Unveiling The Story Of Predjama Castle — The Castle In The Cave

Ljubljana makes a terrific base for day trips to see some famous caves, castles, and medieval towns. A truly dramatic Renaissance castle built within a cave mouth in south-central Slovenia over 800 years ago. Once an impregnable fortress, the castle includes a dungeon, a 16th-century treasure chest, and Erazem’s Nook, an eerie hiding place right at the top. The cave below the castle is part of the 14km Predjama cave system.

If you only have time for one excursion the combination of Predjama Castle and Postojna Cave is a great choice, but if you want to see the most spectacular cave, go to the Škocjan Caves for an unforgettable tour Through the Underground Canyon.

Predjama Castle:Website

Predjama Castle in Slovenia is an incredible 16th-century castle built into the side of a cave.

Stock Photos from Janez Zalaznik/Shutterstock

Predjama Castle is an easy drive from the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana (or, in our case, a bus ride to Postojna Caves and then a quick taxi ride with a very informative man). If you’re travelling Europe and you think (as my sister and I did) that you’ve seen castles before, so you don’t need to see one more… Make a detour to see Predjama Castle. We’re so glad our Croatian friend encouraged us to go. It is incredibly unique and fascinating. Everything about it is designed for sieges and adapted for the cave environment.

It’s not just built beside a cave – the cave is an integral part of its structure. There are rooms and corridors that have solid rock for one wall. There are staircases between levels that are carved into cave passageways. The chimney in the kitchen is a natural hole in the cave. The cave ceiling actually overhangs some of the castle roofs, offering further protection from the elements.

The original castle dates back to the 13th century and has passed through the hands of many nobles.

Stock Photos from Dinozzzave/Shutterstock

As one of the interpretive signs says, it was really designed for a siege environment, not to be a pleasant place to live. There are actually runnels carved into some of the cave walls to direct dripping water. We were there on a rainy day and I think it was actually warmer outside of the castle, in the rain. I certainly get the impression it was continuously damp and miserable. Deeper in the cave, there’s a series of pipes and funnels designed to collect clean drinking water that had dripped through the cave ceiling, in case the other water sources were poisoned.

Stock Photos from Haidamac/Shutterstock

There’s a whole section of the castle that was deeper in the cave. It would have been subdivided in the past, but because no one really wanted to live here past the medieval period, there are few records of what was actually there except the evidence left behind in the carved rock. There’s an extensive network of about 14 km’s worth of caves and it’s unclear how deep the livable spaces went.

Stock Photos from blazg/Shutterstock

According to the excellent audio-guides, there was a famous siege in the 1400s in which the Hungarians tried to defeat Erasmus Lueger, a sort of Robin Hood figure. His people could use the cave network to sneak out to surrounding communities and fetch supplies. He apparently taunted his opponents by tossing down fresh cherries at them; as they didn’t know about the cave system, this was baffling. Erasmus ended up losing the siege, however, due to a traitorous servant. The lavatory was a bit more exposed than the rest of the castle (likely so the, uh, leavings would drop directly in the stream below), and the servant lit a lantern when his boss was on the toilet, resulting in him being struck by a cannonball and killed.

Stock Photos from Sharon Wildie/Shutterstock

There are still original secret passageways that were used to keep the castle supplied with food in times of siege.

Stock Photos from Marko Razpotnik Sest/ShutterstockStock Photos from Pavel Dobrovsky/Shutterstock

This Facebook Group Is Dedicated To Shaming Bad Architecture, And Here’s 20 Pics That Got Roasted

Sometimes, in architecture, designs can go out of the ordinary. For example, we have a rather dangerous architecture that is as dangerous as it looks, if not more. On a positive note, we also have a somewhat friendly architecture that is not only useful for the user but also cares for their welfare as well.

And today, we’ll be having some funny designs. These structures aren’t dangerous and still serve their purpose, but how they’re constructed can be hilarious. Today, we’ll head over to the Facebook group That’s It, I’m Architecture Shaming – Burn It to the Ground Edition, the gathering place for people who love to poke fun at funny designs. Below, we compiled the 20 funniest structures ever presented in the group!

More info: Facebook

#1 I Can Smell The Mold From Here

Image source: Christopher Edward

#2 All I Know Is It’s In LA County And Has Been Under Construction For More Than 5 Years

Image source: Paul Moore-Northrop

#3 My Friend Posted This From Vegas… Not Sure The Name Of This Building- I Kinda Dig It- His Comments Were, “It Sure Is Hot In The Desert!”

Image source: Jackie Crowder Clark

#4 Windows Shmindows

Image source: Christopher Edward

#5 So I Was On Google Maps… Our Lady Of Fátima Church, San Jose De Costa Rica

Image source: Olaf Reinhard Weyer

#6 Architecture Shaming

Image source: Christopher Edward

#7 Architecture Shaming

Image source: Catherine Digman

#8 Spotted In Vancouver. Windows Look Funny That’s Not Just Me Right

Image source: Cooki Pi

#9 The Hills Have Eyes. And So Does This Hilton Head Condo

Image source: Dianne Butler

#10 I Found This Just North Of Petersburg

Image source: Tiffany Prine

#11 Was There A Half-Off Sale On Shutters?

Image source: Gary Salata

#12 It’s High As A Kite

Image source: Christopher Edward

#13 Architecture Shaming

Image source: Dianne Butler

#14 Architecture Shaming

Image source: Christopher Edward

#15 Losing My Mind At This

Image source: Catherine Digman

#16 Architecture Shaming

Image source: Ross Jenkins

#17 When You Live In Arizona & Hate The Heat, But Love Golf. Here Is The House For You!

Image source: Jennifer Doorenbos

#18 Everytime I See These Windows I Do A Double Take. Not For A Good Reason

Image source: Veronica Claussen

#19 A Greenhouse In Lafayette, LA. I Love It And Hate It At The Same Time. Weird Feeling. What Do You Think Of It. (Yes It’s Old And I Hear It May Not Be Around Much Longer)

Image source: Layne Derouen

#20 Architecture Shaming

Image source: Christopher Edward




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