Castle Bosiljevo

Croatia x Zagreb

[[]]

Stari grad Bosiljevo / Dvorac Bosiljevo

History of the Castle

Certain archeological finds in the region indicate that the area was populated in prehistoric times. However, the first written documents in which the name of Bosiljevo is mentioned are dated within the year of 1344 C.E. At that time, Ivan, archdeacon in the statutes of the Zagreb diocese, mentions a parish by the name of "sv. Mavro in Bozilo." There is also mention of a church called the "Mother of God in Gradec." Unfortunately, it remains uncertain if that church is located in Gradisce by the Orisje river or beside the Lipa river, where at one time there existed a church that the Turks desecrated during the frequent wars of this region.

Later written documents were tied to the noble family of Frankopan prince (knez) of Krk. The Frankopan family were the owners of the Bosiljevo castle and its accompanying lands. Even though the first preserved written document mentioning the Frankopan family and Bosiljevo castle dates from the year 1461 C.E. Three centuries earlier, the powerful Frankopan family extended their rule from the island of Krk and Primorje, to the continental parts of Croatia.

During this period, many generations of the Frankopan family succeeded each other of in the rule of Bosiljevo castle and its environs. It is worth mentioning that it was Nikola, the prince of Krk, who first took the surname Frankopan. He was a Croatian Viceroy from 1426 C.E., until his death in 1432 C.E.; apparently, Prince Nikola left a strong legacy as the records of the Croatian Viceroy's contain the signatures of four more descendants of Nikola bearing the surname of Frankopan.

Equally worthy of mention is Vuk Frankopan, a noble warrior of note who bravely repulsed the attacks of the Turks while managing to inflict upon them a heavy loss in troops. This same man, founded a Dominican monastery on June 4th, 1853 next to the Church of the Assenssion of Mary and owned a large and beautiful vineyard in the nearby Vukova Gorica, after whom today's Vukova Gorica is named.

The castle (or fortified town) of Bosiljevo was never conquered by the Turks. Its final owner of the Frankopan lineage was a young and gentle poet named Fran Krsto, who was born in Bosiljevo, and died tragically when he was together with his brother-in-law Petar Zrinski, and executed in Becko Novo Mjesto in the year of 1671 C.E.

After the death of Fran Krsto Frankopan, Austria confiscated the castle and town. On the 25th of May in 1684, King Leopold gave both to Viceroy count Nikola Erdedy. With the marriage of the Viceroy's daughter Ana Barbara to count Andrija Auersperg, he became the new master of the town Bosiljevo. This was confirmed by King Karlo VI, with a decree on November 11th, 1717 C.E.

On the 21st of March,1826, the Count of Auersperg sold the town of Bosiljevo to marshal Laval Nugent, who was of Irish origin (born in Ballynacor, Ireland on the 3rd of November in 1777). Marshal Laval Nugent was a great Croatian patriot and regarded Croatia as his second homeland. After the death of Marshal Nugent, the town was inherited by his son Arthur, and following his death in 1897, it was bought on a public auction by Arthur's niece, Ana Nugent on the 9th of August in 1902.

By the sale agreement, the property was bought from Countess Nugent by Karlo Kausheg, and Makso Kmentt, and from these two individuals it was bought by the lawyer and public notary Dr. Juraj Horvat. In a sale, dated the 9th of June, 1911, the owner of Bosiljevo property became Ante Cosulich de Pecine from Susak. He substantially restored the castle, not sparing the cost. In 1948, the family Cosulich sold the castle to Marko Ukic and Ante Vlahov, but their ownership was short lived, because the communist government confiscated it shortly afterwards.

After that, the castle served some time as a retirement home, and from the beginning of the 1960's until 1980 when it was closed, it was a restaurant and a motel. During the Homeland War, the castle was partially altered (remodeled) as a reserve hospital, but luckily was not used for that purpose. In 1996 the castle was rented to Sinisa Krizanec from Pregrada, with hope that it will be restored to its former glory, but the castle would languish in decay for another twenty years before being bought and restored by the Zrinjsky Corporation.

Level One -- Estate Grounds -- Castle Entry

Archery Field:

Hedge Maze:

Observatory: The observatory was purchased as an entire building from a likely institution in need of money or one having updated to a more advanced format and no longer needing its observatory dome, mount or telescope. Obviously, the Discipline of Dominate was used to speed the process of purchase and lower the initial cost of purchase. But experts would be brought in to move the observatory to the castle estate and set the dome and apparatus on top of a newly constructed three story stone tower a few hundred meters uphill of the castle keep. The purpose of the observatory is to me to observe the dark spaces between the star; which is not to say that I would not observe the stars and other lighted celestial bodies.

Stables:

Sub Level 1 -- The Basement

Storage Rooms:

Firing Range:

Sub Level 2 -- The Wine Cellar

Bottle Racks:

Barrel Vaults:

Sub Level 3 -- The Castle Crypt

The Crematorium:

Sub Level 4 -- Detention Floor

Access: Access to the detention area is limited to Broz Zrinjsky and his personal security staff of ghouls.

Description: The castle does not have a traditional dungeon, per se, but rather a detention level designed to hold or detain curious tourists, potential thieves, disobedient servants or household guards and the master's herd of vessels.

Design: The detention area is designed after the American Super-max prison system. The detention floor is modular, with a central security room that monitors each of the 100 cells from secure control room. The floor is laid out in like a wheel with five spokes. All of the spokes are concrete lined hallways with embedded lighting set to dim. Four of the halls lead to four distinct cell-blocks of 25 cells arranged in a pentagon formation with a central guard booth in the center to monitor the prisoners. The fifth hallway leads to a reinforced and heavily secured cargo elevator that leads to the second sub-level. On the opposite wall from the cargo elevator is a bank vault door that leads to the 5th sub-level and Broz's personal quarters.

Location: Sub Level 4 lies on the fourth sub-floor of the castle.

Sub Level 5 -- Broz's Subterranean Suite

---

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bosiljevo/names/History.html (A history of Bosiljevo castle and town.)

http://www.factbites.com/topics/Bosiljevo (The cold hard facts about Bosiljevo.)

http://en.db-city.com/Croatia--Karlovac--Bosiljevo (The history of Karlovac -- the nearest actual city to Bosiljevo.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=4qKe042iqms&feature=endscreen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUkgFRPM70I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXISD5TMqb8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI6O_0c6M1k

http://www.castlemagic.com/newaboutcolor.html (An American company that builds medieval castles professionally. Average building time 15 months -- cost variable, but significant.)

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071231105739AAS3wps (The cost to build your own personal celestial observatory.)