Ljubljana Castle (Slovene: Ljubljanski grad, German: Laibacher Schloss) is a castle complex standing on Castle Hill above downtown Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is a key landmark of the town. Originally a medieval fortress, it was probably constructed in the 11th century and rebuilt in the 12th century. It acquired its present outline with an almost complete overhaul in the 15th century, whereas the majority of the buildings date to the 16th and 17th centuries. Initially a defense structure and since the first half of the 14th century the seat of the lords of Carniola, it was since the early 19th century used for various other purposes and today is used as a major cultural venue.
The castle is depicted on the city's coat of arms, along with a dragon on top.
History
Ancient history
According to archeological surveys, the area of the present castle has been settled continuously since 1200 BC, when the first settlements and later fortifications were built. The hill summit probably became a Roman army stronghold after fortifications were built in Illyrian and Celtic times.
Middle Ages
The first Ljubljana Castle is believed to have been a wooden and stone fortification built in the 11th century. The oldest written mention of Ljubljana Castle is inscribed on a parchment sheet Nomina defunctorum (names of the dead), which is kept by the Udine Cathedral Archive and most probably dates to the second half of 1161. It mentions the nobleman Rudolf of Tarcento, a lawyer of the Patriarchate of Aquileia, who had bestowed a canon with 20 farmsteads beside Ljubljana Castle (castrum Leibach) to the Patriarchate. According to the historian Peter Štih's deduction, this happened between 1112 and 1125.
Until 1144 the castle became property of the House of Sponheim. In 1256, Ljubljana Castle was mentioned in a document as the most important castle of the rulers of Carniola (Latin: castrum capitalis). In the late 1270, it was conquered by King Ottokar II of Bohemia. In 1278, after the defeat of Ottokar, it became property of Rudolph of Habsburg.
In the 15th century, it was almost completely demolished and rebuilt with a complete wall and towers at the entrance, where a drawbridge was placed. St. George's Chapel was also built at that time. In the 16th and 17th centuries, other objects were gradually built. The castle's purpose was to defend the empire against Ottoman invasion as well as peasant revolt.
Baroque period
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the castle became an arsenal. In 1797 the town of Ljubljana and the castle were occupied for the first time by the French army, and again in 1809. In the period of the Illyrian Provinces, the castle was used as barracks and a military hospital. In 1815, back in the Austrian Empire, it became a prison, which it remained until 1895, with a hiatus between 1848 and 1868, resuming that function during World War II. The castle's Viewing Tower dates to 1848; this was inhabited by a guard whose duty it was to fire cannons warning the city in case of fire or announcing important visitors or events.
Because it was not a home of a ruler or another important noble person and because a fortification in the area was no longer required, the castle started to lose its importance. The maintenance costs were too high so the castle began to crumble. In the 19th century, the castle was redesigned partially as a prison and partially as a military stronghold, making it less popular among the citizens. Several famous people were jailed in the castle, including the Italian revolutionary Silvio Pellico, the Hungarian Prime Minister Lajos Batthyany and the Slovene author Ivan Cankar.
In 1905, the castle was bought by Municipality of Ljubljana for 60,200 Kronen, on the explicit wish of the mayor, Ivan Hribar, who planned to establish a city museum in it. The plan was however not carried out. Instead, the city decided to settle poor families into it. The residents stayed there until 1963, when preparations for renovation of the castle began.
The remains of the fortifications on Castle Hill were reworked in the 1930s a promenade called Šance, designed by the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik.
Contemporary history
Extensive renovations commenced in 1970 and are being executed according to the plans by the Ambient - Architecture Firm (architects: Edo Ravnikar jr., Miha Kerin, Majda Kregar). In the 1990s, the castle began to be used as a place for weddings and cultural events. In 1974, a monument by the sculptor Stojan Batič dedicated to the Slovene peasant revolts (especially to the Slovene peasant revolt of 1515 and the Croatian and Slovenian peasant revolt of 1573) was erected in the vicinity of the castle. The Ljubljana Castle funicular, a funicular railway to the top of Castle Hill, was built in 2006 and began service on 28 December 2006.
Architecture
Today the castle consists of the following buildings. To the right of the entrance is the Archers Tower, next to it is the gunpowder store, later are the dungeon and the Tower of Erasmus named after the infamous robber-knight Erazem Lueger and the master of the Predjama castle, the former prison for the nobles, at last is the information center. To the courtyard surround the Estate Hall and the Palatium, two buildings with the rooms destined to concerts and gala receptions. Next to it is Fridericks Tower, Kazemate, the chapel of St. George and the panoramic tower in which is the virtual Museum. In the old gunpowder store the permanent exhibition The Slovenian history was opened in 2010. Next to it are located the Hall of Hribar, that in the past was used like the store of arms, and the Pentagonal Tower. To the left of the entrance is the only contemporary building, built in the 80's of last century, in which there are two wedding rooms, cafeteria and souvenir shop. Visitors to the castle can go down to the gallery 'S', several rooms and the cisterns that are under the patio.
