up at all on any of the websites about this castle/cave. What about all of the torture, punishment and cruelties that went on? YES…it is VERY beautiful…but what about the rest of the history??