Sokolac Castle

Sokolac rises on a hill in the middle of Brinje, on the site of an earlier prehistoric hillfort. The present fortress took shape in the fifteenth century under the Frankopans, and Brinje developed a protected trading settlement beside it. The most conspicuous survivors of the larger complex are the gate tower and the late-Gothic, three-storey Chapel of the Holy Trinity. Carved coats of arms of the Frankopan and Gorjanski families appear in the chapel, while its substructure houses a permanent exhibition on Sokolac and the Counts of Krk. From 1536, the fortress formed part of the Military Frontier’s defensive system. Visits are possible by prior arrangement with Brinje Tourist Board.