Podčetrtek Castle

Route Description

Podčetrtek Castle is one of the oldest castles in the country. It was once located at an old national border at Sotla River, facing Croatia and Hungary.

The castle, which lies on a rocky hill above the town of Podčetrtek, was built ages ago. Nevertheless, its castellans as well as the building itself are noted in archives rather “late” in the 13th century. The first known knight from Podčetrtek was ministerial of Krško, Otto filius Enscalci de Landesperc who is mentioned in 1209 and remained as castellan until 1227 (Source: gradovi.net website). The castle in Podčetrtek was mentioned in written sources in 1209 as de Landesperc (and as de Lonsperch in 1213, de Landesperch in 1227, and ze Lantsperch in 1328, among other names) (Source: Wikipedia). The Romanesque castle of Podčetrtek was destroyed during the war with the Hungarians in the second half of the 15th century, and the only remnant are the remains of a tower on the hill above. Circa 1520, the present castle building was built on the site of the old one: a square-shaped two-storey building with two one-floor round towers rising one floor higher. The Counts of Attems thoroughly renovated and remodeled the towers in the 19th century. In 1527 the castle possession was moved to Hans Tattenbach and his successors leased and rented the castle until 1628, when it was confiscated by Ignac Attems. After WWII, it became a general public property and gradually it was soon completely robbed of all its valuables. Nowadays the privately owned building is in a decayed state, abandoned and looking for a new owner.

If you want to go on a short family stroll, leave your car at or near the petrol station in the town of Podčetrtek. It takes only half to one hour of walking to reach the ruins. The castle is a magical experience for all children, since it takes them back to the era of knights and princesses.