Ptuj City Guide


Historic Ptuj (Pettau in German) has the distinction of being the oldest settlement in Slovenia and it’s a popular choice for day trips with tourists staying all over the country because its central location means it can be reached within a couple of hours from anywhere in Slovenia. To only drop in for a day, however, is to miss out on the beautiful surrounding countryside and the excellent leisure opportunities in south eastern Slovenia.

Today, Ptuj is a handsome walled town with an imposing castle, and a population of around 30,000. The river Drava flows past the old town, where it is dammed forming a lake which is visible from the castle ramparts. Over 7 kilometres long, Ptuj Lake is the largest artificial lake in Slovenia and forms part of the Šturmovci Nature Park. To the south the Haloze hills are an unspoilt haven ideal for walkers and nature lovers, while to the east the Jeruzalem-Ormož area, with its more gentle slopes, is wine country and popular with cyclists.

Ptuj was first settled over two thousand years ago. Under the Romans Poetovio was one of the most important towns in central Europe. They took advantage of the geographical position to build up a prosperous trading centre, a feature of Ptuj that was to last well into the middle ages; at that time Ptuj became famous for a number of fairs held throughout the year. Anyone wondering what the Romans did for Ptuj need only look at Terme Ptuj, one of Slovenia’s most popular thermal spa centres, and the vast vineyards which cling to the hills in the countryside surrounding the town.

The Romans, of course, were experts in treating themselves to some ‘me time’; Terme Ptuj continues that tradition, albeit with a greater degree of luxury. From the four starred Grand Hotel Primus to modern camping facilities and well maintained self catering cabins, Terme Ptuj offers a range of high quality holiday accommodation and entry to the thermal water park is included in the price. A wellness centre offering the latest pampering treatments, an eighteen hole golf course, and state of the art conference halls and meeting rooms are just some of the additional facilities on offer at the complex.

The history of viticulture in the region also goes back to Roman times but widespread cultivation of vines, especially in Haloze, started in the thirteenth century, under the careful eye of Minorite monks. Today the biggest and best preserved of Ptuj’s numerous wine cellars is the one beneath the old Minorite monastery. The best way for wine enthusiasts to enjoy what the area has to offer is to get out into the countryside to visit some of the wineries but visitors with limited time can take part in a wine tasting tour of Ptujska Klet which is located in the town centre.

Though Ptuj is a bustling contemporary town, its ancient traditions and its connections with the land are still enthusiastically observed. The biggest of those celebrations is ‘Kurentovanje’ which takes place each year around Shrove Sunday. Kurentovanje is the culmination of ‘Pust’, or ‘Carnival’, which is celebrated across central and western Europe but its origins do not go back as far as those of Pust. The origins of modern Kurentovanje can be traced back one hundred years or so when the men in rural communities would dress up in sinister looking costumes to chase away the last days of winter and to welcome in the spring; the origins of this lie somewhere in Slovene mythology. In 1960 it was decided to organise a more formal annual event to connect all the rural communities and their own Kurent traditions, and to prevent these traditions from disappearing. Today as many as 100,000 people come to Ptuj to join in the festivities over a ten day period; around 60,000 – 70,000 come to watch the main parades which take place on a Saturday and Sunday.

Nowadays women and children are among the kurenti but originally only men took part in the parade. A kurent wears a shaggy sheep skin costume and a monstrous mask; he carries a club with bells attached to it and rattles it to chase away winter as he passes through the villages. At the beginning of Kurentovanje the Prince of the Carnival is given control of the city for the duration of the festival. There are daily performances in front of Ptuj’s town hall during the day and in a carnival tent in the evenings. On the final day there’s a children’s parade and the burial of Carnival before power over the city is returned to the town’s mayor.

Visitors to Ptuj outside of Kurentovanje can see an exhibition of kurenti costumes and photographs of past parades in the regional museum housed in the town’s baroque castle. The museum is one of the best in the country and includes an interactive display of traditional musical instruments, a collection of glass paintings (a traditional folk craft) and, in the Representatives’ Hall, a colourful collection of seventeenth century portraits of Turkish and European military commanders, Ottoman ladies in fine robes and elegant headwear, and people from exotic countries in traditional dress. There is also a striking portrait of Siegmund Herberstein, the seventeenth century owner of Ptuj Castle, wearing a sumptuously embroidered silk coat given to him by Suleyman the Magnificent.

