Modrus

Modrus was, in the fifteenth century, one of the more significant places in this part of Croatia - a Frankopan seat with a bishop, a chapter, a printing connection through the Glagolitic tradition, and the fortress of Trzan above it. Ottoman pressure emptied it: the population moved away through the sixteenth century, the bishopric was transferred, and what had been a town of substance became a village. The fortress on the hill is ruined, with sections of wall and tower standing among the scrub. The contrast between the historical weight of the name in Croatian records and what is on the ground now is the interest of the place.

History

The fortress above Modruš may already have stood in 1209, and the town grew round it in the 14th and 15th centuries. From 1193 until 1553 Modruš and its large estate belonged to the Frankopans, who lived in the castle of Tržan above the medieval settlement. In 1460 the town became the seat of the Diocese of Krbava-Modruš, and a document of 22 February 1481 freeing the citizens of Grič from tolls names it among the places concerned. In 1553 Modruš passed to the authorities of the Military Frontier, and its name lived on in the later Modruš-Rijeka County of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (Wikipedia, Modruš).

Highlights

• A ruined Frankopan fortress - Trzan, on the hill above the village.
• A town that emptied - Ottoman pressure moved the population out.
• A former bishop's seat - transferred away when the town declined.
• Walls and tower in scrub - what is left on the hill.

When to go

April to October; the site is overgrown in high summer. Two hours.

Practical notes

There is nothing built for visitors - no signage, no path maintenance, no facilities. The ruin is unstable in places. The village is very small. This is a place for people interested in the history rather than the sight.

Nearby

Ogulin and Klek are north; Josipdol is on the main road.