650 years of the first statutes of the town in Ptuj

Anniversaries

650 years of the first Ptuj town charter – a precious monument of Slovene legal history

In April 2026 we mark the 650th anniversary of the first Ptuj town charter, one of the most important texts in Slovene legal history. Dating from 1376, the Ptuj town charter is a remarkable cultural and legal monument, offering a comprehensive insight into life in the late Middle Ages and revealing the legal order, social relations and economic activities of the time.

Research by experts from Ljubljana, Maribor, Graz and Salzburg has shown that the charter transcends local significance and ranks among the most valuable medieval legal records in the wider European context. Other notable characteristics are that only a single copy survives, that it is the only medieval town charter to have originated in the inland part of the Slovene lands, and that it is the most extensive legal monument of its time in this territory. It applied not only to Ptuj but also to certain other towns in historical Styria and Carniola.

The original manuscript is now kept in the library in Wolfenbüttel in Germany, where in the seventeenth century it was sold to one of Europe’s greatest bibliophiles, Duke Augustus the Younger. On this anniversary we therefore pay tribute to an important part of our legal and cultural heritage.

Matic Merc, Mayor’s Office

City Municipality of Ptuj