Veliki Tabor

Veliki Tabor is a striking medieval castle in the Croatian Zagorje, north of Zagreb, and one of the best-preserved castles in the country. Its oldest parts date to the 15th century, and it grew over the following hundred years into the pentagonal fortress with a tall central tower that you see today, a hybrid of late-Gothic and Renaissance forms built for war and for living.

The castle is famously tied to the legend of Veronika Desinić, a peasant woman said to have been walled up alive here in a doomed love affair with the castle’s lord, and her story, part history and part folklore, is part of every visit. The castle now houses a museum with period interiors, armour, and changing exhibitions, and the surrounding hills give it a properly isolated, fortified feel.

Veliki Tabor sits near Desinić, an easy drive from Zagreb or on a Zagorje castle route that also takes in Trakošćan and Miljana. It is quieter than the coastal sights and a genuine piece of continental Croatia.

For photographers, the five-sided silhouette against the Zagorje hills is the shot, best in soft late light. The interior courtyard and the spiral staircases are worth a wide lens. Combine it with a slow drive through Zagorje’s vineyards and hill villages.

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