Kraljevica Castle

Nova Kraljevica Castle stands on a hill at the entrance to the Bay of Bakar. Petar Zrinski began it in 1650/51 as a representative noble residence; construction lasted until about 1653. It is attributed to Venetian builders and follows late-Renaissance style with Baroque details. The rectangular complex (about 44 × 36 m) has four large corner towers and a closed inner courtyard with a well. Originally it comprised basement, ground floor and first floor. After Petar Zrinski’s marriage to Ana Katarina Frankopan it became the joint property of the two powerful Croatian noble families and is regarded as the last and most modern Frankopan seat on the Adriatic. According to legend it played a role in the Zrinski-Frankopan Conspiracy.

After the execution of the last Zrinski and Frankopan in 1671 the castle was confiscated and handed over to the Austro-Hungarian Chamber. In the eighteenth century it served alternately as barracks and hospital (including for the Škrljevo disease until 1859). In 1883 the Venetian Jesuit province acquired the building and converted it into a seminary; a second storey was added and the towers received historicist battlements. Later it alternated between military and other uses.

The castle is a cultural monument and has recently been restored. It now houses the Visitor and Interpretation Centre within the Routes of the Frankopans, the Small Museum of Fishing and Shipbuilding Kraljevica, and exhibition spaces. Admission is free; opening hours vary seasonally (regularly open in high season, otherwise by appointment). It is in public use and open to visitors.