Over the centuries this castle, along with two others in its vicinity, Šalek and Ekenštajn, has played a key role in controlling the routes from the Celje Basin to Carinthia.

[1][6] Archaeological excavations have revealed that the valley where the castle is located was the settlement of prehistoric man.

[8] The castle was a strategically important fortress first mentioned in 1270; from it various owners controlled the routes from the Celje Basin to Carinthia.

A defense tower, a triangular shaped fortification, is built as part of the wall on the northeastern side of the courtyard.

Its unique art collections include African art (only one of its kind in Slovenia with 1000 art pieces which includes furniture, jewelry, music instruments, masks and puppets, and the carved sculptures of the donor), which was donated to the museum by the Czech-born sculptor Frančišek Foit; contemporary art by local artists of Slovenia, artifacts related to the history of the valley from the Roman period and Baroque of the Middle Ages through the centuries, including figureheads of Tito and Kardelj leaders of Yugoslavia during communist rule in Slovenia, remnants of two mastodons, a chronology of Velenje emerging as a town and Baroque artwork from the St. George's Church (Slovene: sv.