OLD PODGRAD CASTLE
Length
6.6
Length 6.6 km ​
Time needed
01:30
Time needed 01:30 ​
Največja strmina vzpona[%]
10
Greatest slope of the ascent: 10 %
Greatest slope of the descent: 14 %
Average slope of the ascent: 18 %
Length of ascents above 5%: 2.50 km
The lowest point of the route: 530 m
The highest point of the route: 269 m
Difference in altitude: 564 m
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Poraba kalorij
1470
Consumption of energy for men: 1470 kJ (351 kcal)
Consumption of energy for women: 1206 kJ (288 kcal)
​
Difficulty
Difficulty: Medium demanding ​
Quality of the surface
Quality of the surface: Forest path
Primerna obutev: Hiking boots
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Short description

This time you will visit the Kašelj Hill and its surrounding area, known for its centuries old history. Millenniums, to be exact, since the confluence of the Ljubljanica and the Sava rivers was mentioned in the story about Jason and the Argonauts who were supposed to have travelled to this area in the 13th century BC. The subsequent history is also very rich. The route is passable in most weather conditions, except in winter during sudden heavy snowfalls.

Course

Zalog – Kašeljski hrib – Debni vrh – Stari Ostrovrharjev grad – Podgrad – Novi Ostrovrharjev grad – Kašeljski hrib – Zalog

Port of Ljubljana
You may say: "Port!? What? Ljubljana doesn't have a port!" But you would be wrong. It just does not have it anymore. It used to have it and it was not very small. The sea, of course, has never been near and the lake in the Marshes dried up long ago, so they had to make do with the river. It was called the Ljubljanica River and the port was in Zalog . It was situated approximately at the same spot as the present bridge over the Ljubljanica River in Zalog. This place is near the starting point of today's route. You will find more about the port below (at the sights section) and you can also read some facts about it on the information board . Almost nothing remained of the port today; however, you will see how everything happened on the Kašelj Hill where you are headed to today. Let's go!

Up the hill without coughing
The Kašelj Hill (kašelj means cough in Slovenian) is separated from the city with the Ljubljanica River. If you want to climb it, you have to cross the river by one of the bridges. There are only two of them near Zalog; one in Kašelj by the road to Sostro and the other one is in Zalog by the road to Kresnice . The latter is the most suitable for the realisation of today's hiking idea although you could also choose the other one to come to the starting point. Zalog can be reached by bus, bike or car. In the first case, you route will be a bit longer; in the second and third case, you can leave your vehicle at a small macadam car park which you see on the right side soon after the bridge over the Ljubljanica River if you go in the direction of Kresnice. The car park is intended for walkers and hikers. What is more, it offers cyclists the option of chaining their bikes to bike racks since it is impossible to continue by bike.
In addition to the Ljubljanica River, the Kašelj Hill is separated from the city by the railway line Ljubljana–Zidani most, which you have to cross somehow. It is not safe to go straight across it, but you are lucky because there's an arched passage at the car park through which you can safely come to the other side. No more jokes. The route immediately starts to ascend steeply. It is badly marked but so beaten that there is no doubt as to where you have to go. The rule is very simple: straight up the steep hill. If you happen to take a crossway, never mind. It will lead you back to the right path even before the summit of the ridge, as all paths meet at the same point in the end. The route first runs along a forest sledge and continues straight up the slope where it zigzags between trees and roots. Goodbye, Kašelj! Mixed forest hides the views of the elongated settlement with this name on the slope near the left bank of the Ljubljanica River. Goodbye, cough! The steepness ensures that you will filter every corner of your lungs.

Views
Towards the summit, you get the impression that the forest is a bit thinner but the views still cannot be praised. A little bit further, the slope becomes 'thinner' as well. You arrive to the ridge where a resting point kindly waits for you . From there you set off towards Debni vrh Hill. A nice ridge path takes you near the top without major height differences and then again quite steeply to the very top. In between, you come across an interesting sign in a hollow trunk . Who knows why a folk artist put it there. You finally arrive to the highest point of the Kašelj Hill (530 m). You gain some additional metres while climbing to the wooden observation tower which is high enough to enable views over tree tops. Ljubljana is in front of you, as clear as day. In nice weather, the view, in addition to the Ljubljana Basin, covers every area south, west and north of it. Krim, Nanons, Ratitovec, Triglav, Storžič, Gintavec and Šmarna gora can be seen. It is particularly nice at sunset and at night . The observation tower is covered with a roof which protects it from bad weather; however, it is not safe to shelter there from the storm due to the possibility of lightning strike. On a rock under the tower, there is a metal plate with marked direction of near and distant summits which could be seen from the tower. It is a pity that it is not located on the tower, as it would be even more useful there.