The Pokranjinski Muzej Ptuj-Ormož which administers the castle collection also oversees a number of other museums and archaeological sites. Among these are the castle museums at Ormož and Velika Nedelja and the Mihelič Gallery in Ptuj. France Mihelič was a Slovene artist who donated his all of his paintings and his wide ranging graphic collection to Ptuj Museums; the gallery is housed in a handsome old defensive tower beside the Drava in the town centre.

The collection also includes a number of important archaeological finds: there are the sculptures and inscribed stones found in several nearby locations that have been identified as Roman shrines to the god Mithras, and the Povoden Museum which is an open air lapidary named after Simon Povoden, the nineteenth century curate who found the relics. The most important find is the Orpheus Monument which can be seen in front of the town’s Gothic tower; this five metres high carved stone shows Orpheus playing his lyre as he mourns the loss of Eurydice.

The pilgrimage church of St. Mary at nearby Ptujska Gora is one of Slovenia’s most striking monuments. The church occupies an elevated position on a hill known as Black Mountain; the name comes from a story that says that Mary protected the church from invading Turks by sending a black cloud over the village of Ptujska Gora. The church contains a fabulous treasury of Gothic sculptures.

The beautiful surrounding countryside is as good a reason to visit Ptuj as the wealth of cultural treasures in this attractive town. There are over fifty kilometres of wine roads to explore in the Haloze and Slovenske Gorice regions as well as traditional villages with a slower pace of life. Storks’ nests are a common feature and the hedgerows are packed with wildlife. Ormož Jezero is an important nature reserve which attracts legions of ornithologists who come to see migrating birds stop off on their journey south for the winter, while the town’s castle boasts an impressive arboretum of exotic tree species.

Access to international airports in Ljubljana, Graz, Zagreb and Croatian Istria is good and the region has useful road connections into Croatia, Hungary and Austria as well as to the rest of Slovenia. Though Ptuj is relatively unknown outside Slovenia, it is increasingly becoming known as a centre for conferences and conventions and attracts thousands of visitors annually. International arts festivals such as the Days of Poetry and Wine, which made Ptuj its permanent home in 2010, also attract lots of visitors.

Though it has the feeling of a small town, Ptuj has all the modern shopping, entertainment and sporting facilities you would expect but the old town has been left unspoilt and new commercial developments have been confined to the outskirts of the town.  Among the most popular properties with foreign buyers looking for a holiday home are the traditional Prekmurje farmhouses; these L-shaped cottages were originally divided into living quarters and animal stabling but many have been modernised to make comfortable contemporary homes. Un-renovated properties can still be found for sale and make a good investment, particularly for people who are looking for a property to convert into a holiday let. Alternatively there are modern family homes and luxury villas; new builds range from stunning contemporary residences to traditional style log cabins with all mod cons.

East of Ptuj the relatively flat landscape and friendly villages tend to attract older people while Haloze to the south has tiny settlements, ideal for those looking for seclusion but wherever one chooses Ptuj is a great place to live. With good schools, public services and shopping facilities as well as wonderful countryside, Ptuj offers an interesting alternative to the more usual ex-pat hotspots in the western part of Slovenia.

 

A charming city and you can view the best Ptuj Property on this site. In terms of real estate in Slovenia, we cover all areas and and if you have a specific request in terms of the area and the type of property you need – please contact us and we will be delighted to help.

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News headlines

  • Adria to launch Ljubljana to Kiev route

    The Slovenian national carrier Adria Airways is to launch regular flights to the Ukrainian capital from Ljubljana Brnik airport, The route will launch in October and there will be three flights a week on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, with the return flights being on Monday, Friday and Saturday.

    As well as providing a useful link with Ukraine, the route is also expected to be an important springboard to other European destinations from Kiev. 

