Ljubljana Castle

Laibach Castle stands on Castle Hill above Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. A medieval fortress first built in the 11th century, it was rebuilt in the 12th and then reshaped in the 15th. The main buildings date from the 16th and 17th centuries, when it defended the region against Ottoman raids and peasant uprisings. It later served as an arsenal, barracks, military hospital, prison and poor-house. Since 1970 the city has restored it as a cultural venue.

The castle appears on Ljubljana’s coat of arms beside a dragon. Its history includes famous prisoners such as the Italian revolutionary Silvio Pellico and the Slovene writer Ivan Cankar. In 1905 the city bought the castle to create a museum, but instead housed poor families until 1963. A 1930s promenade called Šance, designed by Jože Plečnik, winds around the hill’s fortifications.

Visitors enter across a 17th-century bridge that replaced a medieval wooden one. Inside, the courtyard is framed by the Estate Hall and the Palatium, used for concerts and receptions. The Archers’ Tower, gunpowder store and dungeon recall the castle’s military past. A panoramic tower houses a virtual museum, while below ground lie galleries and cisterns. The funicular, built in 2006, climbs 69.7 metres from the city in under two minutes.