Tržan Castle in Modruš
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Ruins of Castle Tržan today
The Tržan [ trʒan ] castle or Tržan degree of the ruins is a comb castle in the central Croatian town Modruš. It is located in the northern part of the historical region of Lika, today on the territory of the municipality Josipdol in the County of Karlovac, on a 670 meter high mountain ridge above Modruš, on the eastern slopes of Velika Kapela mountain range, through which since ancient times an important trade route led, linking the continental inland with Senj on the Adriatic coast.
History
According to historical sources and, in the opinion of the famous Croatian historian Vjekoslav Klaić (1849-1928), a kind of fortress was located above the settlement Modruš already in the beginning of the 9th century, during the fierce fighting there between two rivaling reigning prince of two former Croatian States Coast Lands - and Pannonian Principality of Croatia Borna and Ljudevit of Posawien.
Almost ideal dominant strategic position made it possible for the castle was never conquered by anyone and, although the city Modruš below the castle in 1493, just before the Battle of Krbava field, stormed, looted and burned by the Ottomans.
Since the 11th century the seat of the county Modruš (later county Modruš - Rijeka), the castle of the princes of Krk held since 1193 owned (later, since about 1430, when Frankopans known), as the Hungarian- Croatian king Bela II (III ) she gave the Prince II Krcki Bartol ( Bartol II of Krk) for his military merits.
In the next over 350 years, it was not just an ordinary French panicked fief, but the headquarters of this noble family on the Croatian mainland. There resided, among others, Ivan V. Krcki ( * before 1343, † 1393 ), and his son Nikola IV (* 1360, † 1432 ), the most powerful man of the then Croatia, both Bane ( viceroys ) of Croatia. They extended and fortified the old castle, which was since about 1437 or Tržan called Tržan degree.
The walls, bastions and towers were built according to a kind of " fish bone " and presented a bauarbeitliches masterpiece of that time dar. There are signs that foreign builders, most likely took part in the area of the Venetian Republic, at that. The castle consisted of a central part with a defense tower ( keep) and a palace for the residence of the royal family, including accompanying staff, as well as from a northern part with economic objects, depots, workshops, cisterns and a square tower, and a southern part, for trading purposes served ( marketplace, facilities for stay of merchants and travelers, etc.). On the walls of the castle, the 1200 meters long protective walls of the city lying below Modruš were then constructed.
In 1449 Tržan found the famous distribution of the vast holdings of Frankopans in central and western Croatia place after eight sons of Nikola IV Frankopan decided to divide their father's legacy legal and equitable. The whole reign of Modruš belonged to Stjepan III. Francopan ( * before 1416, † 1481 /84); in the division document on the inheritance was written to Stjepan part of the market town Modruš with the Castrum Tržan ... That was the time of ascent, a "golden era " of Modrušs that climaxed in 1460 reached when it became Modruš the seat of a bishop.
Bernardin Francopan (* 1453, † 1529). , The only son Stjepans III, managed from Tržan be further inherited wealth with success, but was threatened more and more slowly by the Ottoman drive to the west. This ultimately resulted in the end of the 15th century to reduce the importance of the castle, and the population of the whole area continuously left her home, not to live in the border area to already occupied by the Turks in Bosnia in danger.
The castle was built in the first half of the 16th century, more and less repaired and maintained, and came to 1553 in the possession of the military administration of the Croatian Military Frontier. In the castle since a smaller permanent operational unit was stationed. After a few unsuccessful attempts to renovate the damaged parts of the castle in the 17th and 18th centuries, the building structure was finally abandoned in 1791 because the real Ottoman threat actually already ceased. Since then Tržan was left to the ravages of time and to this day remained a ruin.
Photos
A wider view of the castle and the surrounding area
Part of the village Modruš and the remains of the castle in the background