10. Predjama (Cave) Castle, Slowenia
Nine kilometers from Postiona, the Slovenian fortress Predjama is enthroned in a 123 Meter high rock face. It was entered in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest cave castle in the world.
Its most notorious lord of the castle was the robber baron Erasmus von Luegg. During the fighting between Emperor Friedrich III. and the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus he served the Hungarians. After the execution of his friend Andreas Baumkircher at the behest of the emperor, Erasmus killed an imperial relative and fled from the death penalty to Predjama Castle.
Luegg should be arrested because of multiple attacks on merchants. The siege of Predjama lasted more than a year.
The robber baron built secret tunnels that led in and out of the castle. Luegg is said to have taken care of himself during his siege via this secret cave system in the grotto.
The besieged even ridiculed the soldiers and pelted them with fried ox meat and fresh cherries. In 1484, with the help of a traitorous servant, the besiegers succeeded in killing Erasmus von Luegg while going to the toilet.
Even today, the spirit of Erasmus and some restless souls who were trapped in the tunnel system and perished during an earthquake are said to haunt the rocks. Therefore it is better not to enter the caves unaccompanied.