November the 2nd, 2024 – Gorgeous Trakošćan castle in northern Croatia has been without its large body of water for three long years. Trakošćan castle lake is finally full again.
As Index vijesti/news writes, after a period of almost three years, beautiful Trakošćan castle lake has finally been filled again and opened to keen visitors.
This large expanse of water, which was drained in order to make way for required renovation and maintenance works, has now returned to being among the beautiful picnic spots in all of Croatia. The restored lake now reflects the truly magical and imposing Trakošćan castle, which now once again rises above the calm surface of the water as if from a fairy tale.
a brief history of Trakošćan and Trakošćan castle lake
The remarkably well kept Trakošćan castle is a real gem for all history buffs. Throughout the many centuries, it has been home to numerous noble families, among which the Drašković family is by far the most famous. The interior of the castle boasts an incredibly rich collection of antique furniture, works of art, impressive weapons from times long gone by, and more.
The view of this magnificent structure is completed by the artificial Trakošćan castle lake, which was built between 1850 and 1862, by order of Count George VI. Drašković. The count had an artificial lake created as part of the landscape park surrounding the castle. It is surrounded by dense nature and is about one and a half kilometres long.
For almost three years, the most recent Trakošćan project was accompanied by controversies…
It wouldn’t be Croatia without a scandal thrown in. It’s worth noting that the Trakošćan lake dredging project run by Hrvatske vode (Croatian water) started at the end of November 2021, and the work was planned to be completed by the beginning of winter 2022. The works were also accompanied by controversies, and this fairy-tale place was left stagnant as a muddy thicket for years.
The deadlines were postponed on several occasions. Those responsible tried to present the delays as the result of unforeseen circumstances, which affected the slower performance of the works.
More than 200,000 cubic metres of sediment were removed from Trakošćan lake, and the total volume of the lake is more than 500,000 cubic metres of water.
Back during the middle of September this year, Trakošćan lake finally began to fill back up owing to heavy rains, seeing the scene return to its former glory.
Fancy learning more about Croatian castles and palaces? Look no further!
