Coats of Arms from Slovenia

Photo (right): Graffiti from 18th century in the cave beneath the castle

This castle had several owners, each one with their own heraldry. I managed to find photographs of two coats of arms from this historic site, now popular tourist spot.


Photo (left): Cobenzl coat of arms, Predjama Castle Slovenia

Predjama castle was built in 12th century, in the middle of a 123 m high, overhanging limestone cliff, in the mouth of a cave behind and underneath the castle.

The most famous owner of this fort became knight Erazem in 1478. He wasn't very good in controlling his temper so he killed marshall Pappenheim, a relative of the Austrian Emperor at the Vienna court during an argument in 1483.

To escape the punishment, Erazem fled to his castle in Predjama. Emperor ordered Gaspar Ravbar, Lord of Trieste, to siege the castle by starving Erazem to death.

Photo above: Windisch Graetz coat of arms, Predjama Castle Slovenia

This tactic failed since Erazem seemed to have unlimited supplies of fresh food and kept proving that to his attackers while making fun and laughing at them. Indeed, he was using the secret passage through the caves.

Erazem was finally killed by a cannon ball due to betrayal of one of his servants who put the signal light in one of the castle's windows when Erazem was using the outhouse.


Photo above: Predjama castle northwest of Postojna, Slovenia - with the famous outhouse where knight Erazem was killed (on the very left of the castle)

Photo above: Coat of arms of Carniola Province

Carniola (Slovenian: Kranjska; German: Krain) is a traditional and historical region of today's Slovenia.

Under the Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land, known by the name Duchy of Carniola (in Slovenian: Vojvodina Kranjska, in German: Herzogtum Krain) - until 1918.

The region was subdivided into Upper Carniola (Slovenian: Gorenjska, German: Oberkrain), Lower Carniola (Slovenian: Dolenjska, German: Unterkrain), and Inner Carniola (Slovenian: Notranjska, German: Innerkrain).

Today, this same area is no longer called Carniola but the subdivisions stayed and so did their names.


Photo above: Coats of arms of towns in Carniola - - Copper engraving from 1689 by Janez Vajkard Valvasor

On the photo below there's a coat of arms of the former Socialist Republic of Slovenia (of former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) - in use between 1945 and 1991.

The national coat of arms of today's Slovenia - since 1991.

Slovenian Coat of Arms defines

* three stars that represent The Counts of Celje

* the highest mountain in Slovenia, called Triglav and

* the waves of Adriatic Sea

Photo (right): Location of Ajdovscina on the map of Slovenia



Photo (left): Coat of arms, Ajdovscina

Town of Ajdovscina is built on the foundations of an ancient Roman settlement, called Castra. Of all the towns in Slovenia, descended from Roman cities, only Ajdovscina has preserved the almost completely unbroken wall from Roman times, with fourteen towers of Roman Castra.

Ajdovscina is located in the heart of Vipava Valley.

Population : 6,373

Photo on the right: Location of Benedikt, Slovenske Gorice on the map of Slovenia



The coat of arms of Benedikt is vertically divided with a golden line. Silver field on the left has three golden crowns in it, referring to the parish of the Three Wise Men (Three Holly Kings in Slovenian) which was the core around which this community evolved.

Photo above: Benedikt, church of Three Wise Men (Cerkev Svetih treh kraljev)

Photo (right): Location of Celje on the map of Slovenia


Photo (left): Coat of arms of the Municipality of Celje

April 11,1451 was an important day for inhabitants of Celje. Friderik II, Prince of Celje, granted them the title Town of Celje and to this day this is still a municipal holiday.

The area of today's city has been populated since the Neolithic period and later became the second most important commercial and administrative center of the Noricum Kingdom.

Nowadays, with population of around 50,000, Celje is the third largest city in Slovenia and the administrative, economic, commercial, cultural, educational, medical, sports, and market center of the region.

Photo (right): Count of Celje - Ulrik II. (1406 - 1456) (in Slovenian: Ulrik Celjski) - coat of arms. He was an important authority in the affairs of the Kingdom of Hungary and the Holy Roman Empire. Together with his father, Frederick II - Count of Celje, Ulrik II. was made a prince of the Empire by Emperor Sigismund in 1436.


