Kamen Castle, Medieval castle ruins in Begunje na Gorenjskem, Slovenia.
Kamen Castle is a ruins complex in Begunje na Gorenjskem featuring a Romanesque tower on its northwest corner, gothic structures, and renaissance buildings arranged around an interior courtyard. The site displays construction from multiple centuries layered together.
The castle was first documented in 1263 as castrum Lapis and in 1350 as Stain, built by the Counts of Ortenburg to protect trade routes in the upper Sava valley. In 1418 it passed to the Counts of Celje, and in 1428 Herman III of Celje died here after falling from his horse. After the Celje line died out in 1456, the castle came to the Habsburgs, and in 1458 Wolfgang Sepacher sold it to Andrej Kreig. Later owners included the tournament knight Gašper Lambergar.
The castle is linked to knight Gašper Lambergar, a central figure in a traditional Slovenian folk song about Pegam and Lambergar. This connection has made it an important place in local folklore and memory.
The ruins are accessible to visitors and offer a good look at medieval architecture, best explored with plenty of time and care for the uneven ground. Wearing comfortable shoes is advisable since the site has steep slopes and limited pathways in some areas.
The castle is part of the European castle network "Venus Path", linking sites in Slovenia, Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic along the route of the 13th-century knight and poet Ulrich of Liechtenstein, who travelled from Venice dressed as Queen Venus. Since 1959 conservation work has cleared rubble, reinforced walls and added wooden stairways and bridges.
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