Day 6 - Celje, Slovenia

We booked a day trip with a guide from Slovenian Explorers (Martin) to visit the towns of Celje and Ptuj. Both are river towns and have a castle overlooking the Old Town. The castle in Celje (pronounced cell-yeh) is an amazing half-restoration of a castle. Much of it is still in a "ruined" state, but part of it has been restored to what it probably looked like when the Counts of Celje ruled the land. The story of their rise and fall is very dramatic and even includes a Romeo and Juliet-esque story. During a period of the Counts of Celje's reign, the son (Frederick) of the prevailing count (Hermann) was forced to marry a daughter against his (the son's) will to further the family ambition (Frederick wanted to marry another woman who was too far below his station, Veronika). However Frederick's wife died under mysterious circumstances after not that long. The father (Hermann) had his son imprisoned in the castle tower (in the second photo) for many years due to his suspicion of his wife's death. When Frederick was released, he married his love Veronika. Their love was not to be a long one. She too died under mysterious circumstances. The father-son relationship was not a whole and healthy one, to be sure. In any event, the castle itself is a great testament to responsible cultural stewardship and offers great views of the city and surrounding environs.Read more