Zuzemberk Castle

Žužemberk stands on a rock terrace above a bend of the Krka, and its outline is unusual: round towers set along a curtain wall, given their present form in the sixteenth century when the walls were rebuilt against Ottoman raids. Bombing in 1945 left only its walls standing, and since the 1960s it 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.

History

The year 1000 carved on the portal is linked with a first fortification by Wilhelm I, husband of St Hemma; the castle is first mentioned in 1295, when Count Albert I of Gorizia bought it, and it passed to the Counts of Celje in 1374. It belonged to the Auersperg family until the Second World War, its gradual restoration began in the 1960s, and Medieval Days have been held there each summer since 1996 (Wikipedia, Žužemberk Castle).

The main sights

• The 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.

Practical notes

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.

Key facts