CASTLES OF CROATIA, Lovrečina

Lovrečina – a Neo-Renaissance manor house built on the foundations of a Renaissance castle Lovrečina is a manor house located in the plains, 40 km north-east of Vrbovec and 40 km east of Zagreb. It was named after the nearby Church of St. Lawrence (Lovro), which was first attested to in the 14th century. The feudal estate and castle were mentioned here first in the 13th and 16th centuries, respectively. Coloman's Road, which passed by Lovrečina, led from Hungary across Koprivnica, Križevci and Zagreb to the Adriatic Sea. In that ancient time, the Lovreč estate went through various owners and lords. In the 18th century it belonged to the Orehoczy, Drašković, Kiš and Fodroczy families, followed by the Counts Patačić and the Farkaš family in the 19th century. Lovrečina was bought in 1879 by the French general Tomasini, who moved to Croatia after the fall of Napoleon. His compatriot and friend Marquis de Piennes owned the nearby manor house and estate in Vrbovec and purchased Lovrečina after Tomasini in 1909, granting it to the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity in Zagreb, which are still in possession of the manor house. The Congregation also owns the Lužnica manor house west of Zagreb. Fragments of a Renaissance castle first mentioned in 1540, which was part of a fortification system against the Ottomans, are still hidden in the present-day manor. It was never occupied by the Ottomans, although it was damaged during the Peasant Revolt in 1755. Afterwards, the castle was renovated and extended, and its L-shaped layout was transformed into a four-winged manor with a courtyard, which was typical of the Renaissance period. The manor house underwent several architectural modifications: some of the wings were torn down, the auxiliary buildings were extended, and the entire estate was refurbished. The manor house was renovated, enlarged and acquired its U-shaped layout in the late 19th century. This was the last major overhaul applied to the manor, after which it received its Neo-Renaissance features that have been preserved until today. The manor house did not have a garden. Its omission was compensated by a picturesque agricultural and natural landscape in the immediate and extended surroundings.