Petrapilosa castle (Pietrapelosa)

We first heard of this castle in Hum (the smallest town in the world) while talking to local people. Its restoration was just coming to an end, and since it was on our way – we were passing Buzet – we stopped to take a look. From the beautiful valley of the river Mirna, a winding road takes you up to the top of the hill the castle stands on in no time at all. The road is asphalted along its whole length and the car park at the top is quite spacious. We left the car and set off curiously along the path towards the castle. And there a surprise awaited us that left us stunned! In front of us stood a gate with a payment machine (?!?).

It was the first time we had seen anything like it, and we found it odd and funny at the same time. The machine was not even working, so our options were to climb over the fence or go back to the main road and carry on with our original plan. We chose the latter.

Our visits to Istria kept coming, and we kept giving Petrapilosa a miss. That went on until we saw a television documentary about the castles of Istria. Once we had heard the story behind it and seen the footage of the castle, we put it straight onto our shortlist! On our next trip to Istria we finally went to see it.

Pietrapelosa – the hairy stone / castle

This time the machine worked perfectly, and we liked the whole concept enormously. It goes to show you should not be prejudiced against new things, however odd they look at first glance. Given how well the castle has been done up, the entrance fee really is token, and the charge probably covers part of the maintenance costs, which are certainly unavoidable once you have brought a building up to this standard.

The restoration of Petrapilosa castle is something that ought to be an example for every other fortress in Croatia. Not only does it enrich what there is to offer visitors, but the sheer safety of touring a building like this is at the level it should be. Most important of all is that this is how buildings are conserved and protected from further decay.

After Sokol grad in Konavle, this is the best-kept fortress in Croatia we have visited so far. There are other fortresses heading in the same direction, some even with rich museum displays and smart printed brochures, but with sections that are still neglected or closed off, or with leftover building materials from the restoration scattered about.

Since we are on the subject of successful restoration models, we have to mention St. Michael’s Fortress in Šibenik, which has been beautifully restored and laid out and also serves as one of the finest summer stages in Croatia. However, as the focus of our site is on the natural beauty of Croatia, we only write about fortresses that are not in an urban setting, or are at least on its edge.

Three legends

As tends to be the case with prominent positions like this, the finds usually show the site was inhabited back in prehistory. After that, the remains of some older fort are generally found, and on its foundations the fortresses that are already documented in various records begin to be built.

That is the case with this castle too. The fort was strictly military in purpose. Only when it was extended in 1210 by the feudal lord Vulginius de Petrapilosa did it acquire additional buildings such as the palace where the owner lived and the church below the fort.

That little church now houses an interesting multimedia centre where, besides the historical facts, you can find three legends connected with this area.

The first legend tells of the fort’s origin. A knight travelling from far away said he would build a castle at the spot where his horse stopped. After who knows how much road behind them, the horse finally came to a halt right here.

The second legend tells of a petrified friar, or of his horse. According to the legend, witches waylaid a friar travelling through this area on his way to Momjan. He fell from his horse and was killed on the spot. To this day people cannot agree whether the rock jutting out beside the river Mirna is the petrified friar holding a book or his horse. Either way, we found it and photographed it. To us it looks like a worried honey seller standing by the wrong road, for whom nobody has stopped in a very long time.

The third legend concerns a pillory known as the “Berlin”. Why “Berlin”? Because those sentenced would be driven there tied to a type of carriage that was evidently legendary at the time, as it ran the Berlin – Paris route. The pillory still stands in the village of Salež. In the old days that was the usual way of punishing lawbreakers. Today the accused hide behind hoods and jackets as they are led away. Back then those arrests and punishments were highly theatrical and must have been more effective than today’s.