Predjama: Castle Culture and Nature in the Rock

Predjama Castle has stood in Predjama for more than 800 years, right in the middle of a 123-metre-high cliff.

Culture and History

The Stara Dama Museum is located in the visitor centre of Predjama Castle. It houses two collections: the collection on the First World War and the Isonzo Front, and the hunting collection.

The two collections have different focuses within the museum: one is dedicated to the Isonzo Front and its connection with the area, while the other presents forest animals and the work of hunters and forest rangers.

The collection on the First World War and the Isonzo Front focuses in particular on the Isonzo Front. It shaped the area as the hinterland of the front and was logistically connected to supplying the front.

The filial church of Žalostne Matere božje, the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, stands in the immediate vicinity of Predjama Castle. The Trieste bishop Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, the future Pope Pius II, consecrated it in 1449. Inside are medieval murals from the mid-15th century, commissioned by the Lords of Jamski, probably by Erasmus.

The armoury, chapel, kitchen and torture chamber of Predjama Castle are open to visitors.

Predjama Castle has also been used as a filming location for numerous documentaries and feature films.

Nature and Forest

The cave beneath the castle is inhabited by a colony of bats in winter. It is closed to visitors during the bats’ winter dormancy.

The hunting collection at the Stara Dama Museum displays numerous forest animals living in the local area, including birds, deer, wild cats, wolves and bears. It also presents the work of hunters and forest rangers, as well as life in the forest.

Summer and Activities

Every summer, the Erasmus medieval tournament takes place at Predjama Castle.

At the medieval tournament, knights, archers, swordsmen and horsemen demonstrate their combat skills and historical life in a medieval camp.

The Grajska kolesarska pot, a circular cycling route, runs through Predjama.

The themes differ in content and season: castle rooms and the museum are presented alongside the cave and forest animals, while the circular cycling route offers a distinct way of getting around and the medieval tournament is limited to summer. This makes it possible to consider the different focuses separately when planning an individual trip.

Other Places

Other places in the same travel region include Postojna, Landol, Planina, Å mihel Pod Nanosom, Stara Vas, Pivka, Narin and Razdrto.

Planning

Visitors with combination tickets for Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle can use a shuttle bus, subject to availability.

When choosing a hotel in Predjama, travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions are among the details that can be taken into account when making a personal comparison. Castle and museum, the cave, the cycling route or the summer tournament can serve as thematic focuses without combining them into a single programme.

To the higher-level travel overview: Postojna.