Castles, Croatia

Tvrdalj was built as a fort for defence from the Turks by the renowned poet from Hvar Petar Hektorović. It was erected by filling up the sea and one could enter it only over a bascule bridge. In the centre of Tvrdalj, Hektorović designed and built a Romanic park with a fishpond. Tvrdalj has numerous stone inscriptions, but the one saying 'Omnium Conditori' is the most significant one, since, with it, Hektorović dedicated his Tvrdalj to God, the Creator of everything. https://www.visit-hvar.com/tours/tvrdalj-stari-grad/HV-TR-24

At the northern edge of the historical centre of Varaždin separated from the city by embankments and moat, is the Old Town Castle of Varaždin. This military fortress was unassailable from the outside due to the moat which was fed by the river Drava canal and the cannons inside the walls that in some places were 2.5 metres thick. Inside is the Old Town’s Renaissance Palace, whose aristocratic owners have continually changed and adjusted it to suit their tastes from the 13th to the 19th Century. Today the entire Old Town is the Varaždin City Museum. Former illustrious owners include the Counts of Celje, Jan Vitovac, Ivaniš Korvin, Juraj Brandenburg, Counts Ungnadi and many others. The Erdödy Family ruled the City for the longest time, and the first owner was the famous General Tomo Bakač Erdödy, who defeated the Turks at Sisak in 1593. The Old Town was the Capital of the Varaždin County, and the Erdödy family were its hereditary governors. That’s why their family coat of arms which was officially confirmed by Queen Maria Therese in 1763, is still in use. The last owner of the Town sold it in 1923. The Varaždin City Museum was founded by the Varaždin Museum Society and officially opened in 1925 in a few rooms in the Old Town. Initially, the displays consisted of items donated to the newly opened museum by renowned Varaždin families. Over the years, the size and variety of the Museum Collection have increased, and today the Varaždin City Museum has specialized Archaeological, Historical, Cultural, Ethnographic and Entomological Departments. Museum Departments are housed in several buildings of historical value in the center of the City: the Gothic-Renaissance fortress Old Town, the baroque Sermage, the classical Herzer Palace and the Watchtower in the Old Town complex. The Museum’s Departments currently have four permanent exhibitions including: the Cultural and Historical Department in the Old Town, Entomology in Herzer Palace and the Gallery of Old and Contemporary Masters in the Sermage Palace. The Archaeological and Historical Department in the Herzer Palace is currently being prepared and is almost ready to open permanently. https://www.tourism-varazdin.hr/en/museums-and-collections/

Barone Fortress was built immediately after the St. John's fortress before the Ottoman army arrival during the Cretan War. Today you can experience this event through the technology of a so-called extended reality that revives the characters, sounds and scenes of the 17th-century Šibenik. It was built by order of Baron Christophe Martin von Degenfeld, a main commander of the city defence, after whom the fortress was named. It was initially built as a small fortress (ridotto) in order to obtain the final shape in 1659 during the rule of governor-provveditore Antonio Bernardo https://www.sibenik-tourism.hr/lokacije/barone-fortress/6/en.html

St Nicholas' Fortress at the entrance to the St Anthony's Channel in Šibenik represents a unique Renaissance building of Venetian fortification architecture and an exceptional monument of the world’s architectural heritage. It was constructed on the islet of Ljuljevac, where once was the Benedictine monastery of St Nicholas, after which the fortress was named. The construction of the fortress, based on Gian Girolamo San Micheli’s design, commenced in 1540 after the fall of Skradin under the Ottoman rule, when the Venetians were forced to strengthen the defence of Šibenik port, which was the most important port on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea https://www.sibenik-tourism.hr/lokacije/st-nicholas

Fortress Kamerlengo is situated at the west end of Trogir islet, built by Venetians in Xlll - XV century as a naval base for their navy forces in this part of Adriatic. It is named by town Magistrate Camerarius. Nowadays, the fortress is a multimedia centre with open-air cinema and stage for various cultural events. http://www.trogironline.com/virtual_guide/fortress_kamerlengo.html

The Trogir Museum was opened in 1966 within a unique complex of several palaces and houses owned by the Garagnin-Fonfogna family since the 18th century. The first small room accommodates a late Greek relief "Woman at Work" (2nd- 1 st century BC), and the replica of Kairos (4th-3rd century BC), as well as the prehistorical finds from the Trogir surroundings and the fragments of ceramics and glass from the Greek period. The Roman period is represented by the finds from the graves (fragments of a helmet, money, amphoras, urns) and stone reliefs and fragments discovered during archaeological excavations near Trogir. The second, large hall with a three-light window presents the medieval Trogir through the documentation on the development of the autonomous commune. The first printed city Statute from 1708, which actually governed the city public life already in the 14th century, and the city seal rings are on display in this hall. The original minutes of the City Council sessions from 1316 are displayed, along with major documents on parchment, and the Venetian money used in the provinces of Dalmatia and Albania. Ivan Lucic's "De Regno Dalmatiae et Croatiae", the major medieval Croatian work published in Amsterdam in 1666 is here, along with the matricula of the All Saints brotherhood from 1573, and the testimony on Venetian-Turkish war contained in the memoirs of Koriolan Cipiko (1477). http://www.portal-trogir.com/things-to-do-en/heritage/museums/trogir-town-museum/

Medvednica Sljeme is a rare example where a nature park is merging with a capital city. In the past, Medvednica provided protection with its castles. As well, it was the source of life because it provided residents with wood, coal, salt, stone, silver and water. Sljeme is the highest mountain peak on Medvednica but is often used to refer to the entire mountain. The mountain is filled with springs and streams, forests, mountain meadows and wildlife. Only a short drive from the city centre of Zagreb. For this reason, today, locals find it as an escape from city life. There are 20 archaeological sites in the Nature Park. Ranging from Prehistoric Period down to the late Middle Ages. At the same time, there are 60+ registered cultural properties. Which testifies to the Parks abundance of cultural heritage. With its Castles and manor houses, Medvednica was both a protector and a tyrant to locals. While the castles were made to protect, their lords used its strategic position to terrorise and pillage the locals. The legend of the Black Queen of Medvedgrad speaks of this. https://www.visitzagreb.hr/zagreb/medvednica-sljeme/