Palača Drašković u Varaždinu

Drašković Palace occupies a dominant position on Varaždin’s main square. Standing on the site of an older Drašković family house, it acquired its representative present form in the second half of the 18th century. When Croatian Ban Franjo Nádasdy took up residence there in 1756, Varaždin became the seat of Croatia’s highest political institutions; the Parliament and Royal Regional Council met in the palace. A gilded Drašković coat of arms marks the stone portal. The building is best viewed from Korzo, where its façade is one of the defining elements of the square and recalls Varaždin’s brief period as the political centre of Croatia.