We left Makarska with a long drive ahead, following the coast and then inland, heading back to our favourite Italian city of Trieste, with an overnight on the in the rural town of Ogulin.

Ogulin is situated in the very centre of mainland Croatia, between Zagreb and Rijeka. It’s located in a large valley formed by two rivers: the Dobra and Zagorska Mrežnica.  It’s a busy little town with a very rural feel, with around 15,000 people.

Of course there is a castle in the town centre.

Now for some history because it’s very interesting!

Frankopan Castle

The Castle was built between 1493 and 1500 above the gorge of the River Dobra.

The founder of the town was Bernardin Frankopan, one of the mightiest people of his time, and the feudal master of the areas Modruš, Plaški, Vitunj, Tounj, Zvečaj, Bosiljevo, Novigrad and Dubovac. The Frankopans resided in the castle until 1533, when it was relinquished to the soldiers of the Military Frontier.

The Frontier was located on the border with the Ottoman Empire.  In the Frontier zone, the king’s emperors promised free land and freedom of religion to people who came to the area with the majority of the population being Croats and Serbs.  In exchange, the people who lived in the area had an obligation to militarily fight for the Empire, and to protect the land.  The soldiers had to fulfill military service from the age of 16 until 66.

The Military Frontier was demilitarized on 8 August 1873.

The castle architecture belongs to the period of Renaissance castles.  The town walls surrounded the courtyard area on three sides, while on the fourth there was a three-storey building with towers at the sides.

We did enjoy our overnight stay in Ogulin.  It was peaceful and pretty.

We were staying in a comfortable AirBnB about 1.5kms from the centre – a good walk into town.

 

After checking in, we decided to walk into town for some food and refreshments, stopping on the way at a small Pekora for a jam donut and apple strudel, sitting in the shade near the river to eat them – they tasted so good!  Enjoyed a beer at a local pub and then there was the long walk back.

As if we hadn’t walked enough, we headed off in the evening back to town for dinner at a huge hotel establishment.  There was a very large group of school children staying which was a little bit of a surprise.  The noise level in the dining room had us seeking a quiet table in the deserted courtyard.

Enjoyed Venison with Cherry Sauce (it seemed like a local choice) and Beefsteak with Capers and Mustard Sauce.  As usual in Croatia, there were no vegetables, let alone greens.  Oh, how we miss our vegetables!

Jeff & Catherine xx