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.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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.