CASTLES OF CROATIA, Oršić

Oršić – Counts' Oršić Baroque manor house in Gornja Bistra The magnitude and architectural excellence of the manor house in Gornja Bistra represents an unparalleled feat in the construction of manor houses and arguably one of the most valuable Baroque manor houses in Croatia. It is situated on a hill on the northwest slopes of Medvednica. Its main façade faces north toward a long access alley. The three-winged manor house has a U-shaped layout, which was common for Baroque manors. The rooms line the façade and the arcade hallway extends into the courtyard. The originally preserved oval central hall and chapel are the spatial and architectural centrepieces of the manor house. The hall walls and dome are adorned with illusionist mythological paintings by an unknown artist dating back to 1778. Diana, the goddess of hunting and the Moon, and Apollo, the god of the Sun and a symbol of youthful beauty, sit on the clouds painted on the dome. The statues of Jupiter, Venus, Diana and Cronus comprise the main composition of the lower part of the hall. The rococo inventory of the Chapel of St. Joseph and Baroque-period paintings. The emporium and the choir/oratorium with organs also stand out. A large park was erected next to the manor house according to a plan dating back to the late 18th century. The park's design is distinguished by an architectural landscape style and a Baroque feel due to the access route that leads to the manor's entrance in the north façade. The manor house was erected by Vice-Marshal Count Krsto Oršić II between 1770 and 1775, which was considered a grand-scale construction project at the time. The Oršićs were a prominent noble family of Croatian origin that possessed numerous castles, palaces and estates in Croatian Zagorje. They owned the most beautiful Baroque palace in Zagreb, the present-day Croatian History Museum. The Oršićs were in possession of the castle until the mid-19th century, when it was bought by the Carion family from Paris, which lived there until 1936. From 1950 until today, it has doubled as the building of the Special Hospital for Children's Diseases. Member of the Academy Mladen Obad Šćitaroci Bojana Bojanić Obad Šćitaroci, PhD