Celje - Castle of Celje - Maribor

Route: Ljubljana - Celje - Castle of Celje - Maribor - Ljubljana
Duration: 9 h
Our first stop will be at the city Celij where the old city centre of Celje is exactly as it appears from the Old Castle of Celje. Lovely and picturesque, with intertwining streets and events along the Savinja River. You will descover the City of the Counts , it is even more exhilarating to learn about the historic periods that have left their mark on Celje. During our visit  you can feel the today’s and past beat of one of the most interesting historic Slovenian cities.  Also you will see Celje Castle, Princely Palace, Alma M. Karlin’s Statue, Christian baptistery, Municipal Market, The Assumption of Mary Church,  Prothasi Manor, Celje People’s Theater with Guard Tower, Josip Pelikan’s Statue, Celje Central Library, Old Counts’ Mansion, Quarter house with Alfred Nobel’s statue, The Artists’ Quarter, St. Daniel’s Church, Municipal Poorhouse with St. Elizabeth’s Chapel, The Water Tower, St. Mary’s Shrine, Hohenwarter House, Galvani Trg (Main Square) and more. Next we will visit to the romantic, enticing, magnificent, dark, frightening – the Celje Old Castle. A mighty walled castle towering over the city is sure to leave you speechless. Once you visit it, it will stay in your memories forever. The earliest written reference to the Old Castle of Celje dates back to 1323. The original design only included a Romanesque palace and the walls. It was given its today's scope and appearance by the Counts of Celje, the most renowned and notable noble dynasty seated in the area of present-day Slovenia. Their reign and power had a long reach and they had a substantial impact on the political fate of the Central European region. The first Count of Celje to move to the Celje Old Castle with his wife and four children was Friderik I. After moving in, he started to refurbish the castle into a more comfortable dwelling. In the following decades, they extended the curtain wall to include the eastern inner ward, while the four-storey guard tower (the Friderik Tower) took over the main defensive role. Herman II used this tower a dungeon as he locked up his own son Friderik II, after whom the tower is named, due to Friderik's forbidden love for Veronika Deseniška. Next we will reach the Maribor which is a second largest city in Slovenia, surrounded by Pohorje mountain on one side and vineyards on the other. Cultural importance and value of Maribor are evidenced by the fact that in 2012 the city was awarded the title of the European Capital of Culture. The Lent, which is also the oldest part of the city, best describes its rich cultural heritage. This is also the site of production of the oldest wine in the world, with an old tradition of over 450 years. Maribor and its old town core will enrapture you with cultural-historical sights and the warm hospitality of the Mariborians. Take time and discover the most attractive corners of the city: wonderful city squares with notable buildings, Lent with the oldest grape vine in the world, the City park with three ponds and  Piramida…  In little streets there are numerous inviting coffeehouses and teahouses. During the tour zou will see Trg svobode Square,  Franciscan Church, Castle Square, Maribor Castle, St. Florian, Vetrinjska street, Vetrinjski Dvor Mansion, Salzburški Dvor Mansion, Jewish Square, Synagogue , Jewish Tower, Water Tower,Old Vine House, Judgement Tower, Minorite Monastery, Main Square, Aloysius Church, Plague Column, the City Hall, Slomšek Square, Cathedral, Slovene National Theatre ,  street Gosposka and Slovenska.After free time we return to Ljubljana.
Price: Per person