  • Luton Town to Come to Slovenia for Training Camp

    The English football league club Luton Town, known as the Hatters, are coming to Slovenia in July for a week-long training camp. They players and coaching staff will be based just outside Maribor, at the same place where Scottish side Celtic was based for preseason training.

    Slovenia, and especially Maribor, has been keen to promote itself as a great location for such training events with excellent facilities and accommodation and additional attractions such as sports physio services and wellness centres, in particular, those available at the country’s numerous spa centres

  • Slovenian Music Superstar to Play in the USA

    Vlado Kreslin, one of the best known and most popular Slovenian musicians will play a convert in Cleveland, Ohio on 3rd December. Kreslin, who is often referred to as the ‘Slovenian Bob Dylan’ first came to prominence in the Yugoslavian days, as a member of the 1970s rock band Martin Krpan but his solo incarnation veers more towards the genres of folk-rock. 

    While Kreslin is in the States on a short concert tour, the Cleveland date is particularly special because around 40 percent of Slovene Americans live in the state, the greatest concentration od them in the US, and of them the majority live in the Greater Cleveland area.

  • Ljubljana to Amsterdam flights from April 2017

    Dutch budget carrier Transavia is to launch three weekly flights connected Ljubljana with Amsterdam from April 2017. Tickets are already on sale and start at €29 one way. The flights will take place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

    As well as being an attractive destination in its own right, Amsterdam is a useful hub for flights to destinations all over the world, and especially for those looking for easy access to regional UK airports. 

     

  • Lendava to bid for European Capital of Culture title

    Lendava in the far east of Slovenia is making an ambitious bid to win the title European Capital of Culture for 2025. 

    Slovenia’s Minister for Culture has endorsed the bid, saying that it represents an important chance to decentralise culture and spread it to small towns, not just to concentrate it in the bigger cities.

    Campaigning proper will begin in earnest in 2019 but a conference has just taken place in the town to get the ball rolling. Organisers say that Lendava will make the bid along with partner towns, citing Croatia’s Čakovec, Austria’s Bad Radkersburg and Hungary’s Szentgotthard as possibilities. 

     

  • Celtic Football Club Coming to Slovenia

    Despite the Euros being in full swing, it’s that time of year when football supporters start thinking about the new season. How many new signings will their side make and how will those players fit into the existing team? Will they have a good run in the cup, or will they be fighting for survival once again?

    Following an age-old tradition of pre-season tours, this year Glasgow Celtic, one of Scotland’s biggest clubs has chosen Slovenia for its short trip abroad. The brief tour will kick off in Celje on 30 June before heading over the border to play Austria’s Sturm Graz on 3 July. The Bhoys, as they are known, will return to Slovenia to play Olimpija at Ljubljana’s Stožice Stadium on 6 July and the final match will take place at the Ljudski vrt in Maribor on 9 July.

    Celtic have met NK Maribor already: in 2014 they faced each other in a play-off for entry to the Uefa Champions League, and after the two legs Maribor came out the victors, winning on aggregate 1-2.

    This time, Celtic will be led by their new manager Brendan Rodgers who previously managed Liverpool FC.

  • Slovenia Estates Comes To Kobarid

    We’ve opened a new Slovenia Estates office in Kobarid, in the Soča Valley. This beautiful area has long been popular with Slovenian families as well as holiday makers and second home owners, and we are delighted to be able to based in Kobarid so we can better meet the needs of sellers and buyers in the far west of Slovenia.

  • Plečnik chair sells for 40,000 Euro

     A chair designed by Slovenia’s most celebrated architect Jože Plečnik has been sold at auction for over €40,000 and returned to its original home at the same time.

    Plečnik is usually associated with Ljubljana, having overseen the redesign of the large parts of the city in the first half of the twentieth century and his distinctive style is easy to spot. However, he was also responsible for a major reworking of Prague Castle in the Czech capital between 1921 and 1934 and this chair was part of that project, having been designed to sit in the study of the President at the time, Tomas Garrigue Masaryk.

    Plečnik actually had three of these chairs made but only one managed to stay in Prague Castle throughout the Communist period. In fact, for a long time curators there thought that chair was one of a kind until a second chair was returned to Prague Castle in a bad condition in 2006, and they were delighted when this third chair turned up at auction. 

