Zuzemberk Castle

Žužemberk stands on a rock terrace above a bend of the Krka, and its outline is unusual: seven round towers set along a curtain wall, given their present form in the sixteenth century when the walls were rebuilt against Ottoman raids. It burned out in 1943 and has been consolidated rather than reconstructed, so the visit is a walk through open courtyards and up towers with the sky overhead. A summer theatre and knights' tournament use the shell.

What you actually see

• The seven round towers - the sixteenth-century towers along the curtain wall.
• The open shell - courtyards and walls consolidated rather than roofed and refitted.
• The Krka terrace - the rock above the river bend on which it stands.
• The summer events - theatre and tournaments held inside the walls.

When to go

April to October, with the summer event programme in July and August. Winter opening is limited or none. The walls are exposed and cold in wind.

Honest expectations

It is a shell with no furnished interiors and little interpretation. Opening outside the summer season is unreliable. Tower stairs are steep and open to the weather.

Nearby

Novo Mesto is southeast, and Sticna Abbey is north.