My home region in Croatia is Kvarner and I just made a tour over there. I visited a number of places that are located near my house, or not further than about 100 kms from there.
There is a culture tour called “The Routes of Frankopans” in my region and it includes a number of lost castles. The tour consists of stunning sea views, city views mountain views, and river views. Getting around the tour I could find romantic parks, cosy courtyards, incredible defensive towers, along with outstanding emotional stories.
The Frankopans on the Sea
These castles are lost because – they are lost. The Frankopan family who used to own them tragically disappeared in the 17th century. The last member was a poet lured into an international geopolitical action which resulted in him being beheaded.
He might have been a little bit of a Robb Stark kind of guy (Game of Thrones fans know what I am talking about!). The story of this family is pretty much romantic and emotional, and so are the places where they resided.
Still, this is not King’s Landing, this is the island of Krk, on the North of Croatia. The Frankopans were Dukes of Krk and it was their residence. We don’t know much about the lifestyle in that residence, though. The only thing we can see is the defensive system.
Guess what? Venice once ruled one here. This family had some tough diplomatic battles with Venice.
Nowadays you can visit the island and city of Krk in the summer and swim in the sea around the castle.
Frankopans on the mountain
Aside from the Adriatic Sea, the Frankopans ruled the mountains. They had a gorgeous castle with a river view and a spectacular park. Anyone has been to castles of Sintra? I can imagine it looked quite similar!
It’s hard to analyse the poor statue. I can imagine it was a goddess or a woman dancer with a little fountain behind. To avoid more explanation, I made an imagine reconstruction sketch (bellow).
Frankopans in the middle of now… of now!
It seems that the title could be in the middle of nowhere, but I didn’t have such an intention. I know that “in the middle of now” doesn’t mean much, but it’s my little wordplay.
The castle of Drivenik is located far from bigger urban areas let’s say, but it’s quite a lively place. Inside the well preserved outer walls there is a beautiful stage for concerts and theatrical performances. Outside these walls, there is a drinking water fountain. I got delighted when I saw it because it means that I could refill my bottle. This three-day trip was a plastic free trip!
See also: Sustainability in museums
Let’s not forget that most of these castles had their residential areas, including some lavish interiors. It’s all gone. We can only imagine how comfortable is used to be. I had some imagination about a corridor that used to lead to this tower door.
This is the first part. In the second part, I will show you a fog castle, a marble castle, and two museums I could find on the way. Stay tuned!