Below the level of the patio is also the upper funicular station. The funicular was built in 2006, but the idea about the connection between the city and the castle goes back to the end of the century, when Ivan Hribar was mayor of Ljubljana. The funicular rises up the hill along the wall that connected the medieval city with the castle. The length of the tracks between the lower station in Krekov and the upper station in Ljubljana Castle is 117.69 meters. The difference in height is 69.70 meters. The capacity of the funicular is 500 people per hour in one direction.
The castle can be accessed by road, by several trails through the forest that surrounds it, or by the funicular. The castle is an attractive tourist spot and hosts a large number of cultural events, weddings, concerts, theater performances, exhibitions, congresses and protocol receptions.
Entrance to the castle complex
The current entrance to the castle consists of a bridge, built in the seventeenth century, when the wall of the castle was pierced in this part. It is mentioned as the main entrance of the castle from the year 1815. The original wooden bridge existed until the beginning of the 19th century, when the defense pit was filled. During the later remodeling and rediscovery of the transverse moat on the side of the castle, it was restored to its medieval appearance of yesteryear with the construction of the current bridge, which connects the grove of the castle with the building itself. The present form of the entrance was born on the basis of the idea of the architect Boris Kobe. On the right side of the curved entrance to the courtyard of the castle is a sculpture of the legendary dragon symbol of Ljubljana, originally from the town of Kropa. It was sculpted by Joža Bertoncelj (1901–1976). A memorial plaque recalls the raw wartime and the names of the fallen in Ljubljana Castle.
Archers' Tower
The bases date back to the 15th century; the smaller tower was built in the 16th century, then its height was elevated. In the past it served as a powder store and from the outside it is possible to see clearly the openings from where it was fired. From the tower ran a protective wall to the Padav Tower (present Šance) and from there to the Pisana vrata door (colorful door) - in the current street Gornji trg. Between 1946 and 1953 the tower was remodeled under the direction of Boris Kobe. On the ground floor there was a brewery, on the upper floor a coffee shop. Kobe dedicated himself especially to the decoration of the interiors. Together with the painter Marij Pregelj (1913–1967) they laid the foundations for sgraffito images. Artists created the images together, so it is difficult to differentiate between the two authors. Some images, not all, have an initial K or P. The images run on a wide ribbon around the circular tower, with interruptions in the openings (windows, doors). The images are framed and make up a story with continued episodes. Below the different images texts are presented. The motifs of the images are taken from popular Slovenian themes: Rošlin and Verjanko (ballad), Mada Zora (ballad), Lepa Vida (ballad), Desetnica (ballad), Povodni mož (mythology) and Zverina premagana (song about animals). Below the different images texts are presented. The motifs of the images are taken from popular Slovenian themes: Rošlin and Verjanko (ballad), Mada Zora (ballad), Lepa Vida (ballad), Desetnica (ballad), Povodni mož (mythology) and Zverina premagana (song about animals). Below the different images texts are presented. The motifs of the images are taken from popular Slovenian themes: Rošlin and Verjanko (ballad), Mada Zora (ballad), Lepa Vida (ballad), Desetnica (ballad), Povodni mož (mythology) and Zverina premagana (song about animals).
Wall of defense / panoramic terrace
The defense wall connects the Tower of the shooters with the Tower of Erasmus. The panoramic Terrace rises on the medieval wall and served as a summer recreation spot, after the shooter tower was converted into a restaurant.
The prison and the vine of the castle
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, which means that the prisoners were lowered into 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 sources indicate that in this space was enclosed Turkish soldiers made prisoners, Protestants and insurgent peasants. The space had no roof, there would be a fence over the prisoners' heads. The number of people locked up at the same time is unknown. What is known is that living conditions were drastic, since in this small space all basic needs (food and defecation) were developed. The sun's rays came in through the roof, as well as the snow in winter. Also a vine found its place in the Ljubljana Castle. It was planted on September 30, 1990, as a symbol of the friendship between the cities of Ljubljana and Maribor. It is known that the vine preserved in Lent is the oldest vine cultivated in the world, since it has more than four hundred years. The variety is called modra kavčina or žametna črnina. The wine association of Maribor has a strict regulation on who is given an outbreak, previously confirming the characteristics of the soil and the manager. The friendship between Slovenian towns and villages, as well as between European cities, is created by giving an outbreak, as the vineyard grows, among others, also in Paris (Musée du vin).
The Tower of Erasmus
The tower, baptized in memory of the knight and bandit Erazem Lueger also known as Erazem Predjamski of the Luegger family, served, according to archaeologists' assumptions, as an aristocratic prison. In the walls it is possible to see engraved with messages manuscripts and graphs, between which also is the year 1442. One of the shields would belong to Erasmo Jamski. The noble Erasmus, rich lord and owner of numerous castles, at a gala dinner, stabbed an army commander in a rage. As this would probably not be an isolated incident, the then territorial governor, Krištof von Thein, decided to lock him up. He spent a couple of weeks in prison with his brother. Erasmo's life story did not end in prison at Ljubljana Castle, as he managed to escape. No one understood how he did it, since the castle was solidly protected, the drawbridge lifted at night, so that escape was practically impossible. The most likely hypothesis is that the rich man has bribed the guard, who showed him a secret exit. In this way Erasmus returned to his stronghold at Predjama Castle.