  • Ljubljana to Warsaw Six Flights Weekly

    From 1 March flights will commence between Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport to Warsaw. There will be six flights weekly and they will be operated by Polish carrier LOT. Flight time is less than two hours and Warsaw gives Slovenian passengers a useful connection for onward travel to a variety of destinations including northern Europe and Scandinavia and even the United States.

  • New Bled Office

    We have opened a new office in the centre of Bled. This will serve as our base in the Bled/Bohinj/Kranjska Gora areas. The office is situated in the main shopping centre on the first floor next to Gallus Pizzeria. Lots of lovely properties from the area are displayed in the window!

  • We have opened an office in The Old Town

    We are pleased to annouce we have opened a new office in the heart of Ljubljana’s Old Town on Gornji Trg 1. We have shop front space so lots of lovely properties in the window. Please come and visit us whenever you can!

  • Slovenia real estate increases in popularity

    This year we have seen a marked increase in foreigners interested to buy Slovenian rela estate. Buyers from both the West of Europe, Russia and the US are taking advantage of low real estate price due to the Crisis in Europe before any rises are seen. Most popular areas are Ljubljana, Bled & Portoroz and with more and more sellers becoming very flexible on asking prices its fast becoming an attractive overseas destination for foreigners looking for both their own property as well as a secure long term investment

  • Slovenia Property Blog page

    We have now set up a new Blog page with news articles on Slovenian real estae, topical issues, news and featured & bargain properties. We will be updating the page each week with stories, so please check the page out for up to date information on Real estate in Slovenia. Click HERE to go to the page

     

  • Ljubljana Apartments moving faster

    This year we have noticed a marked increase in the both the number of enquiries about Ljubljana real estate as well as overall transactions, we ourselves have sold more this year than last and while generally it is still the foreign buyer who is buying enquiries from locals have also increased slowly. The feeling locally is prices in the city may have reached their low point and with faint signs of a recovery in Europe generally that feeling may well be borne out.

  • Slovenia real estate bargains

    There is more and more excellent value real estate in Slovenia now, with local owners unable to finance renovations or improvements themselves, there is a good supply of property in need of renovation at some very attractive prices. With Slovenia Estates project managing renovations, a project need not be a headache but a very worthwhile investment. Contact us for the best bargain real estate in Slovenia on the market.

  • We have moved

    We have moved to lovely new offices in Prule, the Old part of Ljubljana. With increased space, interiors designed by JVBdesignworks, and a fantastic shop front location we are looking forward to welcoming new & old faces to Žabjak 2, Ljubljana 1000.

  • Slovenia Self Catering

    Slovenia self catering accommodation is extremely popular and gaining more popularity as competition increases amongst available self catering houses and apartments and quality rises. We have some delightful self catering properties in Slovenia for vacation rental. They can be found here . We also know of many more available so contact us if you wish to rent a house or apartment in Slovenia for an unforgettable holiday.

  • Ljubljana Apartment Sales

    Further to the recent News we posted on “Ljubljana Sells Best” we wanted to provide more information on Ljubljana real estate. The sales are nearly always apartments and always in the centre of town. The demand from foreign buyers for houses in Ljubljana is low as they want to be located very centrally and this means apartments. Ljubljana villas in for example the Rozna Dolina area are also priced at a level that is too high for most Slovenia real estate investors.

  • Ljubljana Sells best

    This year we have sold more real esate in Ljubljana than any other year. It seems investors from various parts of the globe see Ljubljana as perfect place to buy. Small, neat and improving year on year, with a fabulous centre and old town and with prices at a very competitive level. The most popular areas being the historic old town and the centre, and despite no cars being allowed in the old town, buyers seem to accept this with the positives that come with that. See our Ljubljana real estate section for more details.

  • Portoroz real estate on the up

    We are experiencing a marked increase in enquiries and sales of real estate in Portoroz. The buyers are mainly from Russia and Ukraine, wanting Villas with sea views. Prices of Portoroz real estate remain high but have come down considerably over the past few years. Real estate in Portoroz is in short demand and quality property goes fairly quickly if priced correctly.

