Predjama Castle 🏰

One day out of out 14 days in Slovenia we spent in caves.

The photos I’m about to show you are from Predjama Castle which is a Renaissance castle built within a cave mouth in south-central Slovenia, in the historical region of Inner Carniola. It is located in the village of Predjama.

We got audio guides which took us from room to room and explained the purpose of each and how the life looked like there.

The impregnable medieval marvel has been perched in the middle of a 123-metre-high cliff for more than 800 years. Behind the largest cave castle in the world, there is a network of secret tunnels, from where the knight Erazem of Predjama would set out on his plundering expeditions. The Cave under Predjama Castle is the home of a colony of bats.
Source

I loved the way the rooms exhibit old items that have been kept from the old times. It really takes you back in time and makes you appreciate everything we have access to today.

Jail cell

Kudos to the guys that designed and built this masterpiece. The one thing that fascinated me the most was how they were collecting water. They carved out little canals in the rock and guided them to lead down to a big bucket.

This is how the master bedroom looked like. This was apparently the warmest room in the whole castle. There is a chapel adjacent next to it.

This bell brings luck to anyone who rings it🔔

The cave part of the castle, which you can see on the two photos below, was utilized most during attacks on the castle as a emergency home. It’s the least preserved part and there are many unknowns as to which ‘rooms’ were which.

View from the castle to the village below. In the old days there was no village in sight and the whole valley was free of trees and bushes, so the castle people could see the potential intruders from far away.

I loved the trip to Predjama Castle and I hope you liked my little summary. There’s much more to read and see about this place, including the Lonely Planet documentary.

Check more out if you’re interested, or head out to the town of Predjama in Slovenia next summer 😉