Kratek sprehod na nekoč mogočni grad, od katerega sedaj ostajajo samo razvaline.
Short hike on once mighty castle, but now there are just a ruins.
SLO: Eden od najbolj markantnih pogledov v Loški dolini je gotovo tisti na razvaline loškega gradu, ki mu je ljudstvo že v davnini dalo vzdevek Pusti grad in spletlo okoli njega številne zgodbe in skrivnosti. Razvaline se dvigajo na hribu nad Ložem, enim najstarejših slovenskih mest, ki mu je mestne pravice podelil cesar Friderik III leta 1477 iz obrambnih potreb pred Turki, saj je ležalo ob zelo pomembni poti med morjem in notranjostjo. Zgodovinarji postavljajo začetek Loške gospoščine prav v čas nastajanja fevdalnega reda pri nas s prvimi lastniki oglejskimi patriarhi, ki so jim sledili grofje Vovbrški, nato Ortenburžani, Celjski in deželni knez, po letu 1635 pa knezi Eggenbergi, ki so grad opustili in sedež posesti prenesli na bližnji Snežnik.
Mogočne razvaline loškega gradu so nekaj posebnega ne samo zaradi starosti, saj je bilo jedro verjetno pozidano že v 12. stoletju, ampak tudi zaradi izjemno lepe in vešče zidave, ki že tako dolgo kljubuje času. Prvotnemu jedru s stolpom je bilo v času turških vpadov dodano obzidje, v katerem najdemo stare line strelnice in sledove obrambnih nadzidkov, v obodnem dvoriščnem zidu pa sledove prvotnega romanskega portala.
Zgodovinski viri so, ko gre za loški grad zelo skromni. V Valvazorjevem času je bil že razvalina in je v Slavi Vojvodine Kranjske tak tudi upodobljen. Iz Kronike grofov Celjskih izvemo, da so med vojskovanjem med Celjani in habsburškimi leta 1439 slednji napadli tudi celjski Lož, ga zavzeli in požgali, samo ugibamo pa lahko, kaj se je zgodilo z gradom. Po nekaterih domnevah je bil takrat razdejan in pozneje spet obnovljen.
Kakorkoli, danes je loški grad priljubljeno sprehajališče in razgledna točka domačinov in marsikaterega izletnika.
ENG: One of most beautiful views in the Lož Valley is certainly the one on the ruins of the Lož Castle, which in ancient times was nicknamed the Desert Castle and many stories and secrets were woven around it. The ruins rise on a hill above Lož, one of the oldest Slovenian towns, granted by city rights by Emperor Frederick III in 1477 for defense against the Turks, as it lay along a very important route between the sea and the interior. Historians mark the beginning of the Lož lordship at the time of the feudal order in Slovenia with the first owners being the Aquileian patriarchs, followed by the counts of Vovbr, then the Ortenburg, Celje and provincial princes, and after 1635 the Eggenberg princes who abandoned the castle and transferred the seat to the estate nearby Snežnik. The mighty ruins of Loka Castle are something special not only because of their age, that the core was probably built in the 12th century, but also because of the extremely beautiful and skilful construction, which has been defying time for so long. During the Turkish invasions, a wall was added to the original core with the tower, in which we can find old firing ranges and traces of defensive superstructures, and traces of the original Romanesque portal in the perimeter courtyard wall. Historical sources are very modest when it comes to Loka Castle. It was already a ruin in Valvasor's time and is also depicted in the Glory of the Duchy of Carniola. From the Chronicle of the Counts of Celje we learn that during the war between the people of Celje and the Habsburgs in 1439, the latter also attacked the Celje lodge, captured and burned it, but we can only guess what happened to the castle. According to some assumptions, it was then destroyed and later rebuilt.
However, today Lož Castle is a popular wlaking point for locals and many excursionists.