One of Croatia’s lowland water castles has been saved: the restored Erdődy Castle in Kerestinec has been handed over

The Erdődy Castle in Kerestinec has stood for four hundred years a few kilometres west of Zagreb, near Sveta Nedelja. The earliest parts of what is one of the most distinctive examples of Renaissance-Baroque architecture in the entire region date back to the second half of the 16th century: after Péter Erdődy II purchased the estate in the 1560s, he commissioned the construction of a fortification protected by a moat and featuring robust cylindrical corner towers, which was completed by his son, Péter Erdődy III. What makes it truly unique is that, whilst the vast majority of castles in the Carpathian Basin were built on mountainous terrain or natural elevations,.

Kerestinec is one of the few Renaissance lowland water castles to have survived intact, where defence was based not on rocky terrain but on regular geometry, massive corner bastions and floodable moats.

It bore the brunt of the political upheavals

The castle, which also served a defensive purpose during the wars against the Turks, was modernised and rebuilt in the 18th century in the style of the period: it was then given a more ornate Baroque exterior, elegantly shaped window frames and arched arcades opening onto the inner courtyard. The appearance of the enclosed complex was reshaped by the great Zagreb earthquake of 1880. At that time, the damaged wings were simplified and partially demolished, resulting in the U-shaped layout with which it is known today.

The castle’s fate in the 20th century is a story typical of Central Europe: during the Second World War and the decades that followed, it was used as a political prison, a prisoner-of-war camp and then as barracks, whilst the 2020 earthquakes in Petrinja and Zagreb caused critical structural damage to the walls, vaults and roof structure.

They were rescued at the last minute

Work began on saving the castle in May 2022. As part of a comprehensive investment project worth some 13 million euros (approx. 4.7 billion forints), this important monument to the shared history of Hungary and Croatia was preserved for posterity, predominantly using European Union funds. The master planning and heritage coordination were carried out by the firm Mplan, whilst the construction work was undertaken by Spektar gradnja.

The restoration was carried out in two phases: the first phase, which ran until the summer of 2023, focused on emergency structural reinforcement and the stabilisation of the foundations and cracked walls. This was followed by the second phase, which focused on architectural restoration, the modernisation of the building services, and the preservation of the murals in the north-west tower.

To mark the conclusion of this lengthy process, the completely refurbished building was handed over on 14 September 2026.

This historic building, which had been closed off for decades and was falling into disrepair, now serves a community and cultural purpose: it has opened its doors to the general public, featuring concert and event venues, a library and exhibition spaces.