The reflection in the lake
The image northern Croatia is known by.
Drazen Dombaj — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Anchi Joy — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dusko Stampalija — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nikolai Karaneschev — CC BY 3.0
A white castle on a wooded hill reflected in a lake below it, **the most photographed castle in Croatia** and the best preserved. It was built in the thirteenth century as a watchtower over the Bednja valley pass, and in the sixteenth passed to the **Drašković** family, who held it **until 1944** — about four centuries in one family''s hands. But what you see today is not a medieval castle: in the mid-nineteenth century the Draškovićs rebuilt it entirely in **neo-Gothic** — the romantic fashion of the day — and laid out an **English park** around it, whose artificial lake gives the famous view. Inside, the castle is **fully furnished**, which is what distinguishes it: forty rooms with their original furniture, arms and family portraits across four centuries, arranged by period. Few castles in the region have had their contents preserved this way. Note: a **path around the lake** runs about 3 km, level and free. Note: there is no direct public transport — you need a car.
The image northern Croatia is known by.
Original furniture and family portraits, arranged by period.
Three level kilometres around the water, free.
Trakošćan — about 35 km west of Varaždin
The **Zagorje** region north of Zagreb is full of castles, hills and thermal springs, most of it within an hour of Varaždin. A good order by car: **Trakošćan** in the morning (the castle and the lake path, two to three hours), then **Veliki Tabor** — a genuine medieval castle never given a romantic rebuild, and historically more honest than Trakošćan. Lunch at a country restaurant; the region is known for heavy cooking (strudel, pasta and turkey). In the afternoon, Kumrovec or Krapina, or back to Varaždin. ⚠ Anyone interested in human origins should add the **Krapina Neanderthal Museum** — the site of the largest concentration of Neanderthal bones ever found, with an excellent modern museum. ⚠ The whole region **needs a car**; public transport between the villages is close to non-existent.
Sign in to write your review of this place.
No reviews yet — be the first.