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Mestna Obcina Ptuj Travel Guide: 122 reviews and 357 photos

River, town, castle.... - Mestna Obcina Ptuj

I really liked Ptuj (p-tooey), though we didn't visit for very long. It's the oldest city in Slovenia; lots of interesting architecture, Roman bits dotted about, a huuuuuge river and a rather fascinating castle (see travelogue). Well worth visiting, and almost certain to become far more tourist-oriented when Ryanair start flights from the UK to Maribor later this year.

Roman remains.........

The Roman settlement was called Poetivio, and was a prosperous one. Many mosaics/sculptures etc are in the Ptuj museum, and there are 6 Mithraic shrines to be visited (as well as other Roman ruins). Some of the sculptures are incorporated into the base of the city bell-tower (dating from the 16th century), and the large tombstone of Marcus Valerius Verus (dating from the 2nd century) stands just outside it.

Ptuj castle houses one of the museums, a fascinating mish-mash of musical instruments in one room, 'carnival' costumes in another, 'Turkish' portraits in yet another, armour and weapons and artworks..........

The present building dates from Medieval times, although it is certain that the hill stronghold was occupied far back into the Neolithic. The castle had many owners, including the Leslies (from the 16th - 18th century) who did much to create the present shape of the building. After the Second World War it became nationally owned.

Stray elephant....

Many of the buildings I saw as I wandered through Ptuj's narrow streets were interesting in their own right; Gothic curlicues mixed with Medieval gargoyles, a stray architectural elephant (why?), the dilapidated alongside the super-well-maintained.

Ptuj felt like a very friendly place, comfortingly small-scale yet with much of interest to explore. Very much a place I should like to re-visit, and get to know more thoroughly.

Pros and Cons

Pros:History, architecture, Romans, atmosphere
Cons:None that I came across
In a nutshell:The Romans were here......

Last visit to Mestna Obcina Ptuj: Apr 2007
Intro Updated Feb 28, 2011
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Reviews (6)

Mithraea Things to Do (3)

If you get chance, try to visit the Mithras lll shrine on the Maribor road just outside Ptuj. Mithraism was a popular... more travel advice

Inside the Mithraeum - Mestna Obcina Ptuj

Ptuj Mithraic shrines Off The Beaten Path (2)

Ptuj was an important place in Roman times, so it's not surprising that there are various remains still visible. The... more travel advice

A very big tombstone.......... Things to Do (3)

Whilst the smaller Roman tombstones incorporated into the Ptuj bell-tower are fairly easy to miss, the huge one just... more travel advice

Roman tombstones Things to Do (3)

Incorporated into the base of the Ptuj belltower are a number of Roman tombstones, well worth a closer look (and easy to... more travel advice

Restaurants (1)
Very pleasant cafe............

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Travelogues (1)

Written Apr 30, 2007

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Ptuj castle

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Comments (3)

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nickandchris Dec 5, 2007 at 7:29 AM

Another interesting looking place....
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Jeannette1 Sep 11, 2007 at 8:11 PM

I loved my stay in Ptuj in 2006. Thanks for bringing back some good memories.
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mtncorg May 25, 2007 at 8:30 AM

Nice look at an overlooked part of Slovenia.