Croatia · 15th century
Starigrad Fortress is a 15th-century fortress located near Omiš in Split-Dalmatia county, in Dalmatia, Croatia.
The fortress or Fortica was built during the Croatian–Ottoman wars as a primary defence against the Ottoman Empire. The precipitous fortification is sited on a 262 m (860 ft) ridge above the town Omiš. In the event of attack, its purpose was to provide refuge for local people and be a stronghold where they could retreat to and resist the Turks.
As the stone fort's defensive strength is derived from the elevation at which it was built, it is a rudimentary defensive structure. A two-storey square tower stands at its highest point, serving as both a lookout post and keep. A simple bastion stands at the opposite end of the fort to cover the approach path and the ridge line. It has an outer barbican to defend the fort's narrow entrance gateway and the gorge below the fort. The walls, which are about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) thick, are made from locally quarried limestone. They enclose an inner bailey that is separated into two distinct levels by the difference in the site's natural rock height. Access between the levels is via a small stone stairway that was once protected by a stone wall and gateway. In event of attack, the fortification's design permits the defenders to fall back to higher ground as each level falls.
Text adapted from “Starigrad Fortress” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Starigrad Fortress ranks #4,495 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #37 of the 79 mapped in Croatia. Founded c. 1500, it is older than 43% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 554 atlas entries founded in the 15th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,222 times in the last 60 days, more than 56% of the atlas. 7 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Split, 22 km away. It is one of the 32 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of Dalmatia. See how Croatia compares in the castle statistics.
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