A most Spectacular Setting — Bled Castle, Slovenia

My first sighting of Bled Castle was early in the morning, and is the view you see above.  We had arrived on an early fall evening while it was raining heavily along the lake, with the mountains shrouded by clouds.  The following morning we enjoyed a nice breakfast and were treated to the view of Bled Castle you see in the first few photos of this blog.  While it had rained at the lake, it snowed in the Julian Alps, which provided the background to our view of the castle. It is a beautiful and amazing site, perhaps the prettiest setting for a castle I ever seen, perched high atop a rocky cliff and overlooking Bled Lake.

The photo below shows an evening shot of Bled Castle, as viewed from the town.  It was used as our One Clue Mystery photo two weeks ago and, as usual, was recognized by George G!

A Brief History of Bled Castle

Bled Castle is Slovenia’s oldest castle, being first mentioned in 1011.  It sits on a 130-meter high (426-foot) rocky promontory above Lake Bled.  The castle was originally occupied by bishops, who resided here for centuries, but later became an administrative residence, including for the Hapsburg empire.  It was severely damaged by earthquakes (in the 16^th and 17^th century), but was repaired and renovated.  It was never used as a royal residence.

The castle was purchased by private buyer and restored in the 20th-century, especially after World War II.  Today, it operates as a museum and cultural site managed with the National Museum of Slovenia.

Visiting the castle:

While visiting Bled, we made a point of driving up the hill and visiting Bled Castle.  Here’s a summary of that experience.

You can walk up to the castle on a trail from Bled town, but it’s steep and a difficult climb.  The road is steep, and parking somewhat limited, so you might have to walk a short distance to get to the castle.  You’ll need to purchase a ticket to gain entry to visit the castle and its grounds (tickets can be obtained online and cost about 19 Euros)

The castle is surprisingly small, and while nicely preserved, is not one of the grand castles you can visit in Europe.  However, it does have one exceptional feature, namely the amazing views from its terraces.  Check out the breathtaking vistas of Lake Bled, the island church, the town, and the Julian Alps.  It is truly memorable!

In the upper courtyard, you’ll find a small gothic chapel dedicated to Saints Albuin and Ingenuin. The church has some nicely preserved frescoes and is worth seeing..

The castle’s museum is located in the upper courtyard and extends across multiple rooms.  Displays covers the region’s history from prehistoric times through medieval life, nobility, and cultural development.  The museum is curated by the National Museum of Slovenia

The palace has a reconstructed Gutenberg-style wooden printing press in the lower courtyard area. One of the museum staff will demonstrate the technique of historical printing on handmade paper using blocks and lead type.

There’s a gallery with rotating art exhibitions, which we enjoyed.

The castle also has an old wine cellar, gift shop, a blacksmith’s shop, an apiary, and café/restaurant.

Visiting will take about 2 hours.  Even if you’ve explored a lot of castles in your life, the views from this one are truly memorable and make the experience worth while.  Make sure you have a great weather if you do or you may miss out on the castle’s best feature.