City Park

The castle is surrounded by 9 hectares of the former castle park, which is today the town park and the town’s green lungs. It was systematically planted in the spirit of English gardens in the 18th century, occupying a wide area around the castle and surrounded by a moat, which was later filled in and turned into streets. Nevertheless, it is still one of the biggest and best preserved castle parks in Slovenia. There is little left of the oldest trees and bushes, but new plantings have been added systematically to them in recent times. The park is home to a rich fauna and is a pleasant environment for anyone visiting it, especially for children, who have a playground here. The Sobota Green Trail, a circular foothpath and nature trail, crosses the park, linking the centre of the town with the green areas on its outskirts. As part of the systematic renewal of the park, an artificial lake and 19 stone lithopunctures by Marko Pogačnik were added in the 1990s.
From spring to autumn, many events take place in the castle’s courtyard, on the square in front of the castle, or in the open green areas of the town park, featuring a background matched by very few others. A special festival and tourist event are the Sobota Days at the end of June, when the town launches a very diverse programme of summer musical and stage events.