Turjak Castle, Medieval castle in Velike Lašče, Slovenia

Turjak Castle is a medieval fortification set on a wooded hill in the Municipality of Velike Lašče, Slovenia. It has a triangular layout that connects three defensive towers with residential buildings added during different building phases.

The Auersperg family established a fortification at this site in the early 13th century, replacing an earlier structure from the 11th century. Over the following centuries, the castle changed hands several times and was rebuilt after damage from fires and raids.

Primož Trubar and Jurij Dalmatin found refuge at Turjak while working on the first translation of the Bible into Slovene, and the Auersperg counts helped fund the printing of early Slovene books. A Romanesque chapel named after Dalmatin holds the tombs of the Protestant counts and Gothic frescoes; the Catholic chapel on the west side has served as a church since 1789, with Sunday mass held there after a 1990 renovation.

The castle sits on a hillside and is reached by a footpath through woodland, so sturdy footwear makes the walk more comfortable. The site is in a natural setting, and the path can be uneven in places, especially after rain.

The origin of the name is uncertain: local tradition links it to the aurochs (Slovene tur), but it is more likely a corruption of the name of the founding knights Ursberg, later Auersperg. On the eastern bastion, a stone plaque with carved coats of arms and a once gilded figure of an aurochs records the medieval and Renaissance building history.