Kaštel (Castle), Krk

The Frankopan castle (kaštel) is located in the historic core of the town of Krk, on the island of the same name in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. It dominates the views of the town and is of interest to visitors who wish to get to know the fortified heritage of the Kvarner towns.

The castle consists of corner towers connected by walls with guard walkways, and inside there is a water reservoir. Its present forms came into being in the late Middle Ages. Among the towers, the so-called courtroom (sudnica) stands out, a rectangular tower built of massive, very high-quality ashlar blocks, like those on the Church of St Quirinus. An inscription on the lunette of the portal dates it to the year 1191. It is assumed that it was originally built as the tower of the Krk cathedral, and then incorporated into the Frankopan castle. Details of characteristic architectural design from different periods have also been preserved, so the castle is a harmonious and layered example of fortification building.

The castle is a protected cultural good and is entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-131. It belongs to secular architectural heritage and dates from the period from the 12th to the 15th century.

Photo: Roberta F., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Data: Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia (Ministry of Culture and Media), Open Licence; coordinates: Wikidata (CC0).