To dive into the real story of Predjamski Grad, it is necessary to go back to the fifteenth century, when knight Erasmus found refuge in a vertical wall of rock at Predjama. Today, this place still sets the scene for a chivalrous and spectacular history.
To reach this place one has to cross hills covered by a forest, then arrive to a rocky wall, in whose cavity an entire castle, unique of its kind was built. A true example of military engineering built in an area full of caves.
The dark rock contrasts with the light shades of the castle on which the banner stands. A small drawbridge allows us to enter the castle, which is truly unique of its kind. So unique that it is recognised in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest castle ever built in a cave.
The talent that was used to build this castle is truly amazing. The inside of the walls are those of the cave, and a complex system for collecting condensation drops was made specifically in order to obtain supplies of water.
Knight Erasmus caused not a few headaches to the ruling family of those times. He was a brave thief, often remembered as the Robin Hood of Slovenia. He was once jailed into the prisons of the Ljubljana Castle. Then he took refuge in the Predjama Castle where he remained besieged for more than a year.
The besiegers could not understand how it was possible that, despite the long duration of the siege, the reserves of the castle did not run out. The water could be collected from the rain, and there was a stream passing in the belly of the castle, but where did the food come from? What the besiegers did not know was that Predjamski Grad (Predjama Castle) was equipped with a secret passage from the cave that allowed for an exit to the hill above the castle. While the besiegers remained puzzled, knight Erasmus regularly sneaked out and quietly went hunting in the surrounding forest.
One day, however, he was betrayed by his servant who, according to the legend, lit a torch when the knight went to the weakest point of the castle, the bathroom. A cannonball was shot, hitting the bathroom directly and like that, knight Erasmus was killed.
Today, the castle remains a testimony of those times, an unmissable place. Whether it is summer or winter, do not miss the opportunity to visit the Castle and its cave (the cave is open only in summer time) and the nearby Postojna caves (open all year round).
Do you want to discover Slovenia? Do not miss my guide on Slovenia available in all the major bookstores and online edited with Morellini Editor.
Do not miss out on the previous posts dedicated to Slovenia:
• Maribor and the longest-lived vine in the world.
• Ljubljana the city of the Dragon.
• Ptuj, between ancient Rome and the baths.
• The rediscovery of Caporetto.
• Nova Gorica, the border town.
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