It is true that the best things happen when they are not planned… I was driving by the Otocec castle and since it was such a nice sunny day I’ve decided for a small detour and stopped at the castle just to stretch my legs and to relax in the charming atmosphere.
The Otocec castle lies in the south-eastern part of Slovenia, in the region called Dolenjska. It is nicely positioned on a small island on the Krka river.
The castle with the surrounding park is one of the most picturesque landscapes in Slovenia (especially if you are lucky to have an aerial view of it 😊).
The castle was first mentioned in 1252, and during its history changed in shape but also in position. It is not known who the first owner of the castle was, who constructed it, and when exactly that happened. The most interesting thing is that originally the castle was built on the riverbank (the river island was not existing). One of the owners decided that a part of the land on the right side of the castle should be excavated so that the water would protect it from enemies on all sides. In this way the island was crated. Today, the island is connected with two bridges, on each side.
During centuries the castle changed many owners, the last one being count Margheri. During the Second World War, the castle was burned down, only the ruins of it and both of its bridges were left. In 1952, an extensive renovation of the castle began (finished 6 years later), also with the help of international work brigades. In 1959 they opened the first restaurant in the castle, following which there were some additional renovations of the restaurant and the whole castle area.
Today Otocec castle host a boutique 5 star hotel, part of the Relais and Chateaux association. It is an elegant hotel that still gives you that charm of the castle but offering all the comforts of a luxury property. It also hosts an excellent restaurant (for hotel guests and daily visitors).
The park around the castle was created between the 18th and 19th century. It is not a big area, but so nicely curated that it is worth stopping there. What I like most about the ear is not just the calming and relaxing atmosphere of the river and the nice view of the castle, but the vivid wildlife. There are many butterflies and dragonflies flying around. During my short stop I was able to admire swans in the river, ducks resting on the riverbank, mother duck with the little babies and quite a lot of fish in the water.
Unfortunately, it was time for me to move on and continue my drive to the destination, but the stop just re-charged me, and these 30 minutes were nicely spent 😊. If I had a few more hours, maybe I'd go play a few holes of golf ⛳🏌️♂️🏌️
Thanks for reading,
feel free to leave a comment, I will be glad to reply to.
Best regards, @miljo76
