Ptuj castle

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ptuj and its medieval castle offers an ideal destination if you are staying in Maribor for more than 2 days. It is really easy to get there. Basically, you don't even need a car, because of an excellent bus connection between Maribor and Ptuj (every 20 or 30 minutes) and the journey takes only  20-25 minutes.

I used to work in one of the primary schools in Ptuj and I took my pupils to the castle whenever possible. I was teaching art and the castle's art collection is an incredible source of inspiration. Kids absolutely loved it and we always had such a great time.

Ptuj is Slovenia’s oldest city. Besides the beautiful castle, it hosts the oldest wine cellar in Slovenia (wine tasting of some of the best white wines from Ptuj region is a must) and is surrounded by numerous tourist farms. The"tiny" city centre of Ptuj is absolutely charming dotted with cafes and eateries of all kind. 

The Ptuj castle is situated on a hill to the north of river Drava and it dominates the town. The castle has a long and rich history. Archaeological excavations show that the first settlers took the Castle Hill at the end of the Stone Age or the beginning of Copper Age. The hill was a strategically crucial Roman post and the city kept its strategic importance throughout the medieval period. The first castle was built in the 9th or 10th century but sadly only one tower survived to this day. In the 12th century Archbishop Kondrad of Salzburg (then Ptuj's feudal lord) ordered the construction of a new castle. Again, only one part of this construction remains today - darn, they were fighting all the time! Of course, the castle was subject to major reconstructions in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. 

Ptuj castle is a beautiful museum with rooms preserved to their original glory. On the ground floor it hosts a great collection of musical instruments used by wealthy Ptuj citizens. The first floor is a home to the most beautiful castle chambers with several magnificent collections of furniture, tapestries, paintings from the second half of 16th century and up until the 19th century.

The Festival Hall has a beautiful collection of Turqueries (these are paintings with Turkish motifs and date back to the 17th century).

The castle art gallery presents some of the most beautiful examples of Gothic and Baroque art in Slovenia.

Oh yes, there is another beautiful collection which will make your children happy! The collection of traditional carnival costumes and masquerade figures from Ptujsko polje, Dravsko polje, Haloze, and Slovenske Gorice is just perfect for kids' vivid imagination.

The castle opening times:

• from 15th October until 1st May every day from 9am to 5pm
• from 1st May until 15th October every day from 9am to 6pm
• Saturdays and Sundays in July and August from 9am to 8pm
• closed on  1st January, 1st November and 25th December

Maribor is a lucky city with so many tourist farms

When I was uploading photos from Maribor on my Facebook profile I also found photos from our last visiton tourist farm Stern. What a shame that we can't visit this beautiful tourist farm every day and stuff - you know what I mean. Visiting Maribor just twice a year means squeezing way too many things into an already packed holiday schedule so we usually come back to England totally exhausted and half-satisfied as there's never enough time for all the attractions.

I think Maribor is a very, very lucky city. It is surrounded with beautiful nature and a mind-boggling number of tourist farms. Farm tourism is a national obsession in Slovenia. It is a pure joy having a Sunday lunch in one of these farms around Maribor. They all offer traditional food and excellent homemade wine. People are extremely nice and all the farms are very kids friendly.

Tourist Farm Stern - Pri Kovacniku in many aspects stands out as a tourist farm. Its location is Pohorje mountain but still not far away from Maribor. You need a car to get to the tourist farm but trust me, the views alone are worth the effort.

OK, there's mouthwatering food and homemade wine but the whole place gives you this homely feeling that we all yearn for. Beautiful garden, animals, plenty of space for children to play safely and then fantastic traditional food - food to die for. Homemade food of the highest quality and absolutely freshly made, and award-winning homemade wine are the main reason why guests need to book a table at this Tourist Farm weeks in advance.

And when you are finally lucky enough to get a table, the excitement really kicks in. :)

Did I say that tourist farms are much cheaper than regular hotels and restaurants? A regular meal for three people normally comes at $50 and that is far less than most of restaurants.

Here is the web site with all the information about visiting the Tourist farm Stern and contact numbers: http://www.kovacnik.com/kulinarika-en  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Maribor City Park

Yeah, as usual, we were in Maribor during 2012 Easter Holidays. Numerous cafes, restaurants and beautiful architecture are always attractive. Easter only provides a couple of free days in Slovenia so we watched our old friends rushing to and from work while we were enjoying the sun.

However, rarely anything can be so impressive as Maribor City Park. It is large, it boasts 4 ponds and it looks and feels so natural yet so grandiose with its tall trees and 19th century promenade. Contemplating a story for your new book? Just in need of tranquillity? The park is perfect for all of this, believe me.