CASTLES OF CROATIA 2015 - Castle Marković/Kulmer - Cernik

Castle Marković/Kulmer - Cernik

Cernik is one of rare castles in Croatia which remained preserved from the Middle Ages, from the year 1372 when it appeared for the first time in written documents. At the place of today’s castle there stood a medieval, patrician, fortified town (fortress) of the type Wasserburg, with the square ground plan, similar to today's castle. It was often mentioned in the 14th and 15th century. The destroyed Wasserburg was partly renewed in the first half of the 18th century by the baron Maksimilijan Petraš/Petrasch. When in 1756 the nobleman Stjepan Marković/Markovich succeeded him, it was renewed in the baroque style and it was given features of a castle. In spite of changes, the castle preserved its late-renaissance look: a square ground plan with inner court and round towers at corners, the so called four-winged castle. Minor building reconstructions on the castle took place in the 20th century, but they did not affect its original look. During its long history it changed many hands. In the medieval period, for the longest time the noble town belonged to the family Deževački (Dessewffy), who belonged to the Cernik gentry and owned Cernik until Turkish invasion in 1536. The first owner of the Cernik manor after the liberation from Turks was the colonel from Brod, Maksimilijan baron Petraš. He was given the manor in 1707 by the Emperor Leopold I. Habsburg for his merits in fights for liberation from Turks. In 1753 the nobleman Marko Marković bought Cernik from Petraš and his descendants lived in the castle until 1848. Since then, until the end of the First World War in 1918, it often changed owners. In 1918 it was bought by the Count Aleksandar Kulmer (1890-1965), who owned it until 1946 when it was nationalised. At the beginning of the 21st century the castle was given back to his granddaughter, Barbara Kulmer. In 1768 Cernik had the honour to host the Emperor Joseph II of Habsburg, the son of the Empress Maria Theresa, on his journey from Stara Gradiška to Požega. Akademik Mladen Obad Šćitaroci Prof. dr. sc. Bojana Bojanić Obad Šćitaroci www.scitaroci.hr