Good afthernoon dear guests, I wish you a warm welcome to Zagreb county, to the city of Samobor.
My name is Merica and I will be your tour guide for today, we are currently in front of the Podolje mansion. The mansion is in valley of the hill Stražnik on large terrain, along the road from center of Samobor all the way to village Kraj Donji.
It was build in 15th century as a tower, and it’s one of the few mansions and monuments in Croatia that has been own by one family for 500 years. Noble family Praunsperger still lives here.
A tower was first used for defense during the Turkish invasion. Latter mansion as we see today was built around it and change a function in residental, also ground plan is the same since then.
First owner of mansion was Martin Sziah from noble Czech familiy De Perica, Count Erdody give him this property with tower because o geography position for defense of Turkish invasion. It was a guardhouse.
The last male descendant of family Sziah had a daughter Viktorija and she was married to noble Petar Pranusperger in 1779. That family began with remaking.
In newest history we have a interesting story about the barel in basemant, it hit the wall and make a hole in it and family discover the tunnel full of cold weapons: speras, swords, halberds, shields…. It was from French military occupation when this area were Illyrian provinces in 1880s. And even marshal Marmont slept here.
A croatian film production company „Jadran film“ rent this weapons as props.
Interseting fact : the movie classic The Dirty Dozen was filmed here, and The Winds of War.
All the furniture and items in mansion are lagacy.
Nobel family Praunsperger-Bošnjak own a Bible from 1722. on gotic and in latin.
Also own a painting „The Deer“ from famous croatian painter Slava Raškaj, that painting was a gift from her to great great-uncle because she fell in love with him. Also she sent him lots of love letters, but those letters his wife burnt because of jealousy.
Today noble Praunsperger-Bošnjak family have a little manufacture for making soaps, they make soap using a recipe from 17th century that they found in diary of great Grandmother.
And now let’s go inside to see the mansion and visit soap shop.
Thank you for attention and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Enjoy. [Merica Mikuličin / ViaNobility]
