CASTLES OF CROATIA, Brezovica Manor

Brezovica Manor – the Baroque manor of the Counts Drašković Trakošćanski Brezovica Manor, situated 13 km from Zagreb, is one of the most important examples of Baroque manor architecture in Croatia, although in a poor condition and without a purpose for decades. The name Brezovica is mentioned at the end of the 13th century. It is a noble estate from the end of the 14th century, and in the 16th century it was a Renaissance burg. The estate belonged to various noble families (Zrinski, Drašković, Gyulaj, etc.), of which the Counts Drašković Trakošćanski left the most visible trace. They owned Brezovica from 1660 to 1807, when Janko Drašković sold the manor to the Croatian ban Ignjat Gyulaj. During that period Brezovica experienced economic and cultural development. At the end of the 18th century, the modest manor was extended and converted into a three-winged Baroque manor with corner towers and a park with a prominent uniaxial concept. The manor house is recognizable by its central hall on the first floor with valuable wall paintings on all the walls. The walls are painted with scenes from the Seven Years’ War (1756 - 1763) in which Josip Kazimir Drašković (1714 - 1765) and his son Ivan VIII Drašković (1740 - 1788) participated. In Croatian art history, these paintings are a rare example of preserved secular wall paintings from the Baroque period. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the manor house underwent architectural alterations, but without key intrusions into the Baroque architectural concept. In the 19th century, Ban Gyulaj had the northern main façade refaced. In 1912, the manor was bought by the Zagreb Archdiocese for the summer residence of Archbishop Antun Bauer. Then a large farm was constructed on the estate, which brought the Archdiocese income from farming and animal husbandry for the maintenance of the manor. The architectural design of the manor house with minor modifications was led by the architect Viktor Kovačić, the founder of Croatian modern architecture, and the painter Ljubo Babić also made his contribution. The manor was nationalized in 1946 and until 1990 it was used for the needs of a gardening school, disco club and a restaurant, and in 2006 it was returned to the Zagreb Archdiocese. The manor house and its estate are waiting for an opportunity for a new life.