Heritage by Period / Middle Ages
Veliki Tabor, fortress city
Info Sections
About the site
Country: Croatia, Desinic
Type: Fortress
Epoch: Middle Ages
Theme: Fortresses
World Heritage:
The burg-fortress Veliki Tabor is a residential, defensive and agricultural complex, built on the flattened elongated hillcrest in the vicinity of the village of Desinic. It is surrounded by a very picturesque hilly landscape dominated by meadows, vineyards and forests. The greater part of the structure was built in the 16th century according to the Renaissance residential defensive style of construction.
Council of Europe RPSEE
Veliki tabor is middle ages town in the Croatian Zagorje region, 3 km east of Desinic. In early references it is called Vingrad and Vrbovec.
It would appear that this structure was erected by Ratkaj after Korvin I donated the land in this region of Zagorje in 1502. The town remained in the family’s ownership until the end of the family line in 1793, after which time it alternated between state and private ownership. Between the two World Wars it belonged to O. Ivekovic. The late Gothic fortress stands on a small hill, pointed at the front.
Later it was surrounded by walls and four wide semicircular towers; along the majority of the belt is a second story on a series of consoles. The town was not significant altered and in general retained its original form. Late Gothic and Renaissance details have been preserved on the walls: stone crest and stone markings, distyles, bay windows, double story arcades in the courtyard. The entire structure was once belted with an exterior defensive wall, part of which was the today well preserved pentagonal bastion.
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