Things To Do in Trakoscan

Majestic Trakoščan Castle is the main draw in this part of northern Croatia.

Krapina's claim to fame involves the remains of a Neanderthal settlement discovered in the hills between Zagreb and Slovenia in 1899 by Dragutin Gorjanovic Kramberger. Kramberger discovered more than 900 fossilized human bones -- collectively known as Krapina Man -- in caves on Husnjakovo Hill, just west of the city. According to anthropologists' accounts, these remains belonged to around two dozen Neanderthals, thought to have lived 50,000 to 80,000 years ago. A museum with mock-ups of the famous prehistoric find is located just below the site where the originals were found, but construction of a new facility is under way.

Nineteen kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Krapina on the road between Varazdin and Trakoscan, the town of Lepoglava is best known as the site of Croatia's largest prison, and perhaps that single association is unfair. Since its beginning in the late 14th century and until the end of the 19th, Lepoglava was home to a Paulist monastery complex that also was a center of science, culture, education, and art -- a reputation it earned when it was home to one of Croatia's first grammar schools and one of its first universities. The Paulist order in Croatia was disbanded by Austrian Emperor Joseph II in the mid-19th century. Shortly after that, the monks' cells were converted to prison cells where many Croatian patriots (Josip Broz Tito, Alojzije Stepinac, Franj Tudman) were detained, mostly for political reasons. Another, more modern prison was built behind the monastery and still is in use though it is separated from the monastery by a wall. Lepoglava is also known as a center of lace making; its lace once was exported to the affluent European market and used in the fashions of the times. Today, Lepoglava still has a Lace Society, which hosts an International Lace Festival in early October. The Lepoglava Tourist Office is at Trg 1 Hrvatskog Sveucilista 3 (tel. 042/791-190; fax 042/791-389; www.lepoglava.hr).

Center of the World -- The "holy" town of Ludbreg in the Drava River Valley near Mount Kalnik is picturesque, but its moniker, Centrum Mundi (Center of the World), is dubious. Ludbreg earned the title in ancient times because the great European cities of the world once were described in terms of Ludbreg as the center around which all the cities revolved. To illustrate the point, a series of circles that look like a giant bull's-eye marks the exact "center" of the world on the main square. The monument is embellished with plaques designating cities in Ludbreg's orbit, and every time a new plaque is added, the city celebrates by filling a nearby fountain with sparkling wine. The former Roman town is also known as a pilgrimage site for Catholics because it is one of the few cities founded by papal decree and supposedly where a 15th-century priest saw communion wine change into blood during consecration. Today, the garish pink stucco Holy Blood Chapel commemorates that miracle, and on the first Sunday in September thousands of the faithful flock there to do the same.

Hilltop Wonders

Croatia is world-renowned for its beautiful Adriatic seacoast. Less well known is the treasure trove of mountaintop castles scattered throughout the country. You can find castles in every part of Croatia, from Dalmatia to Istria to Slavonia to Zagorje (the area north and west of Zagreb). Most are in various stages of ruin, although a few have been restored. All of them are fascinating both historically and architecturally—no two castles are the same—and all have spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.

Most Croatian castles served not only as medieval residences but also as fortresses. They were built in the 12th or 13th centuries to defend against the Tartars (Mongols). In the 16th century they were expanded and refortified as bulwarks against Ottoman Turk invasions. The Turks succeeded in capturing many of the castles, but some were so inaccessible or impenetrable that they held out. Still others experienced much fighting and changed hands several times. By the 17th century, advances in military technology had rendered castle fortresses obsolete. Besides, by that time noble ladies were refusing to live in isolated, damp, drafty stone structures. Those not destroyed in battle were abandoned in favor of more luxurious, comfortable manor houses in the valleys.—Courtesy of Tocher Mitchell