Veliki Tabor

Veliki Tabor is a fortress in the northwest of Croatia, in Hrvatska Zagorje, in the town of Hum Košnički in the municipality of Desinić, 8 km west of Pregrada, at an altitude of 334 m.

It is also a first-class monument of category zero and a protected cultural asset. It is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in our country and a representative of the fortification architecture of the late Middle Ages.

According to the architectural forms, construction technique and method of fortification, it originates from the second half of the 15th century. century. Although it was transformed into a castle as a medieval fortress at 17 and the 18th century, preserved late Gothic forms and architectural composition.

It changed many famous owners: Counts Celjski (who owned it earlier), Matija and Ivaniša Korvin, the Rattkay family and the famous Croatian painter Oton Iveković.

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The view from Veliki Tabor Castle

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The first mention of Veliki Tabor

We find a mention in the donation document of Ivaniš Corvin from 1502. which “castellum nostrum Thabor” presents to Pavlo Ratkaj for his merits in the battles against the Turks. The oldest parts of the castle date from the 15th century. century, which was confirmed by archaeological research.

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Restoration

Extensive restoration-conservation and construction works have been taking place since 2004. and today Veliki Tabor is one of the best preserved and presented Croatian medieval towns.

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History of the city and the Ratkaj family

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The entrance to the castle has always been in the same place

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The fort was built on a narrow and long ridge of the hill. According to the cadastral map from 1861 , the entire plateau was surrounded by a wall. The entrance to the city from the west was defended by a tower. Next to the wall on the inside, there were several towers and stables leaning against the wall. At the eastern end of the plateau, inside the wall, there was a fort. The outer wall and tower are no longer there today, only their traces can be seen.

The largest eastern tower was from the beginning designated for heavy cannons, as evidenced by the embrasures that are absent from the other towers. The upper floors of the city are wider because they are built on stone cantilevers. All consoles were not created at the same time, so they have different design and construction characteristics.

The best-preserved “tourist” legend of
Veronika Desinićka

The most preserved “tourist” legend about Veronika Desinićka

The reign of Ban Count

The reign of Count Herman II. Celje

The legend of Veronika Desinićka

According to legend, once upon a time these areas were ruled by the powerful ban Count Herman II. Celje.

His young son Fridrik, riding his father’s property, gazed at the gentle golden-haired beauty Veronika. Between Veronika and Fridrik, mutual love flared up, which was not to the liking of old Herman. Despite his opposition, Fridrik and Veronika fled to the town of Fridrihštajn near Kočevje in Slovenia, where they were secretly married. Old count Herman soon found out about their wedding and sent an army with orders to capture the lovers.

Fridrik managed to save Veronika from the city, and she escaped through Gorski kotar and Kalnik to the village of Sveta Margita.

Fridrik was captured by his father’s soldiers and imprisoned in the Celjska tower, which is narrow and about 23 m high.

He was imprisoned there for over four years. Since then, that tower has been called Fridrik’s tower. Veronika was imprisoned by Herman’s soldiers in Veliki Tabor. Herman accused the unfortunate Veronika of being a copernicus who seduced his son.

A trial was organized that lasted two full days.

On the eve of the second day, the judges declared: Lord bane! There is no guilt on this girl, let alone a crime.

The only thing is that he has great love for your son Fridrik. But, too bright bane, love was never a sin, let alone a crime. Love is one of the most beautiful human virtues! With that, our work, too bright, is finished. Despite the verdict, as soon as the judges headed for the exit, Count Herman ordered the castellan to kill Veronika. In the yard of Veliki Tabor, they placed a wooden container full of water and drowned Veronika in it. Her dead body was built into the wall that connects the pentagonal tower with the entrance to the castle. Nevertheless, even today, especially in the long winter nights, in Veliki Tabor, the sobs of the unhappy Veronika can be heard along with the howling of the wind…

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History

The noble town of Veliki Tabor is one of the most significant cultural and historical monuments of profane architecture in continental Croatia. Veliki Tabor is exceptional precisely because of its monumental and authentic fortification architecture. With its location on the top of Košnica Hum, at 333 m above sea level, it has dominated the Zagorje region for more than half a millennium – the architecture has actually merged with nature, creating a unique image. The view from Veliki Tabor over the entire Croatian Zagorje and part of Slovenia is also impressive.