The History of the Samobor Castle
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| The Modern Ruins |
As I have casually perused attraction options that we as a
group may explore during our first days in the Balkans, perhaps the most
popular attraction is the Samobor Castle. Though the castle was built in the
mid-1200’s and is undoubtedly in (beautiful and intriguing) ruins, the castle
was the site of interesting historical events; these events occurred over
centuries and weave a compelling story that provides specific insight into the
late history of Croatia and the Balkans region as a whole. Because the castle
is only a small stroll from the center of Samobor, I, having read about the
history surrounding the ruins, think it would serve as a valuable stop in our
Balkans adventure.
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| A rendering of what the castle looked like |
The Samobor Castle was built by followers Otokar Premisl II,
a Bohemian king who was, at the time (~1264), engaged in a war with the
Hungarian monarch Stephen V. The castle is made of stone and built on top of
solid rock. When the castle was less than ten years old, however, in a first of
many exchanges, the castle was (year 1274) claimed by followers of the knez (Slavic
title of nobility; synonymous to prince) of Okic (a neighboring—now Croatian—village).
The occupation of the the castle continued, and the knez collected taxes from
the people of Samobor for decades. In the fifteenth century, the castle was
captured by the Counts of Celje, a Solvenia noble family. The castle continued
to change owners relatively regularly; family owner after the Counts include
the: Trzac, Tahy, Auersperg, Kiapach. Finally, the town of Samobor actually
purchased the castle from the family Erdody-Kulmer in 1902. Since then, the
castle has served as an attraction; though few have taken great efforts to
restore or rebuild this now picturesque ruin.
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