Page 211 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Croatia

THE NOR THERN C OUNTIES  209

original Gothic form has been 17th century. At one time the
integrated into an overall palace was famous for its rich
Baroque appearance. The furnishings, its art collections,
church is all that survives of and for the fact that the
the monastery founded by the Hungarian king, Matthias
Paulines in 1376. It has Corvinus, was often a
been rebuilt at various guest here.
times, firstly after a The Church of
Protestant revolt, then St Jerome (Sv.
because of a fire and Jerolim) stands on
finally after an a hill at the edge of
earthquake. the village. Restoration
Inside the church has uncovered the
are the tombstones of Fresco on the door of the frescoes above
the powerful Zrinski church of St Jerome, the doorway and
family, the lords of Štrigova in the niches on
Čakovec: that of the façade, which is Frescoed façade of the Church of
Nikola Zrinski and his wife flanked by two harmonious St Jerome, Štrigova
Catherine Frankopan, and bell towers and culminates in
also that of Petar Zrinski. a curvilinear tympanum. Drašković counts, which was
The church also contains a In the church are numerous situated in the centre of a
number of tombs of members trompe-l’œil paintings by the large park.
of the Knežević family, who Tyrolean artist Ivan Ranger In the late 19th century,
became the successors to (see p210), depicting Angels, Count Marko Bombelles created
the Zrinskis. the Evangelists and the Life of Opeka Park, 2 km (1 mile) south
St Jerome. There are also statues of Vinica. This large arboretum
representing the fathers of was at that time the only one
the Church. of its kind in Croatia. Here
Bombelles planted exotic trees
and plants from around the
4 Vinica world, including the Americas,
Japan, Tibet and the Caucasus,
Map D1. * 1,200. @ from
Varaždin. n Trg Matije Gupca 14, over an area of flat and
(042) 722 233. hilly ground.
Next to this wonderful
This small town lies at the foot park, declared a protected
of vine-covered hills. It was first nature reserve in 1961, a school
mentioned in documents of of horticulture has been set
1353 as the site of a medieval up. This school has several
fortress. At one time it was glasshouses and a large garden
known for the large palace built of flowering plants.
by the Patačić counts on the site
One of the frescoes decorating the church of their old castle. The palace is Y Opeka Park
of St Helen, Čakovec now in ruins, as is that of the Open at all times.
3 Štrigova
Map D1. * 450. £ from Čakovec.
@ from Čakovec. n Štrigova 22a,
(040) 851 325. ∑ strigova.info
Numerous finds of Roman
origin have been discovered
here, leading historians to
believe that this village was
built on the site of the Roman
city of Stridon, the birthplace
of St Jerome.
The counts of Štrigovčak
lived here, but their castle was
destroyed during a raid by the
Turks. Nearby, the Bannfy counts
also built a castle, which was
transformed into a palace in the Spring floral display in Opeka Park, near Vinica

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