Castle on the Ostri vrh Hill
You need some time to enjoy the views from the tower – especially if this is your first time. Then descend and continue along the ridge to the east . After almost 50 m, find a path that branches off to the left and down the hill. Descend below the summit approximately where you ascended on the way up. Continue along a wide path for nearly 10 minutes (around 500 m) until you come to the spot where a narrow, but well-beaten path branches off to the right towards the Old Castle. Descend to the east side of the ridge of the Kašelj Hill, known for dense undergrowth which consists mostly of bilberries. They thrive in this habitat. The bushes are knee-high and more; some plants form actual woody stems, thick as a little finger. Naturally, there are also plenty of fruits and you do not even have to crouch much to reach them. Continue along the path, pick a bilberry here and there and you will suddenly see a resting point in front of you (two benches and a table) and a large round stone plate with a hole in the middle a little further on . What could this be, so high uphill? It looks like a millstone. Yes, you got it right! It really is a millstone; it symbolises the memory of ancient times when a quarry operated nearby and this milling tool was being cut there. In general, the Kašelj Hill has a rich history and you are just approaching the spot which contributed the most to this fact: the Old Castle on Ostri vrh. A legend from literature, poems and fairy tales. Even Prešeren mentions it in the Rosamund of Turjak. A short, but steep path takes you to its ruins. A part of the wall of the central tower has been preserved , everything else was demolished long ago. Descend along the same route and turn right at the aforementioned millstone to a wider path towards west. After less than 100 m, you come to a junction where the forest road turns right and down towards the valley (it is marked). The route takes you below the castle where there are a lot of scattered rocks which somehow remind of glacial moraine . It is possible that they originate from the Old Castle. Most of the rocks are quartz conglomerate, a rock used mostly for construction; moreover, millstones were cut out of particularly good pieces. Continue past individual large rocks of unusual shapes towards the valley where you look for a path leading left along the edge of the meadow . The path directs you to the former Arbo factory and the settlement of Podgrad.

Podgrad squared
Before arriving there, you find yourself at a turning point of the forest path . If you continued straight along the valley, you would get to Podgrad. Prior to this, you would cross a water supply channel which supplies the power plant in the Arbo factory with water from the Besnica River. A spruce avenue used to be located there but the bark beetle destroyed them all. Just some facts: the factory, which is today known as Arbo factory, was established in 1854 as a joint-stock company. The majority shareholder was count Attems. It produced methylated spirit, various technical oils and varnish. It later developed into Kansky chemical factory and after World War II into Arbo chemical industry. In the early period of its operation, the factory enjoyed high technological progress, as it used water power of the Besnica to drive the machines and had its own power plant even before World War I. It operated until 2001 when it went bankrupt, mainly because of the loss of Yugoslavian market. Anyone who is interested in the present appearance of the factory should take the lower road to the asphalt, go through the narrow area at the power plant and peek into the courtyard . The settlement of Podgrad starts there; you probably agree that it really deserves its name (Podgrad means under the castle in Slovenian) - it is literally situated under two castles. Pod-pod-grad (Under-under-the-castle) or Podgrad squared.

Residence
Culture lovers and those who are satisfied with the walk itself will not visit the abandoned factory but will at the turning point look for a forest road, which turns uphill and after a few minutes takes you to the new Osterberg Castle. The locals call it Grad (Castle) and thus distinguish it from Stari grad (Old Castle) which you've visited earlier. When you get there, you realise that the word »castle« is quite exaggerated in this case. This building might really be a castle once, but today , it looks more like a rural villa than a fortified home of lords. Originating from the late 18th century, it is not very old although it really is built on foundations of an older building. Its other names are: Red Castle, Povše Castle and Kansky Villa. Every name has a historical basis but none of them is appropriate today. Several centuries ago, the fortified Osterberg Castle stood at this site but its residents left it and moved to the valley. The castle had been decaying until lord Erberg bought it and built a small holiday villa on top of its ruins. He used a part of the old castle wall for one of the walls. Later, he built a keeper's house next to the villa. The estate changed many owners who designed it to their taste. The most significant owners were France Povše (regional delegate) and the Kansky spouses from whom the popular names Povše Castle and Kansky Villa originate. The third name, Red Castle, stuck because the villa had a reddish façade in Erberg's time. The building was also quite small so its last owners, the Kansky spouses, reconstructed it thoroughly in the 1930s. They doubled its ground plan and added another two floors. In doing so, they again used a part of the original castle wall - they extended the villa on its eastern side and let the broken part stick out of the façade as a monument. The villa is inhabited but does not make a welcoming impression. The information board even says that access is prohibited.

