Predjama Castle In Slovenia: The Creepy Castle, Located Inside A Cave
When it comes to ancient castles, location can be one of the keywords. There are cases where the location makes the castle unique or even scary. Predjama Castle in southwestern Slovenia is a clear example of this. The castle rises from a rocky cliff and looks as if it could be swallowed up by it at any second. Although many are satisfied with the magnificent appearance from the outside, you can also take tours inside Predjama Castle and be impressed by other creepy sides, such as secret passages and ghost stories.
The following review will present everything you need to know about Predjama Castle. We will discuss its rich history to the present day, including the variety of visiting options suitable for horror fans. Let’s get to know one of Europe’s most remarkable and scary historical sites.
800 Years Of Fascinating History: When Was Predjama Castle Built?
Predjama Castle stands out for its magnificent appearance and presents a fascinating history. Before a castle existed, people lived in the cave at its base during the Paleolithic period. The fact that this is the second largest cave in Slovenia after the Postojna Cave (which is only 9 km away) contributed to this.
The history of Predjama Castle dates back to the 13th century, even if the specific dates are unknown. The castle was first mentioned in 1274 but was probably built earlier. A German family of knights built it in the traditional Gothic style to protect against potential invaders and named it after themselves (“Luegg”).
Where Is Predjama Castle Located?
The location of the Predjama Castle is anything but coincidental. You may find it hard to believe, but the castle was not built at the mouth of a cave to look great in photos or Instagram stories because we are talking about a few hundred years ago. It has some pragmatic reasons.
One of the most unique features of the Predjama Castle is the combination of a manufactured structure and the natural topography. The castle is built inside and on top of a natural cave system, giving it a unique appearance and many strategic advantages. In fact, in 2015 the castle entered the Guinness Book of World RecordsP as the largest cave castle across the globe.
The very logical idea was that the castle’s location at the mouth of the natural cave would improve its defense and turn it into a real fortress. The Predjama fortress makes conquering the castle complex and almost impossible because you can attack it from fewer directions. Later, it turns out that even the supposedly hermetic defense has some possible weak points.
Meet Robin Hood Of Slovenia
One of the most significant periods in the history of Predjama Castle was when it was owned by the Lueger family, the most famous of whose sons “Erasmus of Lueg” (“Erazem Predjamski” in Sloven). The family of the “Knights of Edelsberg” – the German name for Festonia – expanded the castle. In the 15th century, it had the opportunity to prove its defense.
The castle lord at that time was Erasmus Lueger, nicknamed the “Robber Baron,” or more precisely, the “Slovenian Robin Hood” because he used to steal from the rich and give to the poor. He came into conflict with the House of Habsburg, who wanted revenge on him for killing the commander of the imperial army, a relative of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor.
Lueger became a target of the House of Habsburg and the Roman Empire. He fled to the fortress and barricaded himself there for over a year. He collaborated with Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary and Croatia, from 1458 to 1490, and the two began a wave of attacks against Habsburg buildings. The attackers, on the other hand, had difficulty understanding how the “robber” managed to survive or even outflank them despite their siege and actions taken against them, such as poisoning the water wells in the area. Lueger survived, and even more. History suggests that to scare the Imperial army soldiers, he threw food items from the fortress, such as fresh cherries that came to mock on the siege. Because whoever allows himself to throw cherries is not in a helpless situation.
“Robin Hood of Slovenia” received the supplies through an underground tunnel, which began in the castle’s cellars and reached the other side of the mountain: at the very height of the cliff, a distance of several dozen meters from its edge. He and most of his servants would sneak in and bring everything he needed. According to the legend, which is probably not sufficiently historically based, one of Luger’s servants betrayed him at some point. He passed on the information about the tunnel’s existence to those looking for a way to enter the castle, and from there, the path to conquering the castle and destroying it was relatively short. Whether it was a betrayal or not, the bottom line is that one day, Erasmus went to the bathroom to do what we usually do in the bathroom. He got shot by a cannonball, which managed to reach a less fortified area of the castle.
In the early 16th century, the Habsburgs took control of the castle and began to restore it. The problem is that in 1567, an earthquake struck and destroyed the castle again. It was then bought by an Austrian nobleman, who decided to rebuild it, emphasizing the Renaissance style, with large windows, luxurious decorations, and other surprises. The current version of the Perdijama Castle was built right in the center of a high cliff, at a height of about 123 meters above ground level, right below the original medieval fortifications of the castle.
Predjama Castle Today
Predjama Castle has been preserved impressively since then. It was used as a hunting lodge for several decades, especially for aristocrats, until they decided to turn it into a tourist gem. Various elements were added to it over time, such as during the renovation in the 18th century, during which they added elements identified with the Baroque style.
Today, Perdjama Castle is an impressive testament to human architecture and engineering. The dramatic appearance of the castle, which seems to grow out of the rocks into a cave, the contrast in tones between the white facade and the gray rock, and the various visual elements help create a breathtaking sight.
From our perspective, as horror fans, the castle is definitely in a scary location, which sometimes resembles – especially at night – the setting of a horror film. You can also see it as a wide-ranging fantasy epic if we listen to the theories that the creator of Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin, was inspired by this castle in building the series’ setting.
