High up in the cliff, apparently accessible from just one side, Predjama Castle commands the surrounding countryside. Today's castle clearly dates from the Renaissance; the date of its construction is confirmed by the coat-of-arms of its then owners, the Kobenzl family, from 1583. It does however conceal an older nucleus – a true cave castle, an impregnable refuge.

Historical sources prove that the castle existed in the 13th century and probably even earlier. It was administered by the Jamski family, who themselves came under the authority of an Aquilean gastaldia. The castle was notorious – as the hide-out of brigands – even before the time of Erazem Jamski (Lueger)…

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Erazem Lueger, who in the 15th century defied the imperial army in his rocky fortress, passed into legend shortly after his tragic death. The episode has frequently been used in literature and depicted in paintings. The historical background to the story shows that the knight had incurred the wrath of the imperial court for two reasons: the murder of a kinsman of the emperor, and his links with the emperor's Hungarian enemies...

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