Croatian cultural heritage - Business - Hrvatska turistička zajednica

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middle of the northernmost province of Međimurje, in the
town of Čakovec, there stands a famous castle of the Zrinski
counts (50), also arranged as a museum (54, 55 & 56). In
the South of Varaždin there is another beautiful castle, the
romantic Maruševec (42).
Even further South, on the hills of the Croatian Zagorje,
there stands the amazing castle Veliki Tabor, with its external
appearance almost unchanged from the 16th century,
when it was built (46). It is known as a gathering place for
swordsmen and hawkers, who enjoy the medieval atmosphere
at the foot of its walls and in the courtyard within
the fort (47). Today it is arranged as a museum (41), which
testifies to the turbulent events of the castle’s past (52 & 53),
where the legend of Veronika Desinićka and her tragic love
have a special place.
The Croatian Zagorje has newer castles too, such as Oršić in
Gornja Stubica (43 & 49) which is arranged as an interesting
museum showing the peasant uprising (58). It was here in
the 16th century that one of the largest peasant revolts in
Croatia was organised, and a monument to its leader Matija
Gubec stands in an area under the castle (57). Another new
castle is Bežanec at Pregrada, now converted into an exclusive
hotel (51). Closer to Zagreb is the unique preserved feudal
estate in Novi Dvori, close to Zaprešić, where Croatian
Ban Josip Jelačić lived. In one of the farm buildings there is a
collection of paintings by the famous Croatian painter Matthias
Skurjeni (61).
In the southeast of central Croatia there are also majestic
waterside castles, such as the fortress in Hrvatska Kostajnica
(59) on an island in the middle of the river Una. More
important however is the fortress in Sisak, at the mouth of
the Kupa and Sava rivers (60), known for the great Croatian
victory over the superior Ottoman army in 1593. Similarly,
in the northeast of central Croatia, the fortress in Đurđevac
has a glorious past (62). Unfortunately, many once famous
fortresses have been destroyed through time, and of their
glory speak only their ruins, such as the walls of the city of
Samobor (44) or Kalnik (45) in Križevci.
The beauty of the CENTRAL CROATIAN CLERICAL
HERITAGE is not inferior to the beauty of any other secular
heritage. Nearly every town boasts at least one impressive
church, and there are also many valuable churches in villages.
The city of Varaždin has long been known for the bell
towers of its churches, among which is the Cathedral of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the 17th century,
known for its gorgeous altar (63). The church of John
the Baptist is from the same time and has a nice pulpit (66).
The Croatian Zagorje region also stands out with its very
valuable sacral heritage, even though there are no large cities
in this area. The most important is the church of Mary in
Marija Bistrica (68 & 69), Croatia's main pilgrimage centre
(65). The church of St. Marija Snježna in the village Belac
has a particularly beautiful altar (67).
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