Bled Castle

Bled, Slovenia

Bled Castle is built on a precipice above the city of Bled in Slovenia, overlooking Lake Bled. According to written sources, it is the oldest Slovenian castle and is currently one of the most visited tourist attractions in Slovenia.

The history of the castle reaches back to 1004 when the German Emperor Henry II gave his estate at Bled to Bishop Albuin of Brixen. At that time, only a Romanesque tower protected by walls stood in the place of the present day castle. The first castle was built in approximately 1011 but the Bishops of Brixen never resided there. This is precisely why the castle has no luxurious halls as the greater emphasis was placed on the defence system.

In the late Middle Ages more towers were built and the fortifications system was improved. Can you imagine entering through the outer walls with the Gothic arch and walking over the drawbridge above the moat. Today, the moat is filled with earth, but the sight is still able to stir up your imagination.

Castle Chapel

The distinctive feature of the castle is its double structure – the fortified centre part was intended for the residence of feudal lords, whilst the outer part with walls and buildings was intended for the residence of servants. In 1511 the castle was heavily damaged by the earthquake. Later on, the castle was restored and given its present appearance. The castle buildings are decorated with coats-of-arms painted in the fresco technique or carved in stone.

The most interesting of all the preserved buildings is most certainly the Gothic chapel on the upper coutyard, which was consecrated to the Bishops St. Albuin and St. Ingenium. It was built in the 16th century, and was renovated in the Baroque style around 1700, when it was also painted with illusionist frescoes. Next to the altar there are paintings of the donors of the Bled estate, the German Emperor Henry II and his wife Kunigunda. Their portraits can also be seen in the Church of the Assumption on the Bled Island.

Today

The Bled Castle is now arranged as an exhibition area. Display rooms next to the chapel present the ancient history of Bled from the first excavations, and the castle in individual stages of its historical development with furniture, characteristic of those times. Although these pieces are not originally from the Bled Castle, they are important as an illustration of the style of living in the historical periods presented.

During the warm months, the castle courtyard hosts numerous cultural events, from which the Medieval Days, when knights present the medieval life to visitors, are the most appreciated.

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Address

Bled, Slovenia
See all sites in Bled

Details

Founded: c. 1011
Category: Castles and fortifications in Slovenia

More Information

www.blejski-grad.si
en.wikipedia.org
www.bled.si

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Church of the Assumption (1,1 km)
St. Martin's Church (0,3 km)
St. Catherine's Church (2,8 km)
St. Oswald's Church (2,2 km)
Kacenstajn Castle (7,7 km)
St. Nicholas Church (2,9 km)
St. Margaret's church (3,2 km)


Triple Bridge (47,2 km)
Franciscan Church of the Annunciation (47,1 km)
Ljubljana Cathedral (47,4 km)
Ljubljana Castle (47,5 km)
St. James' Church (47,7 km)
Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity (47,1 km)
St. Florian's Church (47,7 km)
Loka Castle (27,7 km)
Gorizia Castle (59,7 km)

User Reviews

Julio Cesar de Moura Augusto (9 months ago)
Impossible to go to Bled and don't take a look at the lake view from the castle. You can see the whole city and so much more. We end in the end of the winter and the mountain peaks were still frozen with snow. The lake is breathing from up here. Inside there is a small museum and a chapel, but the highlight of this castle is definitely the view. They charge €11 to get in.
Orsi N. (10 months ago)
It's a tourist trap. You pay 11 euros to visit the castle grounds, get a decent view on the lake (the lookouts are far better) and all the attractions from the castle are in fact thematic souvenir shops. They have no shame. The castle also features a "museum" - 4 rooms with some rocks , artifact copies and low quality pictures. Google Bled history if you are curious and you'll see better things for free online and save 11 euros.
Finn Lindsay (10 months ago)
Stunning castle overlooking the beautiful Lake Bled. It dominates the skyline from below, and from it, you have absolutely breathtaking views of the lake and surrounding mountains. It's well worth the trip up, even if you need to walk up the seemingly never ending stairs from the lake.
Anup Mallick (10 months ago)
It is an awesome place and must visit a place. There is a breathtaking view of the lake from the castle. Picture perfect place. it is the oldest Slovenian castle and is currently one of the most visited tourist attractions in Slovenia.
Emily Simard (10 months ago)
You need to buy access to the whole castle because you will really lot regret it. Its informative and very interesting the history surrounding the castle, the staff is really super nice and informative, from the wine shop to the paper shop. And you can get a really great and inexpensive glass of wine at the restaurant in the castle with the best view of the lake. It will really take your breath away.
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At that time Wawel became one of the main Polish centres of Christianity. The first early Romanesque and Romanesque sacral buildings were raised here, including a stone cathedral that was erected after the bishopric of Kraków was established in the year 1000.

