CASTLES OF CROATIA - Batthyany Castle in Ludbreg

BATTHYANY, LUDBREG – castle of the Counts of Batthyany Ludbreg's architectural history dates back to Roman times as evidenced by the archaeological site near the castle which was built in the late Baroque era, combining a medieval burgh and a Renaissance castle. The castle was first mentioned in 1320 under the name castrum. In the middle of the 16th century, at the time of the reign of the Thuroczy family, an outdoor bulwark, towers and water ditch were built so the building took on the characteristics of a Wasserburg (burgh). Count Ludovik Batthyany is responsible for the Baroque-Classicist castle, the construction of which began in 1745 and lasted until the beginning of the 19th century. Joseph Hueber, a prominent architect from Graz, was in charge of the construction. The layout size of the castle amounts to 32x33 m with an inner courtyard. It consists of four floors. The fourth floor was originally incorporated into the mansard roof, which was altered in the 19th century, so the castle took on its present appearance. The castle is part of the Baroque-Classicist urban complex north of the medieval settlement. Two large two-story buildings were built south of the castle and numerous economic facilities were built on the north side. All were compositionally positioned around the central axis in a north-south direction. Historical interiors were not preserved due to modifications to the castle in the 20th century. The original wall and ceiling paintings in the Hall of Sallaterain have been preserved on the ground floor of the western building south of the castle. Painted ceilings and walls in the castle Chapel of the Holy Cross from 1753 were restored in the 1950s. Their author is Michael Peck from Kaniža. There is a collection of sacral art and historical archives in the Chapel of the Holy Cross, including the Papal bull of Pope Leo X from 1513, confirming the Eucharistic Miracle from 1411 which, according to a legend, happened in the chapel in the Gothic tower of the castle. The castle and the land were in the ownership of the Hungarian Counts of Batthyany for 228 years, from 1695 to 1923. In 1742, Queen Maria Theresa acknowledged the Ludbreg land as an inalienable good of the Batthyany family. For most of the 20th century, the castle did not have a quality purpose until 1992, when a Conservation Centre was established as an international restoration work room for art restoration. academic Mladen Obad Šćitaroci prof. dr. sc. Bojana Bojanić Obad Šćitaroci