The fortress Kastra Martis near the city of Kula guarded the most western passage of Stara Planina – Vrashka Chuka, and the Roman road to Singidunum (Belgrade). It dates from the time of Emperor Diocletian – the beginning of the 4th century. Today the stronghold near Kula is represents a significant monument of the mass Roman construction from the second half of the 3rd and the first decades of the 4th century
The castle was first mentioned in a 22 May 1011 deed of donation issued by Emperor Henry II in favour of the Bishops of Brixen.[1] Then located in the March of Carniola, it passed to the Austrian House of Habsburg in 1278.
The oldest part of the castle is the Romanesque tower. In the Middle Ages more towers were built and the fortifications were improved. Other buildings were constructed in the Renaissance style.[2] The buildings are arranged around two courtyards, which are connected with a staircase. There is a chapel on the upper courtyard, which was built in the 16th century, and renovated around 1700, when it was also painted with illusionist frescoes. The castle also has a drawbridge over a moat.
