Medvedgrad Fortress

Medvedgrad was built between 1249 and 1254 on a spur of Medvednica by Philip, Bishop of Zagreb, after the Mongols had burned Zagreb in 1242, and passed to King Béla IV in 1262; it controlled the approaches to Zagreb below. It was damaged by earthquake in 1590 and abandoned. Reconstruction began in the 1990s and the fortress now holds the Altar of the Homeland, a memorial to Croatian war dead unveiled in 1994, with an eternal flame. From the walls the whole of Zagreb and the Sava plain lie below.

History

The Mongols burned Zagreb in 1242, and the fortress was built in answer: encouraged by Pope Innocent IV, Philip Türje, Bishop of Zagreb, put it up between 1249 and 1254 on Mali Plazur, a spur of Medvednica above the city, and in 1262 King Béla IV took it over. It later passed to the bans of Slavonia; the poet Janus Pannonius died here in 1472 and Ban Ivan Karlović in 1531, and in all it changed hands about 150 times, among its owners the kings Sigismund and Matthias Corvinus and the Babonić, Zrinski and Erdődy families and the counts of Celje. The Gregorijanec family, its last residents, gained it in 1562 and strengthened the walls in 1574, but the earthquake of 1590 badly damaged it and they moved to Šestine; the earthquake of 1699 left it a ruin, as it stayed until it was partly restored in the late 20th century. Below the main tower is the Altar of the Homeland by the sculptor Kuzma Kovačić, opened on 30 May 1994 (Wikipedia, Medvedgrad).

Highlights

• A fortress of 1249-1254 - built after the Mongol invasion.
• Abandoned after an earthquake - the damage of 1590.
• The Altar of the Homeland - a 1994 war memorial with an eternal flame.
• Zagreb and the Sava plain - the view from the walls.

When to go

April to October; trails are muddy and icy in winter. Half a day.

Practical notes

Much of what stands is reconstruction rather than original fabric, which disappoints some visitors. The walk up from the city is a real hill climb. Facilities are limited.

Nearby

Medvednica's trails run above; Zagreb is below to the south.

Key facts