The river view
Castle and town mirrored in the Drava.
Petar Milošević — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Petar Milošević — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Petar Milošević — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Daniel Thornton — CC BY 2.0
Ptuj Castle stands on a hill above the Drava River and overlooks the town of Ptuj, its most prominent landmark and the first thing you notice when approaching over the bridges. Its buildings now hold a museum of regional history, and from the far bank they sit like a white and red crown above the old rooftops. The castle was built in the mid-12th century as a defence against the Hungarians, when Ptuj belonged to the Archdiocese of Salzburg. The Jesuits of Zagreb owned it for a time and, in financial trouble, sold it in 1656 to Field Marshal Walter Leslie, a Scot by birth. As the threat of Turkish invasion faded it lost its defensive role and was rebuilt in Baroque style as a country residence. It later passed to the Dietrichsteins and then the Herbersteins, until it was nationalised in 1945. You climb a path between white walls to courtyards looking over the river, the bridges and the plain beyond, with museum rooms inside telling the region's story. The town below has deep roots too: the Romans knew it as Poetovio, and Emperor Trajan granted it city status in 103. The castle lies about 22.8 km from Maribor and 112.3 km from Ljubljana in a straight line. The climb is short but steep, so wear comfortable shoes. The best view is from the opposite riverbank, especially on a calm morning when the town is mirrored in the water.
Castle and town mirrored in the Drava.
Wide views over the bridges and the plain.
Rooms that tell the story of the area.
Castle Hill, Ptuj, Slovenia
It went up in the mid-12th century as a defence against the Hungarians, and Walter Leslie and his heirs later rebuilt it in Baroque style.
It is short but steep, and comfortable shoes are enough for most visitors.