Čakovec Castle

Čakovec Old Town grew from a wooden fort associated with Count Dimitrij Čaki, whose name also gave Čakovec its name. It is recorded as a fortified town in the 14th century, and the Zrinski family held it from 1546 to 1691. With Italian builders, they gradually turned the earlier castle into a powerful lowland Renaissance fortress. After the 1738 earthquake, the complex was restored and reshaped in the Baroque style. The palace now houses the Međimurje County Museum, while the fortification and surrounding park form Čakovec’s most recognisable historic core.