The City of History and Culture

It is a city bursting at the seams with culture and history. So much so that it is difficult to talk about it with words that are not superlatives. This tiny oasis of culture rises from an unspoiled nature and its crowning jewel is the Ptuj Lake. The city presents itself to us, not only as the oldest Slovenian city, but also its most beautiful. Whether it be in the winter months, when a variety of Mardi Gras processions take place there or during the heats of summer, when there poets quench their thirst and set ablaze their creative flames with a glass of wine, this is a city that is always alive with culture. 

It is a well-known fact that Ptuj is the oldest city in Slovenia and that it has to this day preserved its ancient name, bestowed to it by the Thirteenth Roman Legion: Petovia. During the times of the Roman Empire this province was so important that its soldiers wielded enough political power to crown Vespasian an empire. From those days the most important remaining cultural monument is the shrine to the god Mithra. It is the oldest such in this region and one of the oldest in the world. We are talking about a testament to an ancient religion that is with its dualism, a single deity and the concept of redemption a forbearer of Christianity. In ancient Rome this cult was forbidden even during the time of polytheism, and by the time of Constantine's reforms it had been completely pushed out by Christianity. Throughout the following centuries Ptuj went through a number of masters, from Celts, Goths, Avars and Franks, until finally Slavs settled here, who under a few years fell under the Salzburg hegemony. The importance of the city rose and fell, and the populous changed with it. In some centuries, Ptuj was a center of commercial paths between kingdoms and empires of the Central Europe and the Balkans; for in the ancient times the fabled Amber Road went right through these lands. Again during other, more tumultuous centuries the city was completely emptied and burned down in the Ottoman Wars that took place at the borders of Austrian lands. Turkish incursions threatened the city from the early Modern Age until the end of the 16th century, but this fact never truly damaged its reputation. So Ptuj since the Late Middle Ages, when it was a home to Archbishops of Salzburg, was not only one of the richest cities in Slovenia, but in Austria as well. And it kept this reputation all the way until the fires and battles of the 18th century. 

Today Ptuj is one of the tidiest city in Slovenia and the moment we walk in, we can tell that culture is important to its citizens. The Ptuj Castle towers over the city and it looks more like a governmental residence than a medieval fortress and the entirety of the city's magnificence can be observed from the top. Ptuj is curiously ordered city and even the aged, dilapidated houses with their red brick and graffiti give it a charm that is rarely seen in Slovene cities. A special kind of joy is to walk through the city and uncover its tiny mysteries, galleries and statue exhibitions by foreign artists. A timeless testament to its love of culture is the monument to Orpheus on the Slovene Square. This marble statue tells the story of famed ancient musician, whose songs were so beautiful that the gods offered him a chance to save his dead lover from the underworld. And the image of the mythical singer seems very suitable when talking about Ptuj. Today the city is one of the best organized tourist destinations in Slovenia and its rich repertoire boasts ancient spas (that are maybe the most useful remnant of old Roman imperialism), a cathedral, Franciscan church and regional museum. The city itself has been proclaimed to be the tidiest Slovene spa city together with Podčetrtek and Zreče. A recent pinnacle of culture that can be appreciated by anyone is a merger of two of the most important Slovenian traditions; writing poetry and drinking wine. In the summer months we can attend simply but aptly named Days of Poetry and Wine. Here a glass of a proper Styria wine can be enjoyed in the oldest wine cellar in the country. 

Songs and mythological tradition truly appear alive during the time of Mardi Gras when music echoes through the streets of Ptuj; when the smell of doughnuts fills the air and kurents walk among the old buildings. The tradition of kurentovanje, the procession of the kurents, originates from the ancient Slavic tradition of dispelling winter, which later joined with the Christian celebrations of the beginning of lent. With their huge garments from sheep skin and bells, Kurents are one of the most recognizable images of Slovene culture and every year thousands of people from all over the world come to see the procession that takes place on Fast Sunday on the streets of Ptuj. To visit this carneval is a special experience indeed, and we can easily see its pagan roots. Unlike the long Christian dullness, prompted by Ash Wednesday a couple of days later, Kurentovanje is marked by festive music, strong drinks, dancing and an abundance of fatty food. The city starts to smell of barbecue and doughnuts, and both the youth and the elderly take part in the processions. One can't help but to laugh, when one sees how parents together with their children dress up to join in the ancient practices of scaring the winter away. It is hard to see such merrymaking elsewhere in the country. The procession, like most of Mardi Gras celebrations around Slovenia, ends a day before Ash Wednesday, when the Prince of Mardi Gras is set ablaze, and the eleven-day reign of Kurents comes to a close. 

Another superlative of Ptuj's is the Ptuj Lake. With its 350 hectares it is the largest constant lake in Slovenia. In spite of the fact this is an artificial lake, brought forth by building of a dam on the river Drava in 1978 for the purposes of the Formin power plant, it is an important aspect of the natural preserve. A number of species of birds found a home there, from river gulls, terns and cormorants. Because of its popularity among athletes and because the lake receives so much visitations due to sporting activates in the summertime, it has been dubbed the Ptuj Sea. The name is very fitting, as among the copious opportunities for sport, fishing and bird watching, there is also the only landlocked marina in the country. Other than its huge importance for nature and socializing, the lake is also a point of contention, as many ecologists claim that it was the very channel that leads to the power plant, that is responsible for many powerful floods of the river Drava. 

The Ptuj Mountain is a village that carries in its heart the greatest cultural heritage of these lands. It is the Virgin of Mercy basilica and in it the altar piece of St. Mary with the Coat, under which we can people of all walks of life taking refuge, from the founder of the town Bernard the Third to the contemporary bishops and common folk. The statue of the motive known as the Praying Mary originates form the Late Middle Ages, from the 15th century and was probably part of the church from its beginning. The artwork is connected to the story about the Turkish incursions. Allegedly, there was an Ottoman army approaching the village and right before the battling was to begin, dark clouds shrouded the Ptuj Mountain and keep it out of sight from the enemies. This mythical occurrence is the reasons for the town's second name, the Black Mountain. The church itself is one of the few points of pilgrimage in Slovenia and is one of the wealthiest and perhaps the most beautiful gothic cathedral in the country. In the surrounding hills, one can also find remnants from the times before Slavic people settled here. In the forests lie ruins of numerous Celtic and Avarian villages and even a handful of Early Middle Age churches. 

 

Between its nature and culture, wine and poetry, Ptuj is a city that will grow on its every visitor. It is city that gives testament to what astounding urban beauty can be achieved if people value culture and art. There we can see everything from the remnants of early Christian tradition, like ancient churches and sacral art, to new cultural institutions, such as  the Days of Poetry and Wine.