Fužine Castle is Ljubljana's has retained its original Renaissance character. It was built by a crossing point over the Ljubljanica river's rapids between 1528 and 1557 on commission from the wealthy local merchants Veit Khisl and Hans Weilhaimer, the former of whom served several terms of office as Mayor of Ljubljana. A defence tower was built in each of the four corners of the castle building and another one over the entrance, which is accessible via a stone bridge across the moat surrounding the castle. Inside the castle there are remains of Renaissance and Baroque wall paintings, and on the wooden ceiling of the castle chapel a fragment of a ceiling painting.
During its history the castle has housed an iron smelting works, a smithy, a glassworks and a paper pulping mill, and served as ancillary premises of a power plant. Since 1992, when it was thoroughly renovated by the architect Peter Gabrijelčič, it has been occupied by the Museum of Architecture and Design.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.