We agreed with our tour leader that Lake Bled was indeed a beautiful spot. Gert said that it was a contender to be one of the most beautiful places in the whole of Europe!
Not only is the lake itself serene and peaceful, but it features not one but two iconic landmarks: a fairytale castle on a hill and an island topped with a church in the middle of the lake.
The Castle
A large rock cliff gloriously rises on the north side of the lake and offers a lavishing view of the surrounding area. A castle has been perched on that cliff since the Middle Ages, so the hill is named after it.
We accessed the castle along a very, very steep walking path, which took us to the castle walls. The path was well regulated hiking trails with fences.
All the way up we had panoramic views of Lake Bled and its island, as well as of the wider area.
Fascinating art gallery —I mean the entire castle inside!
The church on an island in the lake
Around 1500 AD, Hartman Kreigh was the administrator of Bled Castle, and let’s just say he had all the charm of a tax collector at a funeral. The peasants were none too pleased and often complained about his relentless quest for their last coins and his deep understanding of the phrase ‘tough love.’ They even sent their grievances to the bishop and the king, probably hoping for a miracle—or at least a better landlord. Then one day, Kreigh pulled a disappearing act that would make a magician proud. Rumours swirled that he met his end at the hands of robbers, but whispers also suggested that the peasants had taken matters into their own hands. Not that anyone could prove it; peasants are notoriously bad at paperwork! In any case, suddenly there was a vacancy for an unwelcome master. His wife, Poliksena, who managed the castle with all the warmth of a winter’s day, was devastated. She grieved for him deeply, though some suspected it was more about losing her favourite way to squeeze her subordinates dry!
In her grief, the widow collected all the gold and silver she had stored in her chests. She used it to have a bell cast for the chapel on the Bled Island. When the boatmen were taking the bell to the island, a storm broke out, sinking the boat, the boatmen and the bell. From time to time, the sunken bell can still be heard ringing from the depths of the lake. Devastated, Poliksena left the castle and went to a convent in Rome. When the Pope heard her sad story, he made a new bell and sent it to the island.