Karlovac - Croatia

Corn drying in racks

Travelling to the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia was our destination, about a 4 hour drive from Ljubljana, so we explored Croatia along the way. We took the scenic route via Karlovac.

Ribnik Castle 13th Century

Driving through the Ribnik valley, we happened upon this castle. A defensive fortress, and right next to the castle is a spring, the source of the Obrh stream.  When invaders came, the water was used to fill the defensive moat.  The Castle would then become an unconquerable island. We got to Karlovac around lunchtime.

Crazy roundabout in Karlovac

The Austrians built Karlovac in 1579, and remnants of the star shaped renaissance fortress built against the Ottomans remain.  The old square was in ruins and the building need restoring. Karlovac suffered damage during the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995). The southern sections of the city found themselves close to the front lines between the Republic of Croatia, and the Republic of Serbian Krajina, with shelling devastating the neighbourhoods of Turanj.

 We ventured into Dubovac Castle, on the edge of Karlovac, and overlooking the city.  The lunch menu at the cafe offered Croatian dishes, so we tried the green pasta with chicken.  The pasta was so green, I thought it was beans at first.  Delicious!

 Dubovac Castle was built in the 12th Century. To get to the castle, you had to drive through the cemetery, and then the narrow road up the hillside.

 The plan of the castle is a irregular rectangle. There are 3 round towers, and a square guard tower, which is typical of Middle ages.

 We explored all over the castle. It's compact and the doorways are quite low.

 Great views from the top of the guard tower.

 There is a small inner courtyard, complete with a well, and open wooden galleries on each level of the castle.

 The orange roof tiles of the main building looked fantastic.

Square guard tower

Dubovac Castle