Northeast of Zagreb, Varaždin is one of the best-preserved Baroque towns anywhere in Central Europe, boasting rows of pastel-coloured houses overlooked by church towers and onion domes. The town came to prominence thanks to its position on major east-west trade routes, and to its strategic importance in Austria’s wars with the Ottoman Empire. The site of a sturdy, moat-defended castle, it was an important base for the Croatian aristocracy, who built opulent mansions around the main square. Varaždin briefly served as eighteenth-century capital of Croatia, although a disastrous fire in 1776 diminished its importance.

The Castle and around

Defining feature of the urban landscape is Varaždin Castle, its sturdy towers rising above green parkland laid out on the site of former fortifications. The arcaded interior houses a fascinating Town Museum, with local lifestyle history revealed through a series of recreated domestic interiors.