Croatia · 13th century
Medvedgrad (pronounced [mědʋedɡraːd]; Croatian for bear-town; Hungarian: Medvevár) is a medieval fortified town located about 10 km north of Zagreb, on the south slopes of Medvednica mountain, approximately halfway from the Croatian capital Zagreb to the mountain top Sljeme. For defensive purposes it was built on a hill, Mali Plazur, that is a spur of the main ridge of the mountain that overlooks the city. On a clear day the castle can be seen from far away, especially the high main tower. Below the main tower of the castle is Oltar Domovine (Altar of the homeland) which is dedicated to Croatian soldiers killed in the Croatian War of Independence. The altar of the homeland, made by the sculptor Kuzma Kovačić, was opened by Croatian President Dr. Franjo Tuđman, May 30, 1994.
Text adapted from “Medvedgrad” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Medvedgrad ranks #1,497 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #12 of the 79 mapped in Croatia. Founded c. 1300, it is older than 61% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 1080 atlas entries founded in the 13th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 2,431 times in the last 60 days, more than 74% of the atlas. 7 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Zagreb, 7 km away. See how Croatia compares in the castle statistics.
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