Smlednik Castle, Medieval castle ruin in Medvode, Slovenia.

Smlednik Castle is a ruin on a hill east of Lake Zbilje and north of Šmarna gora. Its core consists of a palace and a bergfried with walls over three metres thick, surrounded by a defensive ditch. A high perimeter wall, up to 1.5 m thick and roughly triangular, encloses the palace; the Renaissance outer ring has three small towers.

The castle's first known owner was the knight Ulrih Smledniški, a ministerialis of the Counts of Andechs, recorded in 1136. In 1328 the brothers Henrik and Ulrik Planinski pledged it and in 1332 sold it to Friderik Žovneški, later a Count of Celje. After the Celje line died out in 1456 it passed to the Habsburgs. It was last renovated in 1610, then abandoned for a more comfortable manor at the foot of the hill.

The ruins display layers of building styles that developed over centuries, reflecting how people lived and protected themselves in this location. Walking through the remains, you can see how construction methods and defensive needs changed across different periods.

The ruins stand on a hill east of Lake Zbilje and north of Šmarna gora, reached on foot; no road leads to the top. The path up passes the 14 Rococo Stations of the Cross of a Calvary built in 1772, restored in 1872 and 1992 and completed in 2001, ending at three crosses. The walls and tower are unrestored, so watch your footing.

The path up to the ruins passes 14 Rococo Stations of the Cross, a calvary built in 1772 in connection with the Valburga castle estate. It was restored in 1872 and 1992 and extended in 2001, ending in a group of three crosses.