Former Tito residence to host EU meetings

"The castle, which often changed hands in the last five centuries, has a rich history.

It is believed to have been one of the favourite residences of Serbian, and later Yugoslav, Prince Paul Karadjordjevic, who bought it in 1935, and his descendents still lay claim to it.

After World War II, the communist regime nationalised the castle, which became one of the preferred residences of Josip Broz 'Tito', who ruled Yugoslavia from 1944 to his death in 1980.

When Slovenia declared independence from former Yugoslavia in 1991, the authorities chose Brdo castle as their main official residence and in June 2001, it staged the first official summit between US President George W. Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The Brdo estate is also part of a natural park, with a number of springs and streams, eleven ponds and a large variety of protected plant and animal life."

Source: AFP