Ozalj Castle

Ozalj sits on a rock directly above the Kupa, held from the fifteenth century by the Frankopans and then jointly with the Zrinski, and in the seventeenth century it was the centre of what Croatian literary history calls the Ozalj circle: Petar Zrinski, his wife Katarina Zrinska, and Fran Krsto Frankopan wrote and translated here, working towards a literary language that drew on all three Croatian dialects rather than one. The circle ended with the conspiracy against Habsburg rule: Petar and Fran Krsto were executed in 1671, Katarina died in confinement, and the estates were seized. The castle now holds a museum, and an early hydro plant of 1908 stands below it on the river.

History

Ozalj is named on 22 February 1481 in a document freeing the citizens of Grič from tolls at Ozalj and elsewhere. As a large feudal estate it carried its share of the frontier's defence: in June 1579 the Slavonian Sabor in Zagreb assigned workers from Ozalj and other estates to fortify the river crossings at Sveti Jakov, Luka and Rečica; when Karlovac was being fortified in 1588 Ozalj, like Dubovac, Novigrad, Bosiljevo and Ribnik, owed six carts of timber; and in 1598 it had to send 25 labourers for the Ivanić line (Wikipedia, Ozalj Castle).

What to look for

• A castle on a rock above the Kupa - Frankopan and then Zrinski.
• The Ozalj literary circle - working towards a common written Croatian.
• The end of both families - executions in 1671 and confiscation.
• A hydro plant of 1908 - below the castle on the river.

When to go

April to October; the museum reduces hours in winter. Half a day.

Practical notes

Interiors are museum displays rather than furnished rooms. English labelling is limited. The town is small with modest services. The hydro plant is visited separately and on a different schedule.

Nearby

Karlovac and Dubovac castle are south-east; the Kupa valley runs west.

Key facts