Maruševec Castle
Encyclopedia
Maruševec is castle located in the municipality of the same name
within Varaždin County
, Croatia
. The castle dates back to 1547. In the 19th century it was described as having a square, lowland fortress with entrenchments, four circular towers and one square one, entered across a wooden bridge.
The Patačićes remained im possession until 1817 no heir was apparent. Throughout the mid 19th century, again the castle was under numerous hands, until it was bought in 1873 from Baron Simbschen by the Prussian Count Arthur Schlippenbach whose wife, Luisa, was from the Drache de Wartenberg family. He enlarged the castle as it stands today and refurbished it with decor of the period in 1877. In 1881, Count Schlippenbach died in Cairo
.
In 1883 Maruševec and Čalinec Castle were purchased by Oskar de Pongratz. The Pongratz noble family reconstructed the garden, and made some minor alterations to the building in 1901 such as tapestries on the staircases illustrating hunting scenes, the work of Monnaccelli from Rome
. Pongratz also placed a new entrance door in the south wall above which are the Pongratz arms, and built new steps, which stand today. The castle was owned by the Pongratz noble family until 1945. That year the Independent State of Croatia
was defeated, resulting in the establishment of communist-run Yugoslavia which confiscated most of the former Austro-Hungarian
Croatian nobility's property. As part of this, Maruševec was nationalized and the Pongratz's emigrated to Graz
, Austria
.
In the 2000s, the government of Croatia began the process of returning the property to the heir of the Pongratz family, count Oskar Pontgratz. It is now in their ownership.
Maruševec
Maruševec is a village and municipality in Croatia in the Varaždin county. According to the 2001 census, there are 6,757 inhabitants, the absolute majority of which are Croats.-Notable buildings:*Maruševec Castle...
within Varaždin County
Varaždin County
Varaždin County is a county in northern Croatia. It is named after its county seat, the city of Varaždin.-Geography:In addition to the city of Varaždin, the county includes the towns of Ivanec, Ludbreg, Lepoglava, Novi Marof and Varaždinske Toplice, as well as 22 municipalities...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. The castle dates back to 1547. In the 19th century it was described as having a square, lowland fortress with entrenchments, four circular towers and one square one, entered across a wooden bridge.
History
In 1618 Baltazar Vragović of the noble family Vragović, (entitled in 1351 by King Ljudevit I), restored and enlarged the castle. This is recorded in the inscription and family arms on the first floor of the western wall of the old castle. The Vragović family had obtained and occupied the castle and from 1514 had the right to pronounce the death sentence on serfs. In 1716 they were given a baronetcy but the last member of the family, Franjo Adam, had no male heir and nominated Krsto črnkovački, then Deputy Ban and captain of the Ban's bodyguard, to be his successor. However, upon his death a year later in fighting against the Turks on the Zrin, Maruševec Castle was owned by a succession of noble families from the Pasztory family, the Kanotay family to the Patačić family.The Patačićes remained im possession until 1817 no heir was apparent. Throughout the mid 19th century, again the castle was under numerous hands, until it was bought in 1873 from Baron Simbschen by the Prussian Count Arthur Schlippenbach whose wife, Luisa, was from the Drache de Wartenberg family. He enlarged the castle as it stands today and refurbished it with decor of the period in 1877. In 1881, Count Schlippenbach died in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
.
In 1883 Maruševec and Čalinec Castle were purchased by Oskar de Pongratz. The Pongratz noble family reconstructed the garden, and made some minor alterations to the building in 1901 such as tapestries on the staircases illustrating hunting scenes, the work of Monnaccelli from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Pongratz also placed a new entrance door in the south wall above which are the Pongratz arms, and built new steps, which stand today. The castle was owned by the Pongratz noble family until 1945. That year the Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
was defeated, resulting in the establishment of communist-run Yugoslavia which confiscated most of the former Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
Croatian nobility's property. As part of this, Maruševec was nationalized and the Pongratz's emigrated to Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
In the 2000s, the government of Croatia began the process of returning the property to the heir of the Pongratz family, count Oskar Pontgratz. It is now in their ownership.