If you reach the castle via a bridge hanging over the abyss, you will find that it consists of several floors, each serving as a kind of museum and presenting a different part of its historical story. The lower floors present the older parts of the castle, while the upper floors broadly refer to renovations and additions over the years. Inside the Predjama Castle, for example, you will find a rather impressive collection of medieval weapons, including swords, bows, suits of armor, etc.
The Cane Under Predjama Castle, Tunnels, And Other Secrets
Many argue that what is particularly impressive about the interior of the Predjama Castle is underneath it. The castle is characterized by an extensive system of tunnels, some natural and some artificial, that extend over several kilometers. As mentioned, the tunnels have been used for various purposes throughout history – such as escape routes, food, and drink supply (through rainwater conservation systems), storage, and so on – and today, some are open to visitors.
The passages are partly narrow and dark, so people afraid of closed spaces (Claustrophobia) or darkness (naturally, there is almost no natural lighting here) may feel uncomfortable. The fact that bats have made the tunnels under the castle their home can also contribute to the level of fear.
As befits a castle founded for defensive purposes, the Prediama fortress offers a few more cards, some of which come from the mythology of horror films. In the ceiling of the entrance tower, you will find holes intended to pour boiling oil on invaders (by the way, I suggest throwing cherries). There is a reconstruction of a dark dungeon here, where people were imprisoned and probably also killed. There is a gap between the dungeon’s walls, designed to “fix” people to the wall, as can be deduced from the gruesome fact that bones were found in the wall (!).
The castle has a small courtroom which overlooks the torture chamber. What is scary here is that from the hall, a door leads to an abyss of about 63 meters. The meaning is that the people who were imprisoned here had some unpleasant choices: some of them were tortured, and others were thrown to their deaths. Human bones are said to be at the bottom of the abyss.
The Ghosts Of Predjama Castle
Because we are talking about an ancient castle here, with some dark spots throughout its history and a creepy location, it should not be surprising that several ghost stories surround it. The most famous legend is about the ghost of Arazam Luager, perhaps the castle’s most famous owner. You probably know what that means: stories about his ghost still wandering the castle corridors at night, protecting the treasures, opening creaking doors, doing jump scares for visitors (“boohoo”), and so on. Other legends tell of the victims of that 16th-century earthquake, who are still trying to find a way out. Some say you would visit the victims of the siege, the treacherous servant whose spirit could not find rest and was condemned to remain in the castle forever, and more.
Over the years, the castle has been explored several times by paranormal teams or productions, and evidence of unusual activity has allegedly been found inside the castle and in the caves surrounding it. Of course, the explanation could be that the caves contain large amounts of minerals, such as quartz and iron, which store energy that “crazes” detection systems. Skeptics will argue that the sounds and shadows that appear here, seemingly or not, stem from the unique structure of the castle and caves, which causes, for example, echoes or grating noises.
How Can You Visit The Predjama Castle?
Prediama Castle offers various visiting options suitable for all types of visitors.
- A short visit to the castle’s exterior, mainly for photos (which can be breathtaking) or eating at the nearby restaurant (which many define as a tourist trap, not surprisingly). You can combine the visit with the Pastonia Cave, which is, as mentioned, a few minutes’ drive away. Combined tickets offer a significant discount on visiting two or more sites.
- Predjama Castle Guided Tour – This includes the castle’s main rooms, the museum, and some open tunnels to the public. The tour is done using headphones and lasts about an hour.
- An Underground Tunnel Tour – A tour that includes a descent into deeper tunnels and a visit to other areas unavailable on the more basic tour.
- Day trips that depart from other cities (such as Ljubljana or Zagreb), like a combined Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle tour
Where Can You Buy Predjama Castle Tickets?
As befits a (very!) popular tourist attraction, you can find tickets to Predjama Castle in several ways. You can, of course, buy tickets at the box office on-site, but we almost always recommend purchasing in advance via the castle’s official website or the various ticket sites (links below).
The reason is that prices can be cheaper this way, you can guarantee your place on the tour and even choose an exact day and time for the tour, and you will avoid the rather long queues that may be here. The central ticket sites also offer a free cancellation option up to 24 hours before the selected date, and this flexibility is crucial, especially today when the world is nothing but stable.
As mentioned, you can buy combined tickets for Predjama Castle (in one of the proposed versions of the visit) with other attractions, which may reduce the relative price of each attraction.
You can buy tours and tickets of Predjama Castle on the following websites:
Opening Hours Of Predjama Castle
Like the tour schedule, the more general opening hours of the castle also vary throughout the year – so it is essential to check what exactly is expected here before your visit.
The rule is that during peak tourist season, the castle will be open for visits for a more extended period. As of 2025, these are the opening hours by month of the year:
- January-March: The castle is open from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- April: from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM to
- May-June: from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- July-August: from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM
- September: from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- October: from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- November-December: from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
The tours in the underground caves are only available between May and September. In May and June, it will be held by prior arrangement only, while in July, August, and September, it takes place three times a day: 11:00, 13:00, and 16:00.
As mentioned, these times can change, so you must follow up personally and see the opening hours during your period.
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