Tolmin Castle Ruins, Tolmin, Slovenia

Tolmin Castle was first mentioned in 1188, and its chapel of Saint Martin in 1194. The east and north towers appear to have formed the original core of the fortress; another two hexagonal towers were added later. The north tower had an extensive basement for the storage of provisions, which along with two wells and rainwater cisterns allowed for the withstanding of sieges.

The castle was held in fief by a long series of masters: the Patriarchate of Aquileia, the Counts of Gorizia, the city of Cividale del Friuli, the Venetian Republic, and finally the Habsburgs. It appears to have functioned as a dedicated fortress rather than a residence, and had no permanent civilian population in peacetime, only a large garrison; it also housed a prison. The structure was severely damaged in the earthquakes of 1348 and 1511, but was repaired each time. It was finally abandoned in 1651 by its last owners, the Coronnini family, for a new manor in Tolmin itself, though it remained sufficiently intact by 1713 to play a role in the great peasant revolt of that year. The castle is currently in ruins, though parts of it have been restored.

References:

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User Reviews

Malte M (2 years ago)
Absolutely amazing view. The ascent to the castle ruins is worthwhile. Beautiful view of the Soca Valley.

Jelte Bekebrede (2 years ago)
A star for the views, the walk up is no where near 30 minutes more like a good 90 minimum. Another star for the interesting information boards

Ivana Lazarević (3 years ago)
Great place to check if you are in Tolmin.

Tobias Auinger (3 years ago)
Nice walk up to the cone and excellent view around the valley. If you happen to fly gliders, then the view is of course less of a reason to go there but still a good activity on an unflyable day.

Dino Chirumbolo (5 years ago)
This hill, with a pleasant view of Tolmin, is reacheble via a dirt path, which can also be used by non-experts. It's about 30-40 minutes of walking.

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Tolmin Castle Ruins

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