During the reign of Casimir the Restorer (1034-1058) Wawel became a significant political and administrative centre for the Polish State. Casimir’s son, Boleslas the Bold (1058-1079) began the construction of a second Romanesque cathedral, which was finished by Boleslas the Wrymouth (1102-1138). In his last will of 1138, this prince divided Poland into districts, and provided that Kraków was to be the residence of the senior prince. In 1291 the city of Kraków along with Wawel Hill temporarily fell under the Czech rule, and Wenceslas II from the Premysl dynasty was crowned King of Poland in Wawel cathedral.

In 1306 the Duke of Kuyavia Ladislas the Short (1306-1333) entered Wawel and was crowned King of Poland in the Cathedral in 1320. It was the first historically recorded coronation of a Polish ruler on Wawel Hill. Around that time, at the initiative of Ladislas the Short, the construction of the third Gothic cathedral began, the castle was expanded and the old wooden and earthen fortifications were replaced by brick ones. The tomb of Ladislas the Short in the cathedral started a royal necropolis of Polish kings in Krakow.The last descendant of the Piast dynasty, Casimir the Great (1333-1370) brought Wawel to a state of unprecedented splendour. In 1364 the expanded gothic castle witnessed the marriage of Casimir’s granddaughter Elizabeth to Charles IV accompanied by a famous convention of kings and princes, subsequently entertained by a rich burgher Wierzynek. The accession to the throne in 1385 of Jadwiga from the Hungarian dynasty of Andegavens, and her marriage to a Lithuanian prince Ladislas Jagiello (1386-1434) started another era of prosperity for Wawel. The royal court employed local and western European artists and also Rus painters. During the reign of Casimir Jagiellon (1447-1492) the silhouette of the hill was enriched by three high brick towers: the Thieves’ Tower, the Sandomierz Tower and the Senatorial Tower. The first humanists in Poland and tutors to the king’s sons: historian Jan Długosz and an Italian by the name Filippo Buonacorsi (also known as Callimachus) worked there at that time.

The Italian Renaissance arrived at Wawel in the early 16th century. King Alexander (1501-1506) and his brother Sigismund I the Old (1506-1548) commissioned the construction of a new palace in place of the Gothic residence, with an impressive large courtyard with arcaded galleries which was completed about 1540. Sigismund’s patronage also left an indelible impression in the cathedral, where a family chapel was erected, known today as Sigismund’s Chapel - the work of Bartolomeo of Berrecci Florence, and through various foundations, one of which was that of a large bell, called the Sigismund to commemorate the king. Close artistic and cultural relations with Italy were strengthened in 1518 by the king’s marriage to Bona Sforza. Alongside Italian artists, German architects, wood workers, painters and metal smiths worked for the king. The last descendant of the Jagiellonian dynasty, Sigismund II Augustus (1548-1572), enriched the castle’s interiors with a magnificent collection of tapestries woven in Brussels. In the “Golden Age” of Polish culture Wawel became one of the main centres of humanism in Europe.

The reign of Sigismund III Waza (1587-1632) also made a strong impression on the history of Wawel. After a fire in the castle in 1595 the king rebuilt the burned wing of the building in the early Baroque style. The relocation of the royal court to Warsaw was the cause of a slow but nevertheless steady deterioration in the castle’s condition. The monarchs visited Kraków only occasionally. Restoration of the castle was undertaken during the reign of John III Sobieski, the Wettins and Stanislas Augustus to counteract neglect.

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