Smlednik Castle Ruins, Smlednik, Slovenia

Smlednik Castle was presumably built in the 12th century on the foundations of a prehistoric fort and a Roman stronghold of a later origin. The strategic location of the hill overlooking a crossing of the Sava River was appreciated by the first lords of the region, the Counts of Weimar Orlamunde, who built a defence tower on the hilltop in the 11th century. The tower was then expanded in several phases, but remained unaltered after 1610 and is thus the purest example of the architectural development of a mid-sized medieval castle in central Slovenia.

The famous Slovenian chronist Janez Vajkard Valvasor reffered to the Smlednik castle as a ruin already in the second half of the 17th century.

User Reviews

Miha Štefe (7 months ago)
Great relaxing place with a great view and lots of history. The food is homemade and excellent. Thank you.

Pr4y (7 months ago)
Absolutely gorgeous view, enjoyed a lovely sunset

Ziga Makuc (12 months ago)
Offers very nice views of the mountains. A nice short hike, also accessible by the car.

احمد محمد (15 months ago)
View of the ruins of Smlednik Castle with Mount Storzic, part of the Kamnik Alps, beyond Slovenia. Kase UK Polarized Magnetic Filters I found this site and view a year ago, but this evening was the best ever. After a night of snow, the Kamnik Alps had a beautiful new white coating, and as the cloud and mist moved and swirled around, there were plenty of great moments to capture. The hard part is choosing the best ones. So here's the first. More is coming.

Andraž Novak (2 years ago)
A beautiful view, with decently maintained gravel road leading from Smlednik to the top of the hill. A small bar with a selection of basic drinks to enjoy the view and quench your thirst. No entrance fee with parking either next to the castle or in the city below (if you prefer hiking)

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Roman Moško

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Trencín Castle

Trenčín Castle is relatively large renovated castle, towering on a steep limestone cliff directly above the city of Trenčín. It is a dominant feature not only of Trenčín, but also of the entire Považie region. The castle is a national monument.

History of the castle cliff dates back to the Roman Empire, what is proved by the inscription on the castle cliff proclaiming the victory of Roman legion against Germans in the year 179.

Today’s castle was probably built on the hill-fort. The first proven building on the hill was the Great Moravian rotunda from the 9th century and later there was a stone residential tower, which served to protect the Kingdom of Hungary and the western border. In the late 13th century the castle became a property of Palatine Matúš Csák, who became Mr. of Váh and Tatras.

Matúš Csák of Trenčín built a tower, still known as Matthew’s, which is a dominant determinant of the whole building.

Smlednik Castle Ruins

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