TRAKOŠĆAN CASTLE AND VARAŽDIN CITY TOUR FROM ZAGREB

Trakošćan castle day tour itinerary:

After our guide picks you up at your accommodation the drive takes approximately one hour to get to our first location – Castle Trakošćan.

Castle Trakošćan, a hidden gem in the north of Croatia. The castle is a cultural heritage which consists of the castle itself and the park surrounding it (forest and a lake). It was built in the 13th century as a small fortress, a part of a larger defense system. It changed owners but now it is a museum owned by the state. Interesting thing about the castle is that it has all the original furniture so walking through the castle really makes you feel time travelling. After a walk inside the castle you can take a walk in the park surrounding it or even take a boat ride on its lake.

A 50 minute drive takes you from the Castle to reach Varaždin city. From the medieval times when the city was built until nowadays, the city is interesting to all the people visiting it. The thing that makes Varaždin famous is its urban center, with the Old city (a fortress in the city center), all the noble palaces and also one of the oldest city halls in Europe. You can hear the stories of Varaždin as the city of angles and church bell tops.

Prices for fully private Trakošćan castle and Varaždin city day tour:

 * babies and children: Free
 * 10 % discount for a half day tour

NOTICE: For large tour groups please send us request by email info@zagreb-tours.com

Trakošćan Castle and Varaždin Day Tour places

Trakošćan castle

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.

Varaždin city

This enchanting baroque city will make you resent leaving. A small city in the northwestern Croatia breaths tradition, culture and past. It has a very good geographical position and as they say it ‘’holds the northwestern gate of Croatia’’.

This region was significant in all eras. Close to the city in the cave called Vindija the experts found the remains of the Neanderthal man ageing approximately 30 000 years. The city continued to be well known also in the Roman times. The city was first mentioned in the 12th century when the king Bela III gave the estates to his son Emerik to administer it and to later become a king. He had two sons, Emerik and Andrija, which later started a war close to Varaždin. To cut the story short Andrija after the death of Emerik’s son Ladislav became a king and to thank the people of Varaždin for their support he gave the royal rights and freedom to the city.

After that act the city has developed in a manner of a free royal city. It was soon to become one of the most populated cities in the Slavonija region. It has become also a trading spot because it was on a route from Hungary to the Adriatic. The prosperity was obvious until the attacks from the Otoman Empire started in this region. Even the great emperor Sulejman I. went through this area on his quest to siege Vienna. To protect the area the Vojna krajina was founded and Varaždin got its military function being the capital of Slavonska krajina.

In the 17th century a peace treaty was signed and by it all fortresses could be restored. The people of Varaždin used that fact and started to rebuild their city. In the 18th century the queen Marija Terezija tried to diminish the power of the noblemen in Croatia and formed Croatian Royal Council which was based in Varaždin. Varaždin was also a Croatian capital at that time. Unfortunately due to a big fire it lost that function. In that period many of the baroque palaces were built in the city making it the real baroque capital.

In the 19th century the city got connected to Zagreb with the railroad so the economic development and the growth of the region could continue.

In the 20th century it was of course affected by the World wars and also the Croatian Homeland war. It again had a very important function in Croatian liberation.

Old city Varaždin

The most important thing to see in the city is the Old city Varaždin. It is located in the northwestern part of the cities core. Today it is a museum of the city of Varaždin. The fortress was built in the 12th century and it is believed that it was a base for Varaždin counts. Later in the 14th century it was given to the Celjski family who redecorate it in a Gothic style. In the 16th century it was changed the most by gaining the renaissance fortification around the city. At that time it became a ‘’wasserburg’’ or better to say a fortress surrounded by a ditch containing water. At the end it was given to the Erdody family which made some baroque adjustments.