Veliki Tabor Castle
A hilltop castle of five round towers in Zagorje, tied to a legend about a girl walled up alive.
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Veliki Tabor stands on a hill in Zagorje with a late gothic core wrapped in four semicircular towers and a fifth, a defensive arrangement built through the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries by the Rattkay family. The legend attached to it concerns Veronika of Desinic, a commoner said to have married Friedrich of Celje against his father's will and to have been drowned and walled into the castle; a skull found in the wall in the nineteenth century is displayed and was long shown as hers, though there is no evidence connecting it. The castle was restored over two decades and reopened fully in 2011.
What you actually see
- Five towers around a gothic core - built through the 1400s and 1500s.
- The Veronika legend - a commoner said to have been walled in.
- A skull in the wall - displayed, but not evidenced as hers.
- A long restoration - completed and reopened in 2011.
When to go
April to October; hours reduce in winter. Half a day.
Honest expectations
The Veronika story is folklore and the castle now says so - visitors expecting a documented tragedy will not find one. Interiors are sparsely furnished. The approach road is narrow and parking is below with a walk up.
Nearby
Kumrovec is west; Trakoscan castle is north-east.
What to pack for Veliki Tabor Castle
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
