March the 3rd, 2026 – The largest castle in Croatia is one many have never even heard of, and you’re forbidden from entering this so-called “Croatian Versailles”…
As Putni kofer writes, counts and barons once lived in them, nobles hosted incredibly lavish balls, conspiracies and plots were hatched in their halls and secret passages… Castles are undoubtedly one of the most beautiful monuments of Europe’s long past, and Croatia is full of them.
Everyone will be able to easily list a few of the most famous ones without a problem: Trakošćan, Veliki Tabor, Eltz, Pejačević, the list goes on. How about the largest castle in Croatia, however? Many people have never even heard of it, although it’s absolutely beautiful and packed solid with all sorts of interesting things. The reason is simple: it isn’t open to the public in the standard sense because it is actually currently home to a hospital for the treatment of various pulmonary diseases.
The largest castle in Croatia is located not far from the much more famous Trakošćan and the baroque city of Varaždin. Its name is Klenovnik Castle and it lies in the municipality bearing the same name. It’s a zero-category monument, and it is also often referred to as the “Croatian Versailles”. Back during the 17th century, when it was built, it boasted 90 lavish rooms and 365 windows, but today it looks quite different from the inside.
The best-preserved interior of the largest castle in Croatia, or should we actually say hospital, is the Baroque Chapel of St. Anthony, with a fully preserved interior and inventory from the 18th century. The chapel is considered to be one of the most beautiful and valuable castle chapels in all of Croatia. The large park that adorned the castle’s surroundings has also been largely preserved to this day.
Klenovnik Castle has been constructed in the late Renaissance and early Baroque style, it’s rectangular in shape, and due to its public function (the fact that it houses a medical facility), it hasn’t been left to rot and decay like many other unfortunate castles. Instead, it is very carefully and regularly maintained. This, however, also means that you cannot see its interior, but it is certainly worth visiting and exploring it from the outside.
The largest castle in all of Croatia, Klenovnik Castle, was first mentioned in written documents way back in 1244 as a medieval fortified town that Bela IV. gave to the former Varaždin prefect Mihajlo. It acquired its current appearance, a rectangular Renaissance castle on two floors, only during the 17th century. It was constructed by the Counts Drašković in 1616 and remained under their ownership all the way until the mid-19th century.
The eminent Drašković family sold it to raise money for the reconstruction of Trakošćan, and the new owner, Count Bombelles, sold it to the Central Office for Workers’ Insurance in 1925. Just two years later, in 1927, a health resort was opened there, which remains in full operation to this very day.
