Predjama Castle: Slovenia’s Castle Meets Game of Thrones!
Many visitors say that the Predjama Castle in Slovenia is is unlike anything they have seen before. The castle is built into the karst rock, which makes the cave and the concrete perfectly merge into one!
The Predjama castle is located in small Slovenian village of Predjama, only 9 km from the famous Postojna Cave.
Predjama Castle is also known as the largest cave castle in the world
It is hard to tell where the castle ends and the karst cave begins. When entering the castle you are also entering the cave; In some parts of the castle the rock is also a wall. This is why the temperature inside the Predjama Castle is much cooler than in other castles.
Documents certify that “Predjamski Grad”, which in Slovenian means “the castle in front of the cave”, was built around the 12th century.
The notorious knight
As its unique architecture and appearance aren’t exciting enough, there is so much mystery all over Predjama Castle’s history. Its stories will make your imagination go wild. Over the course of time, the castle had many different owners and inhabitants. It is also known that many people were locked up, trailed and tortured here.
However, during the 15th century there was a particular inhabitant called Erazem of Predjama, whose life (and death) are still part of the local legends here. As the history reveals, Erazem came into conflict with the court in Vienna, after he killed the commander of the imperial army (it’s said that the commander offended the honour of Erazem’s deceased friend).
To escape the revenge he settled in the family fortress of Predjama. But …
Secret passages
At the entrance of the Predjama Castle our guide Vlasta Černe points to a little room in the rock: »This is where they have finally got him, hitting him with a cannonball as he sat on the toilet.«
Undoubtedly, a bizarre end of a brave local hero, loved by his people, with whom according to the legend, he was sharing the stolen goods from the ambushed and looted commercial caravans.
We do get some comfort in finding out, that Erazem didn’t go without a fight. Actually, without a laugh. By the siege of the Predjama Castle on emperors command, the soldiers expected that Erazem will be starved to death by the isolation from the outside world. But the magnificent cave systems beneath and behind the castle enabled Erazem to leave the castle and bring back all the supplies he needed.
However, everything changed when the soldiers managed to bribe one of Erazem’s servants to betray his master.
Cannonballs that were found inside the Predjama Castle.
Predjama Castle has Game of Thrones written all over it!
It is almost impossible to get tired of the view at the Predjama Castle. It is a fantasy world like, but real. In all honesty, it looks like a perfect location for a Game of Thrones episode.
A mighty medieval castle in the cave, such an amazing manifestation of how well the castle was adapted into the rock face. It really doesn’t get better than this. Furthermore, in 1991 the workers found a 16th century chest full of treasure.
According to some legends, there might be more chests hidden …
In 1986, Predjama Castle was one of the filming locations of the film Armour of God with Jackie Chan in the starring role.
So, this is a call to all of the Game of Thrones fans as well – come visit the Predjama Castle, and enjoy this amazing historical experience.
The museum inside
Today, the castle is open to the public and serves as a museum. It has been completely restored to its original grandeur. There is an exhibition about how the every day life and the castle looked like.
You can see the small chapel, a bedroom, a torture chamber, a room filled with replicas of various weapons like spears, swords, war hammers, bows and armours. In one of the top floors you can also take a closer look at stone bullets found inside the castle.
Useful information
An audio guide details the site’s highlights and history, so you will get all the information about the Predjama Castle’s history;
The cave beneath the castle is part of the 14km Predjama cave system. It is open to visitors (only in small groups and with a guide) from May to September (closed in winter so as not to disturb its colony of bats during their hibernation);
Another adventure option is to visit the narrow Erazem’s Passage, through which the besieged knight was connected with the outside world (some climbing skills are required for this, tour needs to be booked 3 days in advance);
You can buy joint tickets for the Predjama Castle and Postojna Cave. In July and August, a handy shuttle-bus service runs between the cave and the castle; it’s free for visitors who buy a combined ticket for both attractions.
We believe it’s hard to find such fantastic structure anywhere else in the world!
