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About Ptuj castle

Dear visitors! On a hill above the River Drava, at the crossroads of ancient routes, stands the mighty Ptuj Castle. In this strategic position, it has successfully withstood the storms of time for centuries. Today, it is home to the splendid collections and diverse exhibitions of the Ptuj Ormož Regional Museum. We are happy to welcome you and invite you to discover the stories behind the castle walls with this audio guide! 

THE HISTORY OF THE CASTLE AND THE CASTLE’S OWNERS

Ptuj Castle hill, which offers views for miles around, was inhabited as early as the Early Stone Age, from the 5th millennium BC onwards. In Roman Poetovio it was the site of a fortress and a sanctuary, and in the early Middle Ages it was the site of a Slavic burial ground.
The origins of the medieval fortress date back to the 11th century, when the castle and the town were the property of the Archdiocese of Salzburg. In 1132, the Archbishops granted the castle as a fief to the Lords of Ptuj, who, with short interruptions, administered the castle and town for more than three hundred years.
The fortress was laid out in three parts. It had residential and utility buildings on the top of the hill and military buildings on the western and eastern plains, of which only the western tower has survived. In the 12th century, a group of structures with a palatial building and an imposing defensive tower already stood on the central part of the hill. In the 14th century, the central building was given a horseshoe-shaped floor plan and was two storeys high, while the castle walls were connected to the town walls. The castle’s appearance was radically altered in the 16th century by Italian builders who fortified the town and castle against Turkish raids.
Between 1656 and 1802, the castle was in the hands of the Scottish noble family of Leslie. This was a splendid period for the building, as the Leslies transformed it into a Baroque residence. After the Turkish threat ended in the 17th century, the defensive tower was demolished, the castle was expanded, and a stable and tower were built on the eastern plain of the hill. In the 18th century, an administration building was built along the southern wall, a granary on the western plain, and a grange below it.
The last owners, the Counts of Herberstein, had possession of the castle from 1873 to 1945, when it was nationalised and incorporated into the Ptuj Museum. You can learn more about the history of the castle and its owners in the exhibition Ptuj Castle throughout the Centuries on the second floor of the castle.

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Multimedia Guide

Dear visitors! On a hill above the River Drava, at the crossroads of ancient routes, stands the mighty Ptuj Castle. In this strategic position, it has successfully withstood the storms of time for centuries. Today, it is home to the splendid collections and diverse exhibitions of the Ptuj Ormož Regional Museum. We are happy to welcome you and invite you to discover the stories behind the castle walls with this audio guide! 

THE HISTORY OF THE CASTLE AND THE CASTLE’S OWNERS

Ptuj Castle hill, which offers views for miles around, was inhabited as early as the Early Stone Age, from the 5th millennium BC onwards. In Roman Poetovio it was the site of a fortress and a sanctuary, and in the early Middle Ages it was the site of a Slavic burial ground.
The origins of the medieval fortress date back to the 11th century, when the castle and the town were the property of the Archdiocese of Salzburg. In 1132, the Archbishops granted the castle as a fief to the Lords of Ptuj, who, with short interruptions, administered the castle and town for more than three hundred years.
The fortress was laid out in three parts. It had residential and utility buildings on the top of the hill and military buildings on the western and eastern plains, of which only the western tower has survived. In the 12th century, a group of structures with a palatial building and an imposing defensive tower already stood on the central part of the hill. In the 14th century, the central building was given a horseshoe-shaped floor plan and was two storeys high, while the castle walls were connected to the town walls. The castle’s appearance was radically altered in the 16th century by Italian builders who fortified the town and castle against Turkish raids.
Between 1656 and 1802, the castle was in the hands of the Scottish noble family of Leslie. This was a splendid period for the building, as the Leslies transformed it into a Baroque residence. After the Turkish threat ended in the 17th century, the defensive tower was demolished, the castle was expanded, and a stable and tower were built on the eastern plain of the hill. In the 18th century, an administration building was built along the southern wall, a granary on the western plain, and a grange below it.
The last owners, the Counts of Herberstein, had possession of the castle from 1873 to 1945, when it was nationalised and incorporated into the Ptuj Museum. You can learn more about the history of the castle and its owners in the exhibition Ptuj Castle throughout the Centuries on the second floor of the castle.