CASTLES OF CROATIA, Januševec

Januševec – Baron Vrkljan's Classicist manor house Januševec manor is deemed the pinnacle of Croatian Classicist architecture. It is also considered one of the most prominent examples of the reconstructed architectural heritage of Croatia due to having undergone extensive renovation after being demolished in 1945 during the war. The manor house is located in the village of Prigorje Brdovečko near Zaprešić, 20 km from the centre of Zagreb. It is situated at the junction of the Zagorje hills and the Sava River valley, providing a stunning view of the valley and the Samobor Highlands in the distance. The spatial and architectural integrity and the integrity of form of the manor house, auxiliary buildings and gardens, along with the pronounced single-axis composition, is quite prominent. The small landscape garden (area: 2.6 ha) was built originally in the Biedermeier style with planted flowers. The dimensions of the manor house in plan view are 40x30 m, with a circular hall surrounded by numerous rooms occupying the central position. The Classicist-style façades boast sumptuous treatment and plasticity. The altan on the south façade, the entry portico with an architrave and pediment on the north façade, as well as the loggia and pilasters on the west and east façades, respectively, make the façades highly dynamic. The manor house comprises four tiers: basement, first ground floor, second ground floor, first floor. The noble estate had existed since the Middle Ages. The manor house was constructed on the site of a previous country house owned by the Counts Kulmer and Sermage. Count Josip Vrkljan (1777 - 1849) bought the estate in 1829 and erected the manor house. He had recently returned from Italy where he retired as a military officer in the Austrian army and the state secretary of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza at the court of Marie-Louise, the second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte I. The manor house was purchased in 1845 by Count Corberon (1807 – 1861), a French politician residing in Croatia. After that, the manor changed owners several times. In 1984, a portion of the archives from the Croatian State Archives were moved to Januševec manor and are still housed there.