Predjama means in front of the cave. This is one of the few surviving castle caves in the Alpine foothills from the Middle Ages. Dating to 13th c and before, the castle is set against the moist rock just inside the mouth of a cave over 400 ft high. Security features added over the centuries included drawbridges, sentry towers where boiling oil could be poured on intruders, and a dungeon with a small viewing room from the living quarters.