Palaces, manors and town halls in Croatia
Sponza Palace
The rectangular Sponza Palace with an inner courtyard was built in a mixed Gothic and Renaissance style between 1516 and 1522 by Paskoje Miličević Mihov. Its name is derived from the Latin word 'spongia', the spot where rainwater was collected. The loggia and sculptures were crafted by the brothers Andrijić and other stonecutters. The palace has served a variety of public functions, including as a custo ...
Founded: 1516-1522 |
Location:
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Rector's Palace
One of the most significant monuments of profane architecture on the Croatian coast is the Rector"s Palace, former administrative centre of the Dubrovnik Republic. Its style is basically Gothic, with the Renaissance and Baroque reconstructions. In the 15th century the Palace was destroyed twice in gunpowder explosions. Restored by Onofrio della Cava in the late Gothic style after the first explosion in 1435, the Pal ...
Founded: 15th century |
Location:
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Diocletian's Palace
Considered to be one of the most imposing Roman ruins, Diocletian’s palace is certainly the main attraction of the city of Split. The ruins of palace, built between the late 3rd and the early 4th centuries A.D., can be found throughout the city. Today the remains of the palace are part of the historic core of Split, which in 1979 was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. While it is referred to as a 'palace' be ...
Founded: 4th century AD |
Location:
Split, Croatia
Pula Communal Palace
The Communal Palace is situated at the northern end of the main square of the old part of the City of Pula, called the Forum Square. The spot occupied by the Palace has been used for the public buildings since Ancient Rome, when the place was used as a part of a triade of Roman temples, of which today only the Temple of Augustus remains. The eastern of these temples, called the Temple of Diana, was used as a rudimenta ...
Founded: 1296 |
Location:
Pula, Croatia
Luznica Manor
It is believed that the Lužnica manor was built at the beginning of the 18th century. Since 1791 the estate was the owned by Rauch noble family. They soon had the manor renovated and further expanded. At the end of 19th century, Marija Jurić Zagorka, lived in the manor from the age of 3 until 10 years, as her father was estate manager for the Rauch family. She later became one of the most prominent Croatian writers of ...
Founded: c. 1791 |
Location:
Lužnica, Croatia
Pejacevic Palace
Pejačević Palace one of several castles owned by the members of Pejačević noble family in the croatian region of Slavonia. It was built in 1800-1804 in Classicism and late Baroque style.
Founded: 1800 |
Location:
Virovitica, Croatia
Novi Dvori
Novi Dvori of Zaprešić is a feudal estate consisting of a manor house, an old granary renovated into a museum, a circular threshing machine, a neo-gothic chapel and the Jelačić family tomb. According to a document dated in 1852, the Novi Dvori manor was first constructed in 1611 as an ordinary one story manor house mostly made of wood. This initial 17th century concept of a manor, consisted of what is today a western ...
Founded: c. 1611 |
Location:
Zaprešić, Croatia
Eltz Manor
In 1736, Philipp Karl von Eltz-Kempenich (1665–1743), the Archchancellor of the Holy Roman Empire and Prince-Archbishop of Mainz, purchased a Vukovar manor in Syrmia, in the eastern Kingdom of Slavonia, then part of the Habsburg Monarchy ruled by Emperor Charles VI. The palace was originally built between 1749 and 1751 by the Archchancellor"s descendants of the German Catholic noble House of Eltz and ...
Founded: 1749 |
Location:
Vukovar, Croatia
Pejacevic Palace
Pejačević Castle is one of several country houses owned by the members of the Pejačević noble family in the region of Slavonia. According to the sign located on the, facade above the entrance, the manor was built by count Sigismund Pejačević in 1801, with the actual construction beginning somewhere around 1796. The Retfala Estate was acquired by the Pejačević Counts as a grant by the then Austrian Em ...
Founded: 1796-1801 |
Location:
Osijek, Croatia
Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings
Photo from Flickr, copyright Geraldine Curtis
Historic Site of the week
Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls
The Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls was part of the federal sanctuary of the three Gauls dedicated to the cult of Rome and Augustus celebrated by the 60 Gallic tribes when they gathered at Lugdunum (Lyon). The amphitheatre was built at the foot of the La Croix-Rousse hill at what was then the confluence of the Rhône and Saône.
Excavations have revealed a basement of three elliptical walls linked by cross-walls and a channel surrounding the oval central arena. The arena was slightly sloped, with the building"s south part supported by a now-vanished vault. The arena"s dimensions are 67,6m by 42m. This phase of the amphitheatre housed games which accompanied the imperial cult, with its low capacity (1,800 seats) being enough for delegations from the 60 Gallic tribes.
The amphitheatre was expanded at the start of the 2nd century. Two galleries were added around the old amphitheatre, raising its width from 25 metres to 105 metres and its capacity to about 20,000 seats. In so doing it made it a building open to the whole population of Lugdunum and its environs.