PTUJ the oldest town of Slovenia
Ptuj has the status of a museum town and his population is
11,300. The oldest Slovene town, it obtained town rights in
distant 977. Its monuments testify at every step the far past,
traces from Roman Poetovio and the periods which followed. The
might 9th century castle above the river was once destroyed by
the forerunners of the Hungarians, but is today well
renovated. It houses a museum with major collections of musical
instruments, tapestry, weapons and other historical
treasures. One of the most beautiful monuments is in the town
centre: Orpheus' monument, a Roman tombstone from the 2nd century
AD. It was used as a penitents' stone and, since 1830, has been
the centre of Ptuj's lapidary. Pride of place as the first open
air museum belongs to the town tower, which became known as
Povoden's museum, after Simon Povoden, on whose initiative Roman
remains found in the vicinity were built into the foot of the
tower.
There is no room to enumerate all Ptuj's monuments but two at
least must be mentioned: the onetime Dominican monastery (today's
Conservatory) in the west part of Ptuj, which contains a most
beautiful eastern wing with vaulted cloisters, and the Minorite
monastery in the east of the town. The former is one of the most
beautiful early Gothic and early Baroque monuments in Slovenia,
though unfortunately little of if remains, only the presbytery,
which is renovated and still used for services.
Soon the picture
A museum town. Ptuj, the oldest Slovene town.
Soon the picture
The Knight hall in Ptuj castle, with the best laid out museum in
Slovenia.