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Once the seat of a powerful Croatian ruler and the scene of exceptional cultural and historical events, the town of Ozalj and its surroundings can be proud of its rich and glorious past. Today, Ozalj builds its identity and tourist promotion on the foundations of valuable cultural and historical heritage and traditional features of the region.

Thanks to its favourable position, a settlement was created on the limestone rock above the river in prehistoric times on the soil of Ozalj's old town. Zemunica, located in a natural rock depression, can be considered the oldest discovered dwelling in this part of Croatia. An early Romanesque church was discovered in the northern courtyard of the town, also the oldest in the wider Pannonian area. Archaeological finds from prehistory, Roman times and the early Middle Ages testify to the ups and downs, and to the uninterrupted continuity of settlement long before 1244, when the name of the town was first recorded.

Medieval Ozalj

Medieval Ozalj was owned by three of the most powerful Croatian feudal families: Babonić, Frankopan (since 1398) and Zrinski (since 1550). One of the most important buildings within the old town of Ozalj, the Zrinski Palace, was built by the famous Siget hero Nikola Šubić Zrinski in 1556.

In the 17th century Ozalj experienced its most brilliant historical period, becoming the unofficial Croatian capital with Ban Petar Zrinski holding his court there. The tragic execution of the rebels against Viennese absolutism, Ban Petar Zrinski and Count Fran Krsto Frankopan in Wiener Neustadt in 1671, marked the beginning of a dark period in which the city was devastated and looted.

In the 18th century, Count Rajmund Perlas thoroughly renovated it, and the next owner, Count Theodor Batthyány, gave the then predominantly Gothic town its present-day, Baroque appearance. Then, until 1928, the town was owned by the Thurn und Taxis family, the last member of which, Prince Albert, donated the old town to the Society of the Croatian Dragon Brothers. Enveloped by outstanding cultural and historical events, the town of Ozalj and its surroundings can boast a rich and glorious past.