Ptuj Castle

Visit one of the most famous castles in Slovenia, where you will find the outstanding museum collections of the Ptuj - Ormož Regional Museum:from musical instruments and weapons to traditional carnival masks and magnificent tapestries. The view from the castle is particularly photogenic, stretching over the brick roofs and cobbled streets of Slovenia's oldest town.

The museum collections in Ptuj Castle are worth a visit for antiquity enthusiasts, especially for one of the most important exhibits of Ptuj's rich archaeological heritage. An ancient double tibia flute from the 2nd or 3rd century. The Romans attributed magical powers to it, as its music was said to chase away evil spirits and invoke good.

Ptuj Castle Hill, which offers views for miles around, was inhabited as early as the Early Stone Age, from the 5th millennium BC onwards. During the ancient Petoviona period, important public buildings stood on the hill, and in the early Middle Ages a burial site was located here. The origins of the medieval fortress date back to the 11th century, when the castle and the town were the property of the Archbishopric of Salzburg. In 1132, the Archbishops granted the castle as a fief to the Lords of Ptuj, who, with short interruptions, administered the castle and town for more than three hundred years. Between 1656 and 1802 the castle was in the hands of the Scottish noble family of Leslie. This was a glittering period for the castle, which the Leslies converted into a Baroque residence. The last owners, the Counts of Herberstein, owned the castle from 1873 to 1945, when it was nationalised and its rich furnishings were added to the Ptuj Museum.

Take a virtual tour of Ptuj Castle.