Ljubljana Castle - a 900 year old castle, prison, home for the poor and a museum
- Mika Vepsalainen
- May 3, 2025
- 3 min read
Join us for a visit to Ljubljana Castle, Ljubljanski grad on the Castle Hill above the centre of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It was originally a medieval fortress, probably constructed as early as in the 11th century. The majority of the current buildings date to the 16th and 17th centuries. It was a defense structure and the seat of the lords of Carniola. The castle is depicted on the city's coat of arms, along with a dragon on top.
According to archeological surveys, the area of the present castle has been settled continuously since 1200 BC and the hill was a Roman stronghold. The oldest written mention of Ljubljana Castle is inscribed on a parchment sheet Nomina defunctorum (names of the dead) dating to the second half of 1161. In 1278 it fell in to the arms of the Habsburg dynasty.
In later days, the castle served as a prison and several famous people were jailed there including the Italian revolutionary Silvio Pellico, the Hungarian Prime Minister Lajos Batthyany and the Sloven author Ivan Cankar.
Today the castle consists of the Archers Tower, a gunpowder store, a dungeon and the Tower of Erasmus. Further to the courtyard, there are the Estate Hall and the Palatium, Fridericks Tower, Kazemate, the chapel of St. George and the panoramic tower. The permanent exhibition on the Slovenian history was opened In the old gunpowder store in 2010. To the left of the entrance is the only contemporary building with wedding rooms, cafeteria and souvenir shop.
Below the level of the patio is also the upper funicular station built in 2006. The castle can also be accessed by road or via several walking trails through the forest that surrounds it.
The prison space of the castle lies between the castle wall and the natural rock. The prison was only accessed from the level of the patio: the prisoners were thrown in the pit by a rope or a chain. In a small space the prisoners with their ankles chained waited for the sentence to pass. The space had no roof, there would be a fence over the prisoners' heads
A 1498 document tells that the chapel was consecrated to St. George, St. Pancracio and the Empress Helena. The construction was restored in Baroque style and in the year 1747.
In the embrace of the wall and the towers, the space of the inner courtyard of the castle is ideal for various events. The story confirms that it was used for the gathering of the army of the nobility, since there was not enough room in the city.
For the kids, there is an umpteenth puppet museum. The only reason to visit it might be that Prince Harry might have got some ideas for his dress parties there…
The castle claims to be barrier free and probably is to a large extent but it is a medieval fortress and therefore has varied terrain, so not all of the spaces can be easily accessed and you might wish be prepared to skip some parts of the buildings as there seem to be quite some steps without lifts around. The Castle Coffee House and the Rock Hall have an accessible toilet.
At the entrance to the Museum of Puppetry you will find some lockers to leave stuff that you do not want to carry around. There is aCastle shop at the ticket counter to the museum building where you can find the usual stuff for the most distant cousins.
Ljubljanski grad
Grajska planota 1, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia