Trakošćan Castle
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House of Drašković | |
---|---|
Native name Croatian: Dvorac Trakošćan | |
Location | Near Bednja, Croatia |
Coordinates | 46°15′29.4″N 15°56′49.12″E / 46.258167°N 15.9469778°E |
Area | 87 ha |
Architectural style(s) | Castle |
Official name | Dvorac Trakošćan |
Type | Cultural |
Designated | April 9, 2003 |
Reference no. | RZG-563 |
Trakošćan Castle (pronounced [trakɔʃtɕan], Croatian: Dvor Trakošćan or Dvorac Trakošćan) is a castle located in northern Croatia (in Varaždin County) that dates back to the 13th century (although the first written mention of the toponym "Trakošćan" is dated to 1334).[1]
History
Trakošćan was built in the 13th century within Croatia's northwestern fortification system, as a rather small observation fortress for monitoring the road from Ptuj to Bednja Valley.[2]
According to a legend, Trakošćan was named after another fortification (arx Thacorum) that was alleged to have stood in the same spot back in antiquity. Another source claims that it was named after the knights of Drachenstein who were in control of the region in early Middle Ages.
The
King Maximilian gave the estate to Juraj Drašković (1525–1587) for services rendered, first personally, and then as family heritage. This was how, in 1584, the Drašković family finally came into possession of Trakošćan.[3]
In the second half of the 18th century, when the building of manors was flourishing in
The Museum with collections on permanent display was established in 1953.[4] The castle is today owned by the Republic of Croatia.
The castle itself reveals different phases of building. For several centuries, it used to be a fortification, so that the reconstructions undertaken during that period were functional rather than aesthetic. The facility's essential core is a Romanesque fortification consisting of a housing unit, a small fortified yard, and a massive high tower. The fortification's good location and its observation tower made it safe and easy to defend.
Rapid development of firearms and increasingly threatening
On the Great Genealogical Tree, the oldest visual presentation from 1668, the facility had three floors, and its basic dimensions could already be discerned. Over the next period, several defense facilities were added around it. At the time, it also had the highest number of inhabitants, as may be seen from the Small Genealogical Tree dating back to 1755. It was in this same century that the outbuildings were erected at the foothills of Trakošćan, and a stone bridge built over the river Bednja.
In the 19th century Trakošćan acquired its present appearance. In the 1840–62 period, during one among the first restoration undertakings in the country, the castle was reconstructed in
After the reconstruction, the castle was still inhabited by several generations of the Drašković family that did some additional constructions and adaptations. It was at the time that the northern tower appeared over the entrance, a large shingle cap added to the top of the tower (removed in 1961), and a southwestern vaulted terrace added. Environment of the Trakošćan was made in accordance with the plan of Franz Risig (1814-1896) and also can be considered an important factor of cultural heritage.[5]
The end of World War II found Trakošćan in a neglected and dilapidated condition, which is why protective architectural and interior decoration works were immediately undertaken. Over the past few years [when?], the castle has once again been undergoing more thorough reconstruction.
See also
- House of Drašković
- Lake Trakošćan
Notes and references
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2009) |
- ^ Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography. "Trakošćan".
- ^ Klara Macolić; (2020) Stylistic Restoration of the Trakošćan Castle in the Middle of the 19th Century p. 218-219; Podravina : časopis za multidisciplinarna istraživanja, [1]
- ^ Klara Macolić; (2020) Stylistic Restoration of the Trakošćan Castle in the Middle of the 19th Century p. 218-219; Podravina : časopis za multidisciplinarna istraživanja, [2]
- ^ "Trakošćan Castle". mdc.hr. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2018-01-25.
- ^ Klara Macolić; (2020) Stylistic Restoration of the Trakošćan Castle in the Middle of the 19th Century p. 222; Podravina : časopis za multidisciplinarna istraživanja, [3]
External links
- Official website (in Croatian, English, and German)
- Trakošćan – baština kao turistički resurs Trakošćan (in Croatian)
- Trakošćan Castle on the Museum Documentation Centre of Croatia
- A presentation of Trakoscan from the 1840s
- Dvorci.hr (in Croatian)
- Trakoscan before reconstruction, a callotype by V. Draskovic
- Trakoscan in the 1860s (a lithograph by I. Czerny)
- Obnova Trakošćana (in Croatian)
- Trakošćan, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia