Prozor Fortress

Prozor Fortress (Croatian: Tvrđava Prozor or Gradina) is a medieval fortress situated in the continental part of Split-Dalmatia County, in inland Dalmatia, just above the town of Vrlika in Croatia. From its origin as a small stronghold built by the ancient Illyrian tribe Dalmatae, it developed into a fortress in the 15th century, during the reign of Bosnian feudal lord Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić.

Prozor Fortress sits prominently above the town of Vrlika. It was chain link of near by forts like fort Glavaš - Dinarić and Potravnik. The closest large towns are Sinj, Knin, and Drniš. Prozor Fortress also has views of the Peruća Lake (Perućko jezero) and mountains Dinara and Kamešnica to the east and mountain Svilaja to the southwest.

Prozor Fortress is made of stone like other fortresses in Dalmatia. It is partially restored, and entrance is free of charge.

The way up to Prozor Fortress starts at the Roman Catholic parish church in Vrlika. It takes a 1.5-kilometre (0.9 mi) car ride towards small village of Maovice, followed by a 25-minute walk along a dirt trail.

Prior to the arrival of the South Slavs, the Dalmatae are said to have lived in the region. The known history of Prozor Fortress begins parallel with the history of Vrlika in the 7th century, when the Croats moved there and formed a village on the spring of the river Cetina, in a field below the mountain Dinara. In the 9th century probably during the time of Duke Branimir of Littoral Croatian Duchy, the old Croatian Catholic Church of Holy Salvation, Cetina (Croatian: Crkva Sv. Spasa) was built near Vrlika, then called Vrh Rike.

After the crowning of Ladislaus as the Hungarian King in Zadar in 1403, and in political maneuvering against his arch political rival and enemy, king Sigismund, he appointed Hrvatinić as his deputy for Croatia and Dalmatia as he promised earlier.

In 1406, king Ladislaus of Naples gifted Prozor Fortress, at that time Castrum Werhlychky, as a center of Vrlička župa to the Hrvoje Vukčić.

Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić was most powerful Bosnian nobleman and magnate of his time, and carried a title of "Grand Duke of Bosnia, Knyaz of Donji Kraji, and Duke of Split" (later Herzog of Split), and now he was made by Ladislaus his "deputy for this Dalmatian territory, calling him his Vicar General for the regions of Slavonia (in partibus Sclavonie)".

Text adapted from “Prozor Fortress” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Prozor Fortress ranks #5,079 of 8,134 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #42 of the 61 mapped in Croatia. Founded 1406, it is older than 52% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 455 atlas entries founded in the 15th century. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Split, 45 km away. It is one of the 23 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of Dalmatia. See how Croatia compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