Perched on top of Castle Hill (Grajska Planota) and dominating the city skyline to the south, Ljubljana’s magnificent castle stands on the site of several former defensive buildings in a hilly area of land stretching away to the south of the old town. The current ensemble of buildings originates from necessary 16th-century reconstruction work following the earthquake of 1511, with several later additions. Not unlike Kraków's Wawel Castle in Poland, Ljubljana Castle has served as both a royal residence and a military barracks over the centuries.

The current main points of interest for the visitor are both located inside the Outlook Tower (Razgledni Stolp), built in the 19th century and raised a further 1.2m by the communists in 1982. The tower’s Virtual Museum screens a 20-minute film in 3D, viewed with the aid of special glasses and a headset for an English translation, showing an interesting and informative history of the castle. On the same floor find a small door that takes you to the top of the tower up some 100 red cast-iron steps, each individually decorated with an image of the tower and the city’s dragon. A door at the top leads to a small viewing platform (not for the faint hearted) with wonderful views of the city.

Underneath the tower and located down a small flight of stairs tucked away through a doorway in the corner of the courtyard is the diminutive St George’s Chapel (Kapela sv Jurija). Originally Gothic and remodelled in the Baroque style, the chapel is interesting for its 15th-century wall paintings and not a lot more.

The castle also has a small art gallery featuring temporary exhibitions, a café, souvenir shop and a branch of the city’s Puppet Museum. It’s also a popular place for local weddings, and during the summer puts on concerts and, in July, hosts a popular outdoor cinema. To reach it, several small paths lead up from the old town, or take the funicular next to the Puppet Theatre. [...]

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Believe it or not, this lovely little skyscraper was, at 70 metres, one of the highest buildings in Europe when it was built in 1933. The rooftop café sadly closed long ago. [...]

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