  • Luxury Hisa Zeenia for Slovenia holiday rental

    We are pleased to announce the availabilty of this wonderful, magical House for rent in Slovenia. Hisa Zeenia is a truly magnificent house available for a Holiday rental in Slovenia all year round. With outdoor Natural swimming pool and 7 bedrooms, landscaped gardens and all located in the stunning Soca Valley its one of the best holiday properties to rent in slovenia. Click here for more

  • Prekmurje Property

    We are seeing a marked increase in the Prekmurje region again. Both Slovenians and foreigners are enquiring about property in Prekmurke, especially old style houses with some land. Renovation projects remain popular and views a must. Prices have come down since the crisis and with the Euro falling it has become a very attractive area to look at.

  • New section here

    As you can see this is a new section we have just added, to keep our customers up to date with whats going on with Elite and real estate here in Slovenia. It will be regularly updated.

  • A Bargain!

    Does it get any cheaper than this for a renovation project, a lovely village, a quiet street, some land all for €25000! Click here

  • New Properties added

    We have been out and about over the past few weeks seeing and adding new properties to our website. Over the next few weeks many more will be added so its a good idea to register for updates if you wish to be kept informed of whats new in Slovenia real estate.

  • Another Beauty – Karst Project

    We are pleased to announce another superb development in the popular Karst region. Beautiful, modern villas in a rural setting, super views and highly energy efficient, these represent Slovenia real estate at its best. For details click here, a full presentation of visuals will also be found here. For more details just contact us.

  • Lipica Villas

    Together with a partner agency we are soon to be launching a beautiful new development in Lipica, just opposite the entrance to the famous Lipica Estate where the famous Lipizzaner horses are from. This represents Slovenia real estate at its finest…Click here for a sneak preview

  • Summer Here!

    The good weather has arrived just in time for the holidays and the three public holiday days here in Slovenia. Blue skies 26 degrees, everything green its a very beautiful time!

     

  • Good Weather means enquiries

    Its always interesting to see the corallation between good weather and increased enquiries for Slovenia real estate. Over the past few weeks when its been cold and rainy enquiries were low, now people see the sun is coming back and the enquiries have risen. Forget the moon! We are ruled by the sun!

  • Success in Moscow

    We are happy to report that our attendance at the Moscow Real Estate fair was a great success, we were the only representation Slovenia had and that proved effective. There was much interest in Slovenia especially in the €150-€250,000 price range. Many of the visitors to the Croatia stands were also coming our way so its good to know that many consider Slovenia as an alternative to Croatia.

  • Soca Interest

    Interest in the Soca region of Slovenia has reached the highest level in two years. People have always loved this area for Slovenia real estate for its beauty but it seems people are really seeing all the benefits of this popular area and preferring it to other areas.

  • Karst Interest, new stone villas

    We have seen a marked increase in enquiries for the Karst (Kras) region of Slovenia, we will soon be selling stone villas in a new exclusive development in Lipica, home of the famous Lipizzaner horses. We will publish more information once we start the marketing campaign

  • Moscow Fair

    We will be promoting 4 fabulous new developments at the fair as well as all our beautiful properties on our books. As well as meeting all the agencies we work with and several we will hopefully be working with in the future.

  • New Site Comments

    We have recieved many kind comments about our re designed site, Thank you to all those that sent emails with such great comments. We also received some great suggestions about what people would like to see on the site and we will be working on including many of these suggestions!

  • Katja to get Licence

    Our Office general manager Katja Keber is studying for her real estate licence, let’s hope she gets it soon!

    Katja has been with SE for 4 years and has a great understanding of how Slovenia real estate Market works so we expect her to pass first time!

  • Off to Moscow

    The SE team will be attending the International Real Estate Fair in Moscow in April, we will be promoting selected properties and projects on our books.

    The show is Russia’s largest real estate show and in the past Slovenia real estate has not been presented before, so a first for Slovenia and Elite!

Contact us

    info@sloveniaestates.com
    +386 (0) 51 622 444
    sloveniaestates

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