Castles of "Croatia" TVRDALJ CASTLE vs VELIKI TABOR CASTLE

Tvrdalj Castle (Croatian: Gradina Tvrdalj) is a castle in Stari Grad, on the island of Hvar, Croatia. Tvrdalj was the summer residence of Petar Hektorović, the Croatian poet (1487–1572). During the 16th century, the island of Hvar came under attack from the Ottoman Turks. Hektorović, one of the local nobles, undertook to fortify his house so that it could act as shelter for the local citizens. Tvrdalj is a well-preserved Renaissance building, with a long closed facade on the seaward side, to protect it from attack. The interior courtyard contains a sea-water fishpool, enclosed by a vaulted and arcaded terrace. Next to it is a tower with a dovecote. The living quarters, together with the servant quarters, and several wells, are arranged around the pool. Behind the main buildings is a walled garden where Hektorović cultivated herbs and medicinal plants. A series of inscriptions are set into walls of the mansion in Latin and Croatian. Those in Croatian are considered to be some of the oldest extant. PETRVS HECTOREVS MARINI FILIVS PROPRIO SVMPTV ET INDVSTRIA AD SVVM ET AMICOR, VSVM CONSTRVXIT Translation: Petar Hektorović, son of Marin, built this at his own expense and by his own efforts, for his own and his friends' use.

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Veliki Tabor (Croatian: Great Camp) is a castle and museum in northwest Croatia, dating from the middle of 15th century. The castle's present appearance dates back to the 16th century. Most of the castle was built by the Hungarian noble family of Ráttkay, in whose ownership it remained until 1793. It is located in the region of Zagorje near Desinić, 8 km (5.0 mi) west of Pregrada, 334 m (1,096 ft) above sea level. It has around 3,340 m2 (36,000 sq ft). The castle is owned by the state, which manages it as a museum and a tourist site. The results of the conservation research and the analysis of the archaeological finds indicate that the oldest part of Veliki Tabor was built in middle of 15th century. The oldest part of the fort centre is its central part, the pentagonal castle, whose stylistic characteristics belong to the Late Gothic period. The castle is surrounded by four semi-circular Renaissance towers connected by curtain walls and the walls of the northern entrance part. The fort centre is surrounded by the outer defence wall (the distance from the easternmost to the westernmost points being about 225 metres) with a farm office, a Renaissance bastion, two semi-circular guardhouses (northern and southern), and the quadrangular entrance tower (present only on the archaeological level) through which the access road ran. Since 2002, Veliki Tabor has been the venue of an international festival of short films. The castle has been undergoing renovations since 6 November 2008, and has been closed to public since. The renovation works were finished in November 2011.

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