One late-winter sunday I was inspired by the beautiful weather to go outside and explore more of the many castles in Zagreb county.
Driving southwest towards the small village of Kerestinec one cannot miss the sight of the castle… and yet another category 1 monument in a state of decay.
The Erdody castle was built in the 1576 by the noble Hungarian-Croatian family Erdody, who at the time decided to leave their former residence at Okic. It is a square two-storey Renaissance structure with fortified elements, a huge park and a moat filled with water from a nearby lake.
The castle was badly destroyed in the tremendous earthquake of 1880 and was carefully restored in the early 20th century. At that time the castle was no longer owned by the Erdody family, and became a prison during the WW II as well as in the early 1990s.
After Kerestinec became a part of Sveta Nedelja municipality in the 90s some restoration work was carried out in order to save the castle from apparent dilapidation – most notably the demining of the grounds and roof repairs. Thanks to the locals who organised the cleaning of both the interior and the exterior, the castle can now take on the function of hosting many events throughout the year. (Merica Mikuličin / ViaNobility)