- Type
- Castle
- Style
- Baroque
- Coordinates
- 46.3890°, 16.4320°
History
The first timber stronghold at Čakovec was built in the 13th century by a Hungarian count of the Csák family, after whom the town is named. On 12 March 1546 King Ferdinand I granted Međimurje to Nikola Zrinski, later the hero of the defence of Szigetvár, and Čakovec became the family's main seat, ringed with modern bastions in the 16th century. His great-grandson, the poet and general Nikola Zrinski, was born here in 1620. After the Magnate Conspiracy was crushed and Petar Zrinski was executed in 1671, the estates were confiscated. After an earthquake on 30 April 1738 the new owners, the Counts Althan, rebuilt the castle as a Baroque palace, which took its present form around 1743. Since 1954 it has housed the Museum of Međimurje.
What to see
The four-winged Baroque palace with its inner courtyard stands at the centre of the old fortress, enclosed by pentagonal bastioned ramparts and a moat, all set within the Zrinski Park with its many statues and busts. The Museum of Međimurje displays archaeology, ethnography and art, along with mementoes of the Zrinski family. In summer the palace courtyard serves as an open-air theatre.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q227176
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