Drežnik Old Town

Drežnik Old Town is the setting for yet another episode about the Frankopans and the Ottomans. That would be the shortest possible version of a story that is in fact far wider and more complex, and that runs for a full 900 years.

The Plitvice valleys are known above all for their natural attractions. When foreigners who have seen countless sights around the world, from New Zealand to North America, talk about Plitvice (the Plitvice Lakes), they often say that the Plitvice Lakes are the most beautiful thing they have ever seen. So how is anything else from that part of the country ever to get a word in?

Word of Drežnik never reached us either; we discovered it while hunting for the “hidden treasure” we assumed was there but knew nothing about.

And sure enough, in Rakovica (Drežnik grad), on the top of a cliff above the Korana canyon, stand the remains of an old fortress that defended Europe for 400 years against the Ottoman advance!

As with many of our fortresses, restoration and reconstruction are under way with a highly uncertain completion date. In many parts of Croatia we have come across restorations that were begun and never finished. Scaffolding overgrown with weeds, materials washed away by the rain, everything overgrown and absorbed back into its surroundings… Although the Drežnik site does seem to be still active and unlikely to suffer the fate of being forgotten after the next elections, do check on its status the next time you pass through the Plitvice area.

Besides the fortress, you will find many walking and cycling trails along the Korana. This place is also the centre of numerous cultural events, so there is no chance of being bored here. It is only a 15-minute drive from Plitvice, so lack of time cannot be an excuse!