Ogulin

Ivana Brlic-Mazuranic, whose Tales of Long Ago is the best known work of Croatian children's literature and who was nominated for the Nobel Prize, was born in Ogulin in 1874, and the town has built on that: the Frankopan castle at its centre houses Ivana's House of Fairytales, a visitor centre using the stories rather than displaying manuscripts, and a festival runs in June. The setting supplied the material - the Dobra river disappears underground beside the castle into the Dula chasm, named in local legend after a girl, Dula, who threw herself into it over an unhappy love, and Klek mountain above the town has its own body of stories.

History

Ogulin's history goes back to the 15th century and the defence against the Ottomans. When its tower was built is not known, but a document issued by Bernardin Frankopan at Modruš around 1500 marked out the bounds of a new castle between Modruš and Vitunj, which is also the first mention of Ogulin. Local legend tells of Đula, a girl who threw herself into the abyss of the Dobra over an unhappy love. In the 16th century Ogulin became a stronghold and part of the Military Frontier, as the seat of the Ogulin captaincy; between 1809 and 1813 it belonged briefly to the Illyrian Provinces. A savings bank opened in August 1876, and a branch of Matica hrvatska had 55 members by 1891 (Wikipedia, Ogulin).

What you'll find

• The birthplace of Ivana Brlic-Mazuranic - born here in 1874.
• Ivana's House of Fairytales - in the Frankopan castle at the centre.
• A river that vanishes - the Dobra into the Dula chasm beside the castle.
• Klek above the town - the mountain with its own legends.

When to go

May to September; the fairytale festival is in June. Half a day.

Good to know

The visitor centre is interactive and aimed at children rather than literary pilgrims. It is a small industrial town otherwise. Klek is a serious climb, not a stroll. Services outside the centre are limited.

Nearby

Klek rises above the town; Plitvice is south-east.

Key facts