Pusti Grad

Zgornja Lipnica, Slovenia, Slovenia

---

Pusti Grad, also known as Lipniški grad or Waldenberg Castle, is a ruined 12th-13th century medieval fortress on a hill above Zgornja Lipnica village in the Lipnica Valley near Radovljica, northern Slovenia. First documented in 1263 as castrum Waldemberch under the powerful Ortenburg Counts—its likely builders—it served as the regional estate center for Friderik Ortenburški from 1256, featuring a robust Romanesque palas, defensive walls, two towers, and ditches before passing to the Counts of Celje and Habsburgs in the 14th century. Damaged by a 1509 earthquake, burned in the 16th century, and abandoned after a major fire around 1573, the overgrown ruins with visible core remnants now offer hiking access and Alpine views as a protected heritage site tied to local legends of guards and executions.