Photo above: Celje - Savinja River, St. Cecilia's Church and The Capuchin Monastery

Photo (right): Location of municipality Maribor on the map of Slovenia

The area of today's city of Maribor, the second largest city in Slovenia with population of about 133,000, was inhabited with smaller settlements since the late Bronze Age.

During the Roman period Maribor was on the junction of two main two roads: from Celeia (Celje) and Poetovio (Ptuj) to Flavio Solva (Lipnica) and Carinthia.

For the first time Maribor was mentioned in documents from 12th century as a market near Marchpurch castle which is Middle High German for "March Castle". Its Slovenian name "Maribor" came into use in 1836. Next it was mentioned as the center of a provostship in 1182, and in 1189 as the seat of a parish.

In 1254 the city walls were built and the first streets developed within the walls - however, Maribor officially became a city before that time.

Pretty significant Jewish population helped Maribor to become an important center of commerce and banking. Unfortunately, expulsion of the Jews in 1497 turned into a major blow to the economic power of the city.



Photo (left): Coat of arms of municipality Maribor, Slovenia features a white pigeon flying downwards toward a white castle with two towers and a portcullis (fortified gate to the entrance of the medieval castle) on a red shield

Maribor was also frequently devastated by fire, Turkish raids (1532 and 1683), and plague epidemics.

18th century improvement of the main road between Vienna and Trieste positively influenced the commercial and industrial situation in the city.

Furthermore, the railway from Vienna was completed in 1846 which greatly improved connections of Maribor to the region of the eastern Alps. At the same time the medieval city wall was demolished and the suburbs quickly became more closely connected with the city center happenings and trade.

Soon after, the first major investments by Austrian industrialists were launched. As a result, numerous important buildings and institutions were raised in the city.

City of Maribor (in German: Marburg an der Drau) remained under the rule of the Habsburg Monarchy until 1918.

Some interesting facts about Maribor:

• Maribor was named an "Alpine city" in 2000.


• The city was chosen to become "European Capital of Culture 2012" alongside with Guimarães, Portugal.


• Maribor will host the 2013 Winter Universiade games.

Photo above: Drava river with Lent, the oldest part of the city with the famous Old Vine (stara trta), the oldest grapevine in the world - more than 400 years old, the Old Vine House, with medieval towers and remains of the city walls - where the Lent Festival, the Old Vine Festival, Musical September and many other events take place in the capital of Stajerska region, Maribor Slovenia

Photo (right): Location of municipality Ptuj on Slovenian map

Dating all the way back to Stone Age, Ptuj is the oldest city in Slovenia. By the Late Iron Age, the area was settled by Celts and toward the end of 1st century BC it came under the rule of ancient Rome.

Roman Emperor Trajan granted city status to the settlement in 103 and named it Colonia Ulpia Traiana Poetovio. The city had 40,000 inhabitants until 450 AD when it was plundered by Huns.



Photo (left): Coat of arms Ptuj, Slovenia. The town has been using a seal, showing St. George killing the dragon since 13th century. Sometimes during the 15th century this image was simplified to only show the red cross on white as the St. George's cross.

Eurasian Avars and Slavic tribes occupied the area in 570. At the end of 8th century the Avar state crumbled and Frankish Empire became the ruler of once prosperous area.

Between 840 and 874 Ptuj belonged to the Slavic Balaton Principality of Pribina and Kocelj.

Between 874 and 890 Ptuj gradually grew more and more under the influence of the Archbishopric of Salzburg. Yet, town privileges passed in 1376 began another economic upswing for the settlement. Under the German name of Pettau, town was incorporated into the Duchy of Styria in 1555.

Pettau was a battleground during the Ottoman wars in Europe and was devastated by fires in 1684, 1705, 1710, and 1744.

Population and importance of Pettau began to decline again in the 19th century, after the completion of the Vienna-Trieste Railway, as the line went through Marburg (Maribor) and Ptuj was left out.


Photo above: Downtown Ptuj Slovenia with Drava river and Ptuj castle, situated on the top of the hill, overlooking the town. The castle was built in the mid-12th century, when Ptuj was owned by the Archdiocese of Salzburg. It was constructed for defense against Hungarians.