Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
valley below—then up, through an extensive labyrinth of caves, to the top. While the sol-
diers down below froze and starved, Erasmus' men sneaked out through the caves to bring
in supplies. (They liked to drop their leftovers on the soldiers below to taunt them, letting
them know that the siege wasn't working.)
Eventually, the soldiers came up with a plan. They waited for Erasmus to visit the lat-
rine—which, by design, had to be on the thin-walled outer edge of the castle—and then, on
seeing asignal byasecret agent, blew Erasmus offhisthrone with acannonball. Erasmus is
supposedly buried under the huge linden tree in the parking lot.
As the legend of Erasmus faded, the function of the castle changed. By the 16th century,
Predjama had become a castle for hunting more than for defense—explaining its current
picturesque-but-impractical design.
After driving all the way here, it seems a shame not to visit the interior—but it's truly
skippable.Themanagement(whichalsorunsthenearbyPostojnaCaves)isverystrictabout
keeping the interior 16th-century in style, so there's virtually nothing inside except 20th-
centuryfakesof16th-centuryfurniture,plusafewforgettablepaintingsandcheesyfolkdis-
plays. English descriptions are sparse, and the free English history flier is not much help.
But for most, the views of the place alone are worth the drive.
Cost and Hours:
€9 to go inside, daily July-Aug 9:00-19:00, May-June and Sept
9:00-18:00, April and Oct 10:00-17:00, Nov-March 10:00-16:00.
Information:
Tel. 05/751-6015,
www.postojnska-jama.eu
.
Cave Tours:
If you're already visiting the caves at Postojna or Škocjan, a visit to the
caves under this castle is unnecessary (€8, 45 minutes; May-Sept daily at 11:00, 13:00,
15:00, and 17:00; no tours Oct-April). They also offer pricey “adrenaline lovers” tours
through these caves (details on the website).
Getting to Predjama:
Predjama Castle isonatwistyruralroad5.5miles beyondPosto-
jnaCaves.Bycar,justcontinueonthewindingroadpastPostojna,followingsignsfor
Pred-
jama
and
Predjamski Grad
(coming back, follow signs to
Postojna
). If using public trans-
portation, you can take the train to the town of Postojna, but from there you'll have to pay
for a taxi. If you're in a pinch, consider hitching a ride between Predjama and Postojna with
a friendly tour bus or tourist's car, as most visitors do both sights.
