Ptuj

Ptuj stands beside a crossing of the Drava, where the Roman legionary camp of Poetovio became a flourishing town. In 69 its legions proclaimed Vespasian emperor, and in 103 Trajan granted the settlement colonial status. A castle later rose above the medieval town, which came under the spiritual and temporal authority of the archbishops of Salzburg.

Town rights granted in 1376 encouraged Ptuj's economic growth. After Habsburg rule was restored in 1490 following the conquests of Matthias Corvinus, the archbishop lost his remaining temporal authority, and in 1555 Ptuj was incorporated into Styria. The town lay in the path of the Ottoman wars and suffered repeated fires, including those of 1684, 1705, 1710 and 1744. Its river crossing continued to connect the town to the lands on either bank.