Ptuj Castle ( sl, Ptujski grad) is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

Ptuj Ptuj (; german: Pettau, ; la, Poetovium/Poetovio) is a town in northeastern Slovenia that is the seat of the Municipality of Ptuj. Ptuj, the oldest recorded city in Slovenia, has been inhabited since the late Stone Age and developed from a Roman ...

, Slovenia. It stands on a hill alongside the

Drava The Drava or Drave''Utrata Fachwörterbuch ...

River overlooking the town, and it is a prominent landmark.

History

The castle was built in the mid-12th century, when it was constructed to defend against the Hungarians. When the castle was built, the town of Ptuj was part of the Archdiocese of Salzburg. It was owned by the Jesuits of Zagreb for some time. In 1656, due to financial hardship, the Jesuits sold the castle to the Holy Roman Field Marshal

Walter Leslie Sir Walter Leslie (died 1382) was a 14th-century Scottish nobleman and crusader, one of the foremost knights of his time. Family Leslie was a younger son, probably the third son, of Sir Andrew Leslie of Leslie Castle sixth in line from Barthol ...

, a Scot by birth. The castle was thoroughly rebuilt during the Baroque period. Due to the end of the Turkish invasions, the castle lost its defensive character. General Walter Leslie turned it into a rural residence and the seat of a landed estate. His descendants owned it until 1802. After the extinction of this line of Leslie family, the estate was inherited by their relatives, the Dietrichsteins, but they became extinct in 1864 as well. After their extinction, the castle was bought in 1873 by Countess Therese von Herberstein (1822-1895), eldest daughter of Joseph Franz, Prince of Dietrichstein. It remained in the possession of Herberstein family until 1945 when the castle became nationalized.

Museum

In the years after 1945 all the buildings on the hill inside the castle were nationalized and converted into a museum of regional history.

Gallery

Image:Ptuj.jpg, Ptuj Castle above the town Image:Ptujski grad 03.jpg, Ptuj Castle with courtyard Image:Ptuj_(74)_(5338717339).jpg, Antiques displayed in the castle Image:Ptuj panorama 01.jpg,

and Lake Ptuj seen from the castle

References

Buildings and structures completed in the 12th century Castles in Styria (Slovenia) Ptuj {{Slovenia-castle-stub