A mighty medieval fortress, a symbol of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana is an interesting tourist point, the idyllic grounds for long strolls just a glance away from the lively city centre. The Ljubljana castle offers many cultural, historic and entertaining events throughout the year.
ON THE HILL ABOVE THE CITY … stands a mighty castle – the Ljubljana Castle. Its unique location has from ancient times enabled it to serve as a safe refuge, a strategic point or a residence. With its dominant position the castle soon became a symbol of the city. Through the centuries, it has met with various fates and its function has frequently changed, but there is no doubt that it is and will remain a symbol of the Slovene capital.
You are very welcome at the Ljubljana Castle and we look forward to your visit.
The symbol of Ljubljana
The Ljubljana Castle has undergone many changes over the centuries. Nonetheless, it has remained the symbol of the Slovenian capital and will remain so into the future. The role of the Castle has changed over the centuries as well, and today the Castle is an interesting tourist attraction for foreign visitors as well as Slovenians. It is also used as a walking avenue for the locals, which is confirmed by the number of visitors 1.000.000 per year.
The Ljubljana Castle is also becoming a new cultural center of Ljubljana, as its facilities are increasingly becoming the setting for concerts, exhibitions, stage plays, various social gatherings and protocol receptions. The Watchtower offers a wonderful vista over Ljubljana and its surroundings, and visitors can also see the Virtual Castle, a permanent exhibition entitled Slovenian History, the Rustika gallery of cottage industry and arts and crafts, the Castle Coffee House or the Castle Restaurant, and watch a puppet show in the Mini Theater.
Ljubljana Castle, the crowning glory of the city, has helped shape the capital’s silhouette for more than five centuries. Archaeologists have confirmed uninterrupted human occupation of the hill on which it stands from the Late Bronze Age onwards.
Over the course of its rich history the castle has undergone many transformations and has witnessed numerous events which have had a decisive impact on the development of Ljubljana and Slovenia. At the end of the 18th century the Habsburgs, then owners of the castle intended to abandon it but because of protests from the Carniolan Provincial Estates they fortunately did not demolish it.
Ljubljana Castle enjoyed its brightest moment in 1905 when Ivan Hribar, the then Mayor of Ljubljana, bought it from the state on behalf of the city with the intention of transforming it into a cultural centre. This came to fruition splendidly at the turn of the millennium.
Restaurant Na Gradu
Each day in the Castle Restaurant brings a new flavor and a new culinary experience. Famous chefs Hiša Franko from Kobarid and from the restaurant Restavracija As in Ljubljana have united their powers and opened the Castle Restaurant. Guests are offered typical Slovenian dishes prepared following modern recipes. The food is distinguished by its top quality and reasonable prices. Dishes are changed and supplemented on a daily basis, and are adapted to the seasons and the availability of fresh ingredients.
Strelec Restaurant
The offer of the new Strelec Restaurant is marked by the culinary crossroads of the Alps, the Adriatic and the Pannonia, while at the same time being a cross section of the past and the present. The restaurant’s purpose, desire and vision is to reawaken the cuisine of our predecessors and to bring the space back to life, to somehow interweave the culinary past with the gourmet achievements of the present, to offer local and foreign guests a pinch of castle dishes, the aroma of ancient times and to awaken nostalgia for medieval cuisine – all in a contemporary but timeless way. This is achieved in the preparation and the appearance, as well as in the way of offering the dishes and the service!
Castle coffee house
Apart from various types of coffee and other warm drinks, you will be pampered with selected desserts of exquisite confectioners, fruit cups and cocktails. In hot summer months you will be served the Carte D’or ice cream. The offer is enriched with a selection of quality wines from Slovenian wine makers, which are perfect with a mouthful of various Castle canapés and tramezzini.
Rustika gallery
In 1998 Janko Mlakar opened a shop RUSTIKA – Arts and craft gallery at Ljubljana Castle. As well as his own products, the shop stocks a range of products by Slovene craftsmen that have been approved by the Commission for the Evaluation of Handicrafts Products at the Chamber of Small Business. Stickers or tags certifying their quality identify all that products. The shop- gallery is still the only one in Slovenia that will only have elected products bearing the Slovene Quality Handicrafts symbol. Handicraft products in Rustika are carefully chosen and represent a bond with the past because they enable every individual a specific quality of modern living and live in general.
At the Ljubljana Castle, the crown of the capital city, surrounded by mighty walls and greenery, your wedding day will be a truly memorable experience.
The two wedding halls – the White Hall and the Blue hall, both of which shine in their completely new image after their renovation in the spring of 2014 – have for decades been the most popular locations to conduct marriages. The Ljubljana Castle offers everything you need in one place, with its charming 15th century Chapel of St George in which church wedding ceremonies take place, its beautiful historical halls for wedding receptions, and its superb castle cuisine. Let the story of your life together begin in a place where the past goes hand in hand with the future.
