The inhabitants of Šmarje defended themselves from the Turks by building strong defensive walls around the church of Mary's birth. The original wall had four towers, of which only one remains standing and is now beautifully renovated – The Turenček or Little Tower in English. The two-storey tower has a rich history – it was home to the first school as early as 1504 and in more recent times it hosted a library on the first floor and a small hall for theatre productions on the second.