A picturesque town with a French flair
Samobor, a medieval town with baroque architecture located on the eastern slopes of the Samobor Mountains at the entrance to the romantic valley of the Gradna stream. Only twenty kilometers away from Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.
Samobor and its surroundings are the oldest and most attractive picnic spot for the people of Zagreb, mountaineers, hikers and tourists from all over Croatia and abroad. This picturesque town with a French touch will enchant you with its architecture, relax you with its casual atmosphere, conquer you with flavors and colors... and entice you to come back again.
Illyrian history
The area has been inhabited since ancient times. The oldest artifacts found date from the Stone Age - a stone axe, a hammer and a knife. There are much richer remains from the Bronze and Iron Ages and from the era of Roman rule. These regions were inhabited by the Illyrian tribe Japoda. There are numerous archaeological sites in the Žumberačko Mountains, near the villages of Budinjak, Bratelji and Gornja Vas.
the charter of Bela the Fourth
The oldest written evidence of Samobor is the Charter of Bela IV, the Croatian-Hungarian king. With that document, after the war with the Tatars, the king recognized the privileges that Archduke Koloman had given the Samoborci two years earlier. The town of Samobor was thus elevated to the status of a "free royal favored trading post", with the right to elect priests, judges and trials, including the "right of the sword" (ius gladii), e.g. capital punishment. Samobor had no other lords than its citizens, and it paid taxes only to the king.
samoborski stari grad
The Old Town of Samobor is a ruined castle on top of the Tepec hill in Samobor. If you're in town, you can't miss it. It is located just a 10-minute walk from the city center. The remains of the old palace moat, the massive entrance and most of the walls are still visible.
The castle was built on a hill above the intersection of then important roads in the northwestern corner of the Sava Valley, above the medieval market town of Samobor. The castle was built by supporters of the Czech king Ottokar II of Bohemia between 1260 and 1264, who was then at war with the Hungarian king Stephen V. Croatian-Hungarian forces under the command of Prince Okići soon recaptured the castle, for which they received the town of Samobor, as well as the privilege of collecting local taxes.
The fort was originally a stone fort built on solid rock - an irregular and indented floor plan, consisting of three parts, of which the central core is the oldest part of the castle. In the southeastern part of the core there was a high guardhouse (today a ruin), which is the only remaining original part of the castle. Right next to the guardhouse is a semicircular tower with a small Gothic chapel of St. Anne, which is estimated to have been built in the third decade of the 16th century.
Today, the Samobor castle is just a picturesque ruin above the Vugrinščak stream in the center of Samobor. Although there is a project to restore the castle, so far only the walls of the chapel have been restored. In its reconstruction, stones from the ruined parts of the castle, cement and slaked lime were used.
How to get to Samobor?
The best option to get to Samobor from Zagreb is by car, which takes about 25 minutes. The second best option is the bus, and the journey takes about 40 minutes.
It is also possible to get there by Uber or Taxi, but that option is a bit more expensive, around 160 kunas (20 euros).
Samobor is surrounded by the Žumberak Nature Park; The Samobor Mountains offer numerous attractions, relaxation in untouched nature, walks, waterfalls, and a range of activities from hiking and biking to paragliding.
Whether you're aiming for an easy hike with minimal ascent and few obstacles, or a more difficult hike, some of which may be off-piste, Samobor has it all. Check the following link for the best hiking routes:
https://www.samobor.hr/en/visit/hiking-i4
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samobor_Castle
https://buja.tripod.com/history.html
https://www.europeanbestdestinations.com/destinations/samobor/
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