Built on a cliff and partially inside of a cave, Predjama lives up to its name, meaning “in front of the cave.” Archeologists can confidently date aspects of the castle as far back as the 12th century, though there may have been a dwelling here even earlier. Regardless, nearly a thousand years later, Predjama remains an impressive sight.
Of course, the castle seen today is much larger than the castle a thousand years ago, or even 500 years ago. The castle's current design is from the late 16th century when the entrance tower was added.
Much more interesting is the tale of Erazem. Living in the 15th century, Erazem had achieved his wealth as a robber. One day he finally crossed the wrong person and Erazem was chased back to his castle by representatives of the Austrian emperor. Determined, the soldiers did not leave their position in front of the castle, believing Erazem or a member of the household would have to come out eventually. What they didn't realize was that a secret tunnel out of the cave existed. Erazem would leave the castle unseen and then ride a hidden horse to the neighboring town to buy fresh cherries and other necessities. Once back in the castle, Erazem would pelt the would-be attackers with fresh cherries! This went on for over a year. Needless to say, this behavior didn't impress the soldiers, who eventually found a servant who was willing to betray Erazem. Despite the castle's superior defensive location, there was one place that was particularly vulnerable. At the time, bathrooms were on the outer edges of castles. A signal was worked out so when Erazem went to answer the call of nature, the servant signaled and the soldiers launched a catapult (or fired a cannon, depending on which version you believe) which killed Erazem and caused considerable damage to the castle.
Walking through the medieval castle, it is impossible to forget that you're also in a cave. The walls are built right up against the cave, which offer great defense but also mean living here must have been cold, damp, moldy, and drafty.
The court room.
Like all good castles, Predjama had a torture chamber directly off the court room. How efficient.
There are a few outdoor walkways which connect the various parts of the castle.
This bridge leads into the cave.
This picture looks back towards the cave entrance. A roped off staircase leads up to where Erazem kept his horse to make his secret escapes from the castle.
Below the castle is another, smaller cave, visible in the lower left corner of this photo.
For another few euros, I bought a ticket to enter the cave and ended up getting a private tour since I was the only person in the group! Unlike the caves at Postojna, there is no electricity here. At one point I asked if we could switch off our flashlights. It was pure darkness in a way that we rarely get to experience in modern society. In all, we walked less than a kilometer through this particular cave. Some parts were low and narrow, again in contrast to big, open Postojna. Other than insects, the only other living creature here were some surprisingly cute horseshoe bats. Thousands of them hibernate here every winter, causing the management to close this cave for about 6 months annually so as to not disturb the bats. The only photo that turned out was this one of a long and steep staircase we ascended as we neared the end of the cave. We had entered the cave underneath the castle and near the bottom of the 127 meter cliff, but we exited the cave well above and to the right of the castle.
Predjama is just 9 kilometers from Postojna, but since there is no public transportation there, I had to round up 2 one-way rides with people. Despite this minor hassle, Predjama Castle and the cave in particular were well worth the visit!
