Castles of Zagorje
The Zagorje Castles Tour
When: Year round
Duration: Full day
From: Zagreb
Just a half hour from the hustle and bustle of Croatia's capital city of Zagreb you can travel back in time 500 years! It's Zagorje, a hilly region filled with Medieval and Rennaisance fortresses and numerous Baroque castles to create a memorable, romantic tour.
Hrvatsko Zagorje is distinguished by more than 50 castles, some of them complete with their own majestic parks. With such a profusion of cultural landmarks, this is one of the richest regions in the whole of Croatia!
Let's begin with the most famous of all Zagorje castles, Trakoscan.
Trakoscan was built in the 13th C. as a rather small observation fortress for monitoring the road from Ptuj to Bednja Valley. According to a legend, Trakoscan was named after another fortification (arx Thacorum) that the Romans had built. Another source claims that it was named after the knights of Drachenstein who were in control of the region in early Middle Ages.
In 1584, the Draskovic family finally came into possession of Trakoscan. Two hundred years later, when grand manors were all the style in Hrvatsko Zagorje, Trakoscan was abandoned. Neglected, it started to deteriorate rapidly. It was only towards the middle of the 19th C. that the family became interested once again in its estate, in the Romanticist spirit of return to nature and family traditions.
In this spirit, the deputy marshal Juraj V. Draskovic turned his castle into a residential manor-house, while the surrounding park was turned into Romanticist pleasure ground. The generations that followed stayed at the castle from time to time until 1944, when they immigrated to Austria. Soon after that, the castle became nationalized.
In 1953 a Museum with collections on permanent display was established and is today owned and maintained by the Republic of Croatia.
Our tour of Zgaorje also includes a visit to Kumrovec. The major attraction of Kumrovec is the Ethnological Museum Staro Selo (Old Village) Kumrovec, with very well preserved village houses from the turn of 19th/20th century. So far 40-odd houses and other farmstead facilities have been restored, which makes Staro Selo the most authentically restored farming community in Croatia.
The community's most famous house is the birthplace of the president of former Yugoslavia - Josip Broz Tito, which is commemorated with a monument. As a good luck souvenir, an iron horse-shoe willbe made for you on a forge by the village blacksmith
After visit of Kumrovec, we will proceed to the beautiful GRESNA GORICA Taborgradska klet (the Taborgrad Wine cellar), which sits on a grand hill opposite Veliki Tabor, a15th century castle, for a sumptuous lunch. The granduer of Zagorje scenery here is as romantic and dramatic as the past of Hrvatsko Zagorje.
As you enjoy typical Zagorje cuisine, Mr. Damir Podboj, our charming host, will be more than pleased to entertain you with the legend of the tragic and forbidden love between the nobleman Frederic Of Celje and the beautiful plebeian girl Veronika of Desinic. This is why the hill bears the name of Gresna Gorica - the Hill of Sin.
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Prices
For 1 - 3 - from 90 Euros per person
For 4 - 8 - from 80 Euros per person
The number of participants is limited
The cost includes: English speaking, professional guide/driver, pick up at your hotel/accommodation in Zagreb, transfers in a minivan or mid size car, all entrance tickets to castles and attractions, meal with wine
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Options
The tour can include several other catsles as well by request. The tour is best combined with Samobor town.
Expert guide is available for study groups. Parties and events can be organized in some of the castles!
Highlights
Zagorje castles, hillside of Zagorje and Zagreb hinterland. Trakoscan castle. Veliki tabor castle and history of Veronika Desinicka. Traditional Zagorje cuisine and local wines.
