Old Castle of Celje

An important milestone in the history of Celje is the period of the Middle Ages, when the present-day town was transformed into a settlement of Trieste.  It flourished during the reign of the Counts of Celje, who granted it city rights in 1451. 

The original owners of the Old Castle of Celje were the Counts of Vovbrški from Carinthia.  They built the castle in the second half of the 12th century.  The appearance of the castle was much smaller compared to today's - it consisted only of a Romanesque palace, a closed courtyard and a protective outer wall, which was secured at the top by a defensive corridor.  This was also the typical image of the castles of that time. 

After the extinction of the Vovbrški family, the castle passed into the hands of the lords of Žovneška, who were elevated to the countship of Celje shortly after moving to present-day Celje.  They began to transform the original castle fortress into a comfortable residential residence.  The outer walls were extended into the living quarters of the Gothic palace, and an almost 23 m high defense tower, later called Friderik's Tower, was erected on a nearby hill.

In the later stages of development, the castle complex was expanded, the outer walls with towers, economic and military buildings, wide defensive ditches and a new access to the castle core were added.  Although the castle was extremely well and strongly protected, at the beginning of the 16th century, the last part of the walls was added, which elevated the Celje castle to one of the most powerful fortifications of that time.  In the last phase of development, the medieval castle took on the appearance of a Renaissance fortress, which also provided shelter to the surrounding inhabitants in times of danger.  In the 18th century, the castle was abandoned, and the building stones were used to build buildings in the surrounding area. 

Today, after the renovation, the castle has become an attractive tourist spot, its visitors have access to a modern Tourist Information Center and Kavarna Veronika.  The castle, which is the largest medieval castle in Slovenia in terms of surface area, is a wonderful setting for weddings, and many events, concerts and events take place there during the summer.

Source: 

Source: brochure of the Institute for Cultural Events and Tourism Celeia Celje / 2022