Castle Trakošćan is one of the most beautiful Croatian castles. It is located in north-western part of Croatia. It is a Croatian cultural heritage. It was built in the late 13th century as a small fortress for monitoring the road from the Slovenian city Ptuj to the Bednja valley. It was a part of the defense system at that time. There are several versions on how the castle got its name. The legend says that it was named after a Thracian fortress (Arx Thacorum) which existed on the same spot. Other legend gives the credit to the knights Drachstein who ruled the area in the Middle ages. It was first mentioned in 1334. but we do not know who were the owners of that time. In the same century we got to know the first registered owners – they were counts of Celje (Celjski family) who ruled the whole Zagorje region and had enormous estates for that time. After the death of the last member of this family the castle changed many owners until in the 16th century the king Maximillian gave the estate to Juraj Drašković. The family took care of the castle until the 18th century when there were many castles built in the region. They came to restore the castle in the late 19th century. In the 20th century the castle was nationalized and the noble family emigrated to Austria. Now the castle is a museum owned by the state and with a permanent exhibition.

OUR TIP: On the Trakošćan lake you can rent a pedal boat and see the castle from the water. Perfect for photography lovers.