Bled Castle

Bled Castle (Slovene: Blejski grad, German: Burg Veldes) is a medieval castle built on a precipice above the city of Bled in Slovenia, overlooking Lake Bled. According to written sources, it is the oldest Slovenian castle and is currently one of Slovenia's most visited tourist attractions. Nowadays, the castle is a historical museum with a collection representing the lake's history.

The castle was first mentioned in a deed of donation issued by Emperor Henry II to the bishops of Brixen on May 22, 1011. The castle remained as the residence of the bishops for eight centuries. At the time of the deed of donation, the area belonged to the March (or Margraviate) of Carniola in the Holy Roman Empire, but in 1278 it passed to the Austrian House of Habsburg.

The oldest part of the castle is the Romanesque tower. In the Middle Ages more towers were built and the fortifications were improved. Other buildings were constructed in the Renaissance style. The buildings are arranged around two courtyards, which are connected with a staircase. There is a chapel in the upper courtyard, which was built in the 16th century and renovated around 1700 when it was also painted with illusionist frescoes. The castle also has a drawbridge over a moat.

Text adapted from “Bled Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Bled Castle ranks #374 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #3 of the 36 mapped in Slovenia. Founded c. 1050, it is older than 90% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 317 atlas entries founded in the 11th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 11,494 times in the last 60 days, more than 94% of the atlas. 6 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, 31 km away. See how Slovenia compares in the castle statistics.

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