Ptuj’s castle hill, which offers far-reaching views, was already settled during the Neolithic age, from the 5th millennium BC onwards.
In the ancient Poetovio, important public buildings stood on the hill, and in the early Middle Ages the area was used as a burial ground.
The remains of the medieval fortress date back to the 11th century, when the castle and town were in the possession of the Archdiocese of Salzburg. In 1132, the archbishops granted the castle as a fief to the Lords of Ptuj, who managed the castle and the town for more than three hundred years with a few short interruptions.
