My family took a little afternoon trip to Medvedgrad and I thought it would be nice to share here on my blog and instead of me trying to explain Medvedgrad I am quoting Wikipedia! :)
Medvedgrad (pronounced [mědʋedɡraːd]; Croatian for bear-town or city of bears; is a medieval fortified town located on the south slopes of Medvednica mountain, approximately halfway from the Croatian capital Zagreb to the mountain top Sljeme. For defensive purposes it was built on a hill, Mali Plazur, that is a spur of the main ridge of the mountain that overlooks the city. On a clear day the castle can be seen from far away, especially the high main tower. Below the main tower of the castle is Oltar Domovine (Altar of the homeland) which is dedicated to Croatian soldiers killed in the Croatian War of Independence.
Here are a couple of views of the Alter of the Homeland which is dedicated to the soldiers. I pray for this country. It's a difficult place to live right now, the recession just keeps going, so many people are leaving because there is no work and if you find work the pay is miserable. I cannot tell you how many times I am asked 'why are you still here? why don't you go back to Canada?'. This country has so much potential it's mind blowing but it needs a government that isn't corrupt as it has been up til now..... anyways....
The fortress was constructed after the
Mongol invasion of 1242 when the city of Zagreb was destroyed and burned to the ground.
It was built by Philippe (de genere Türje), bishop of Zagreb, between 1249 and 1254; later it was owned by
bans of Slavonia. After an earthquake in 1590, the fortress was heavily damaged and abandoned. It remained in ruins until recently when it was partly restored and now offers a panoramic view of the city from an altitude of over 500 meters (1,600 ft).
Notable Croatian and Hungarian poet and ban of Slavonia
Janus Pannonius (Ivan Česmički) died in the Medvedgrad castle on March 27, 1472.
Once you climb to the top of the tower you get a gorgeous view of Zagreb.
This is the chapel of St. Filip and Jacov..... which my son Jakov was feeling pretty proud about! ;)
To the right of the photo above is a restaurant (temperarily closed...I noticed construction being done here and there...water damage etc). We took my mom here when Mia was born...the food was awesome!
I bought Mia little metal birdie earrings at the gift shop. :)
Marko and I have been on a Lord of the Rings and Hobit movies kick and we both agreed it felt like the Dwarfs could pop out at any minute! I just love visiting historical places!
Until next time City of Bears!
xo
