Ljubljana Castle (Grad), Ljubljana

Ljubljana castle (Ljubljanski grad) sits proudly atop a hill overlooking the capital city of Slovenia, which is the northernmost republic of what used to be Yugoslavia, sharing borders with Italy and Austria in the Alps, and Hungary to the east and Croatia to the South. Slovenia was one of the 10 countries which joined the European Union on 1 May 2004, and adopted the euro as its currency on 1 January 2007. Slovenia will take over the rotating Presidency of the EU on 1 January 2008, the first of the new Members States to have this role.

= LJUBLJANA CASTLE

==

Ljubljana castle is the prominent feature of the city, perched on a hill high above the Ljubljanica river. There is evidence that castle hill was inhabited back in the 12th century BC, with remains found dating from then. While there are suspicions of fortifications during the times of Roman Emona, the first documentary mention dates from the early 12th century, which served as the seat of the provincial rulers of the Spannheim family, who coined their own money in Ljubljana.

In 1335 the castle became the hereditary property of the Hapsburgs family and the centre of the Province of Carniola., and in the second half of the 15th century a new, larger, circular castle was built by Duke Frederick III of Hapsburg, who was later crowned Roman German Emperor. Only the outer walls of the Chapel still stand from that castle, all the other main buildings of the present castle dating from

Until 1814 the castle served as a garrison and later a provincial prison. Then it housed the town guard, who were to Fire off cannons to warn against fire and announce important visitors and events taking place in Ljubljana. The city authorities bought the castle in 1905, and while still a residential building, it hosted concerts, exhibitions, banquets etc. In recent years, an extensive renovation programme has been carried out, which is still not quite finished.

= GETTING THERE

=

The easiest and most enjoyable way to get to the castle is by means of the new funicular railway. The entrance is ten minutes by foot from Preseren Square and the Triple Bridge through the market and past the cathedral. The funicular was planned for many years, the idea being that it would link the castle and the central station half a mile away. In the end, a very elegant simple funicular system was opened in 2006, conveying 30 or so passengers at a time up the steep 70 metre incline in little more than a minute.

Alternatively, there is a footpath up the hill, and you can drive, although parking is limited. The little white tourist train goes up here as well, with departures every hour from by the Triple Bridge.

= WHAT TO SEE IN THE CASTLE

=

From the outside, the castle has an imposing Baroque style , typical more of Hapsburg central Europe, than the type of castles we are used to in the UK. Once inside, the castle is surprisingly welcome, and the local tourist board uses the castle for concerts, exhibitions, plays, films and even a puppet show was advertised when we were there.

Courtyard - When get off the funicular, you take the stairs into a broad courtyard, where there are café and shops. The main shop has very fine and not at all touristy craft objects, pictures, books, music and a good number of religious artefacts and icons. I didn't buy anything here, heading instead for a cup of coffee under the umbrellas of the courtyard cafe, which was very reasonable. There was a good deal of bustle around, but my Slovenian friend assured us that this was a good spot for people watching.

Observation Tower - I do not have any sort of head for heights, and so had to force myself to go up to the Observation Tower, for which you have to pay. You reach the top by means of a spiral staircase, which is pretty well enclosed, with very solid red metal bars sealing off the central stairwell. Three things are noteworthy about the staircase. First, matters are arranged in such a way that the spirals taking you up are separate from the spirals coming down, so you never have problems of groups of people trying to pass each other in opposite directions. Secondly, the steps each have the city's symbols on them -a dragon crouching on the castle. Thirdly, there are a couple of places where you can step out of the spiral staircase and take in the view out of windows. This was great for me as I am fine at heights if I feel safely enclosed, and so could take in the view. The quirky sense of humour of the Slovenes was evident as they put a sticker of a black cat falling on the window to dissuade birds from flying into the windows.

Virtual Museum - as part of the entrance fee for the Observation Tower, you can sit and enjoy a 25 minute presentation of the history of Ljubljana, from Roman times through to the present day. The soundtrack is in Slovene, but you are given headphones on entry and a box to select your language and adjust volume, English being available. The film is also filmed using 3D technology, so you are given special dark glasses to look through. These sit over your normal glasses, and while initially cumbersome, you definitely need them to make sense of the presentation on the screen. As a real gannet for history, I found the presentation very interesting, and it didn't deal solely with the castle, but the city as a whole. Particularly interesting for me was learning about the Congress of Laibach in 1821 and the fighting around Slovenia's independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. The auditorium is not large, seating fewer than 50, but when you buy your ticket to the Tower, you will be asked which sitting you want to watch.

Chapel - my wife and my two younger children went off to explore the chapel while my elder daughter and I were in the virtual museum. From the pictures and from what they told me, there are various coats of arms painted as frescos on the walls and ceilings, and it seemed light and airy. The overall impression was that the chapel was set out in a surprisingly simple style.

Other buildings - the State Hall is still used for receptions and feasts, while there are a number of exhibition halls lower down in the castle walls.

= OVERALL ASSESSMENT

=

It was only on my fourth separate visit to Ljubljana that I finally made it to the castle, and I am pleased I finally did. We all enjoyed the funicular, and there are great views from the Observation Tower, even if I could not stand outside at the top for very long because of my bad head for heights. The presentation in the Virtual Museum was really well done and informative, and I learnt (and have hopefully retained) a good deal from this. It is a good family friendly attraction and very reasonably priced. I should have made it up there sooner.

= PRACTICAL INFORMATION

=

The funicular costs €1.50 single, €2 return for adults; children aged 7-18, OAPs and students pay €1 single and €1.5 for the return

Ljubljana Castle is open daily; 1 October - 30 April between 10:00-21:00, from 1 May - 30 September between 9:00-22:00
The Virtual Museum and Observation Tower are also open daily: 1 October - 30 April between 10:00-18:00, from 1 May - 30 September between 9:00-21:00

The cost is for the Tower and Museum is €4.39 for adults, and €3.30 for students. We got a special offer of €4.39 for 2 adults and all the children, but I am not sure if this was a temporary deal or normal.

= FINAL PERSONAL NOTE

=

Those of you who have ploughed through my reviews will have noted that I had a wonderful summer holiday in Slovenia. I hope you will forgive me for deciding to write a separate review of Ljubljana castle and not include it in my review of Ljubljana. I did this primarily for reasons of keeping the review to a bearable length, and also in part because it mirrored the way I have discovered this city. The castle was a separate day trip for us, and justifies its own review. I would like to thank you all for reading my reviews and for the many encouraging and helpful comments so many of you have left. I heartily recommend you to visit Slovenia if you get the chance, and hopefully I have given you a feel for some places which are worth visiting. Thank you for your kind consideration.