Rijeka - Trsat Castle - Frankopans

Liburnia has a very rich history and it provided the first script to Croatia. It not only provided the script but also presses and code and also the Frankopans story. The Frankopans were a very dignified family who ruled Croatia for centuries and have a major effect on the country’s history. There are remains of their palaces, castles, building and towers and the impact of their rule can be clearly seen from these. The country has many tourists every year and many of these are extremely interested to know more about the past and more details of the Frankopans. For the benefit of these interested tourists a project called “Following the Path of Frankopans” has been started. As a part of this ten fortresses and castles have been improved and decorated. The project not only enables the tourists to know more about the heritage but also enjoy the beauty of Croatia hinterland and the coast making the Croatia holiday great fun.

The main aim of the authorities to undertake this project is not only to preserve the rich heritage and also to show it to the residents of the country and also to the world. County of Primorje-Gorski kotar in 2005 initiated this project and is considered to be a complex project of preservation of cultural heritage.

Grobnik is a town which reflects the rich history and has a monument which is very well preserved. There is a palace which is in of a triangular shape and it has towers and semi towers which fortify it apart from the set of walls around it. Since 10th century this town has been a part of Croatia. From 1225 to 1671 this town was owned by the Frankopans and later due to an agreement it became the property of Zrinski who was a cousin of the Frankopans. After his execution the castle was plundered.

When one follows the map of the “Following the Path of Frankopans”, Bakar is the next destination. On the northwest side it is located on a plateau which is elevated. After two earthquakes the castle had to be renovated and this is the reason it looks different now. Another beautiful castle is that of Hreljin and it was made at a very crucial position as it facilitated communication by connecting the Croatian hinterland with the sea and also the Bakarac via Gorski kotar. The view from here is beautiful but the wall of this castle is not well preserved.

The Frankopans castle in Frankopan castle in Nova Kraljevica and Zrinski Stari grad is a real treat for the people who like to look at historical buildings. The castle has a lower and upper castle and is a complex structure but undeniably is one of the most beautiful buildings of the project. It is located on a cape above the sea and on a hilltop and it rules over the surrounding area and also dominates the entrance to the cape. The property was owned by Katarina Frankopan’s family whose husband; Petar Zrinski began the construction of the castle in the 17th century. Till the Frankopans and Zrinksi were executed the castle was used by them but later it was used a hospital then barracks and a monastery.

In Drvenik the Stari Grad is a very striking fort which was made in the middle Ages and was used to control and protect the traffic route through Vinodol. The fort has a quadrangle base and has round towers on the corners, apart from other structures. The castle was completed in the 15th century and later in 18th century the settlement Bakar – Novi Vinodolski road was made.

In Bribir the Frankopan tower is the only remaining part of the castle. The castle originally had a narrow courtyard, double walls, administration and residential buildings besides the two towers. The castle was later brought down to make a school and a municipal building. The legend of the ten Frankopan towers finishes in Novi Vinodolski and Ledenice where the remnants of the former fort are situated above the sea and the Vinodol valley. One can reach these remains, where St. Stephen the Martyr’s Roman and Gothic church is the finest preserved part, by a narrow mountain trail which takes one around the wall and also into the inner part of the fort.

The Kvadrac fort, a component of the once influential fort around which Novi Vinodolski was built, stands out in the very centre of the town of Novi. It is the only remnant of the innovative architecture since it was changed to a considerable extent at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The former Novi Vinodolski castle was one of the most dominant and long-lasting Frankopan forts where the Vinodol Code, which is the most important legal text written in the language of Croatia. The content of the code is the most advanced and the best egal acts in feudal Europe.

Read more:

• “The Eyes of Vinodol” – Beauty Laid Out Before You
• Get to Know the Tradition and Become Part of it
• Project of “Traditional Food Path”