PTUJ CASTLE (GRAD PTUJ)

The oldest part of this extensive castle dates from the ^10th or ^11th century, in particular the west tower. Owned by the bishops of Salzburg at the end of the ^11th century, the building passed to the lords of Pettau (Ptuj) in 1132, who ruled for three centuries until the death of the last descendant, Friedrich IX, in 1438. The complex underwent major transformations. Among the many occupants were the Scottish Leslie family, who bought the castle from the destitute Jesuits from 1656 to 1802, and the von Herberstein family, who owned it privately for the last time from 1873 to 1945, acquiring it at auction.

The entrance portal, named the Peruzzi portal after the architect who renovated the castle until 1572, is surmounted by an attic featuring lions framing the Leslie family coat of arms, three belt buckles. The courtyard is bordered by fine arcades on three levels, with pillars on the first floor and Tuscan columns on the upper floors. Friedrich IX's Salzburg red marble tombstone is one of the most famous of the Gothic period.

The museum boasts a remarkable collection of ^18th- and ^19th-century musical instruments on the first floor (processional organ with bellows, harp, lute, clavichord, Bosendorfer piano). In front of each display case, you can listen to a short musical moment recorded on the instrument of your choice. The Salle des Chevaliers houses a collection of ^17th-century Flemish and French tapestries, furniture, a collection of weapons dating from the ^14th to the ^19th century and, above all, one of the most important collections of Oriental portraits on the Old Continent. Under the brushstrokes of anonymous ^17th-century painters, European monarchs take on the appearance of their Turkish counterparts. The Leslie family coat of arms bears the motto: Grip fast, meaning "hold fast". Walter Leslie was awarded the Order of the Golden Fleece for his victories in the Thirty Years' War and his career as a diplomat in the service of the Emperor.

Curiosities include the ^17th-century chapel with its off-axis altar, the Herberstein family clock collection, a secretary with marble and semi-precious stone marquetry, and the room lined with "chinoiseries". With carnival masks and kurent, the visit takes on an ethnographic profile. The museum also features works by France Mihelič (1907-1998).