Central Croatia

21 lesser-known places in Central Croatia, with history, curiosities, a map and tours nearby.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

21 places

Excavated Roman remains at Andautonia in the village of Šćitarjevo

Roman & ancient

Andautonia

Šćitarjevo · Roman town park south-east of Zagreb

Čakovec Castle, the Zrinski stronghold in the centre of Čakovec

Castle & fortress

Čakovec Castle

Čakovec · Zrinski stronghold, museum and summer theatre

Approach to the Dotrščina memorial park through the forest

Dotrščina Memorial Park

Zagreb · forest memorial park with Vojin Bakić's steel monument

Dubovac Castle on its hill above Karlovac

Castle & fortress

Dubovac Castle

Karlovac · hilltop castle older than the city below

Front of the Kockica building in Zagreb, a ten-storey cube, photographed in 2025

Kockica

Zagreb · 1968 modernist cube with rich interior art

Hušnjak Hill at Krapina, the Neanderthal site in Hrvatsko Zagorje

Roman & ancient

Krapina Neanderthal Site

Krapina · record Neanderthal fossils on Hušnjak Hill

Greek inscription dated 1734 at Lepavina Monastery, a Serbian Orthodox monastery near Koprivnica

Church & monastery

Lepavina Monastery

Lepavina · Orthodox monastery with a Baroque church near Koprivnica

Lotrščak Tower in Zagreb's Upper Town during the Festival of Lights, March 2019

Castle & fortress

Lotrščak Tower

Zagreb · medieval tower, thieves' bell and daily noon cannon

Medvedgrad, the old fortress on the slopes of Medvednica above Zagreb

Castle & fortress

Medvedgrad

Medvedgrad · 13th-century castle with a view over Zagreb

The front of Mirogoj Cemetery in Zagreb with its entrance building

Mirogoj Cemetery

Zagreb · arcades, domes and the 'Croatian Pantheon'

The Monument to the Revolution at Podgarić, with its wing-like arms spread across the landscape

Modern & artFilmed here

Monument to the Revolution of the People of Moslavina

Podgarić · abstract Yugoslav-era sculpture in the Moslavina hills

The Monument to the Uprising of the People of Kordun and Banija on Petrova Gora, photographed in 2010

Monument to the Uprising of the People of Kordun and Banija

Petrova Gora · Vojin Bakić's modernist memorial on a hilltop

The ruins of Okić Castle, the old medieval town, on their hill in the Samobor Hills

Castle & fortress

Okić Castle

Okić · medieval hilltop ruin above Samobor

Samobor Castle, the ruined fortress on Tepec hill above the town of Samobor

Castle & fortress

Samobor Castle

Samobor · medieval castle ruin on Tepec hill, a short walk from town

The Stone Gate (Kamenita vrata) in Zagreb's Upper Town with its carriageway and shrine

Castle & fortress

Stone Gate

Zagreb · last medieval gate and a candlelit shrine to Mary

Ruins of Susedgrad Castle on its wooded hill at the western edge of Zagreb

Castle & fortress

Susedgrad Castle

Podsused · ruined hilltop castle on the edge of Zagreb

The Tomb of the People's Heroes at Mirogoj cemetery in Zagreb

Tomb of the People's Heroes, Zagreb

Zagreb · Yugoslav-era memorial tomb at Mirogoj cemetery

Trakošćan Castle in northern Croatia, the Neo-Gothic manor beside its lake

Castle & fortressFilmed here

Trakošćan Castle

Trakošćan · Neo-Gothic castle, museum and park in Zagorje

Veliki Tabor Castle on its hilltop at Hum Košnički in Hrvatsko Zagorje

Castle & fortressFilmed here

Veliki Tabor Castle

Desinić · Late Gothic fortress with a tragic legend

The Well of Life by Ivan Meštrović, a circle of bronze figures around a well in front of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb

Well of Life

Zagreb · Meštrović's circle of bronze figures around a well

The summit area of Sljeme on Medvednica mountain above Zagreb

Zagreb TV Tower

Sljeme · 169 m concrete tower watching over Zagreb