Walking back
Although the "Castle" has a nice exposed position, it does not offer many views as it is overgrown with high trees. Nevertheless, you can here and there see the confluence and the Ljubljana Basin between the branches. After visiting the castle and deciding to return – your way back will also be sparse with views. You have only one choice: the path that runs along the ridge towards Debni vrh. It could almost be called a road , as it is so well maintained, but it is a bit too narrow for today's traffic. This will quite do, so walk quickly towards the resting point, which is already known from the beginning of the route. If you have doubts, follow the right path although the left one is wider. From the resting point, go down the same slope as on the way up. This time you do not have to use the forest sledge but take a shortcut straight downhill. Naturally, it is steeper but a bit shorter than the original route. Cling to the trunks and branches and be careful not to slip. When you see the railway and a house next to it, turn left and join the path that takes you through the railway underpass to the car park where you started today's trip.

You have spent a pleasant afternoon visiting places with extremely rich history. It has not been too long or too tiresome. If you ever return, you may take the Ostrovrhar Route which runs along the same places but is a little bit different. You may also change the direction and start at the aforementioned forest turning point behind the Arbo factory. Thus, you will avoid the steep western slopes of the Kašelj Hill.

Old Castle (Old Osterberg)
Recent research (Grilc, 2005) indicates that a fortress, which protected the back of the castle on the other hill above the confluence, used to be situated on an exposed and easily defensible summit (446 m). As it was well-fortified but small, it was allegedly not suitable for the residence of lords and management of the estate. It was supposed to have been built very early, perhaps as early as in the 11th century. It was then very useful in the time of Turkish invasions, but later, when the danger ceased, it was no longer needed and was abandoned. It might have been used for temporary accommodation of workers who cut millstones in the nearby quarry. This could be the case according to the remains of roof tiles and plaster on the section of the preserved wall - both of later origin. The measurement of the present ruins shows that the exterior ground plan size of the building was 13.5 x 7.5 m which means approximately 70 m2 of net surface of two rooms; this really is low. The wall was around 80 cm thick at the bottom and 60 cm above; therefore, the building also could not be very high, considering technology of those times. It had no more than one or two storeys and perhaps a wooden addition. The southern part had a basement underneath and the northern section was built on the fused rock which used to be the top of the hill. There was a dry moat at the entrance to the castle and a drawbridge over it.

Castle (New Osterberg, Povše Castle, Kansky Villa, Red Castle)
This is probably the location of the original Osterberg Castle, regardless of the origin of the name. According to Valvasor, the fortress was built in 1015 but nothing else confirms this fact. It was later converted into a pristava which was abandoned after 1562 due to its wear and improper position and its residents moved to the lowlands. The building began to deteriorate irrepressibly. As a ruin it is already presented by Valvasor in the Glory of the Duchy of Carniola (the picture in the book predates 1679). It was not saved until lord Jožef Kalasanc Erberg of Dol who demolished the old walls and in 1789 built a one-storey villa with a mono-pitched roof and a ridge leaned against the only preserved wall of the old castle. The villa is small, only 10 x 5 m overall. Due to its reddish façade, the locals called it Red Castle. In 1822, Erberg built the keeper's house south of the villa into which he installed stone cannonballs, remains of blue ceramic (both probably from the ruins of the old castle) and a part of Roman tombstone, most likely brought from the valley. The estate later changed many owners; two of them should be mentioned: France Povše (director of agricultural school in Gorica and later a regional delegate) and the Kansky family (owners of the chemical factory in Podgrad). Povše improved the villa and spent several vacations there, so it became known as Povše Castle. The Kansky family bought it in 1932 and undertook a through reconstruction. They significantly enlarged the villa: the ground plan was twice the original size and two storeys were added. The former eastern wall of the villa which originated from the original castle thus became the central wall of the new building. The roof got an eastern part and became gable. The Kansky family, much like Erberg, maintained a part of the original wall which still sticks out of the northern façade. The villa is today used for residential purposes.

