Prem Castle, Medieval castle in Brkini Hills, Slovenia

Prem Castle sits on a hilltop with cylindrical towers and Renaissance arcades framing a central courtyard featuring a small stone well. The layout combines defensive elements with residential spaces arranged around this open courtyard.

Prem is first mentioned in 1213, when Ude de Prem appears as a witness in a document, probably Volšak II of Devin, who likely built the castle around 1200. In 1366 it is recorded as Castrum Prem, when the Devin lords submitted to the Habsburgs. In 1399 the Walsee family inherited it, and in 1472 it became part of Carniola as a pledged chamber estate. The Porcia family held it until 1906.

The castle's name comes from the Prem estate, first recorded in 1213 through Ude de Prem, probably Volšak II of Devin. In 1922 Tone Kralj painted the nearby Church of St Helena, marking Slovenian presence in the Julian March, while the castle's own 1920s renovation under Bruno Zuccolini carried Italian nationalist inscriptions.

To visit the interior and museum displays, contact the site or local tourism office in advance for current opening information. The hilltop location requires a short walk to reach, and access by public transport is limited to nearby villages.

Local folklore tells of a hidden underground passage supposedly connecting this castle to Turn Mansion beneath the Reka riverbed nearby. This claimed tunnel has never been scientifically explored or confirmed to exist.