Podgrad
Podgrad is a very old settlement at the end of the Valley of Besnica. Throughout history, it was never named so, although the origins of the name are obvious (Podgrad means under the castle in Slovenian). It was always mentioned in connection with the castle which suggests that it was established simultaneously with it or that it originally had only one farm (which already had its own name). In addition to Podgrad, the settlements of Gostinca, Gradovlje, Podgorje, Zalog, Kašelj and Lipoglav, fishing farms along the Sava and the Ljubljanica rivers, hunting farms in Janče and mills on the Besnica belonged to the Osterberg estate as well.

The Kašelj Hill
The Kašelj Hill, which borders to the Ljubljana Basin on the east, has always been the boundary line between individual estates or even provinces. In Valvasor's time, the border between the Duchy of Carniola and Lower Carniola ran along it. What is more, the battles between the French and Austrians took place there in the times of Illyrian Provinces and the Kašelj Hill was a boundary line between German and Italian occupied areas in World War II.

Port in Zalog
Long-distance roads did not exist in the Middle Ages. Wherever possible, water connections were used for the transport of cargo. One of the important waterways ran along the Sava and the Danube rivers all the way to the Black Sea. The Sava River was navigable up to Zalog where a large river port was built. The ships were pulled upstream from the river bank by hand and the crew steered the ship to avoid dangerous sections. A ship could be pulled by up to 30 people. When the scope of river traffic increased, paved roads were built along the Sava River, where it was possible to pull ships with ox yokes. These routes are still partly preserved. The riverbed was deepened in 1779, together with the construction of a landing pier, loading elevator, navigation office, warehouses and other buildings. The port was so large that even 30-metre long ships, carrying 60 tonnes of cargo, could land there. Most of them were actually smaller, with the tonnage of around 10 tonnes. In its peak period, an average of ten ships landed in Zalog daily and over 100 tonnes of cargo were loaded and then transported by heavy carts. The business was so successful that there were 11 inns between Zalog and Ljubljana although the distance between the two is not significant. The traffic at port in Zalog started to decline when the Southern Railway, connecting Vienna with Trieste, was built. The first train came to Ljubljana on 18 August 1849, on the Emperor's birthday. The railway soon took over the majority of cargo which had previously been transported by ships. The port activity moved from Zalog to Zidani Most. The last large ship landed in Zalog in 1856. When the railway Zidani Most–Zagreb was built in 1862, the port in Zidani Most was more and more abandoned and the one in Zalog completely died down.

Confluence of the Sava and the Ljubljanica rivers
It is actually the confluence of three rivers as the Sava, the Ljubljanica and the Kamniška Bistrica meet at the same spot. The Besnica Stream also joined them in the past, but after extensive regulation works, the Sava and the Ljubljanica were diverted into their present beds, while the Besnica remained where it was. Therefore, it flows into the Ljubljanica River today. The regulation meant the continuation of regulation works for flood prevention in Ljubljana, which were started by Gabriel Gruber and finished by his pupil Jožef Šemerl. With the levelling of the Sava riverbed and regulation of its tributaries at a sharp angle, its permeability increased significantly. At the same time, a sufficiently deep waterway along the Ljubljanica River all the way to Zalog was acquired. The confluence itself is known for another thing: it was mentioned in the story about Jason and the Argonauts which has historical foundations and was supposed to take place in the 13th century BC.

There is a story that speaks about the time of conflicts between the Austrians and the French in the early 19th century. While fighting the French in Zalog, the Austrian artillery, positioned at the Kašelj Hill, killed a French officer with the help of a waitress from one of the inns in Zalog and the French retreated.

Walking up the steep western slope of the Kašelj Hill is tiresome. In some sections, it is advised to cling to the trees and branches for support. Climbing up the remains of the Old Castle is dangerous – stones fall off the wall and the wall may even collapse.
The new castle is today used for apartments. The information board says that visits are not desirable.