Ostrozac Castle (originally Ostrožac) is a fortress in Bosnia and Herzegovina that is not very widely known. And in fact, I don’t know why. The castle is beautiful and its location is downright fabulous. It’s just a shame that it’s falling into increasing ruin.

I’ve always wondered what the attractions are in the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Once, even at some industry conference, I asked the Bosnian people I met there what to see in the north of their country. They pointed out to me only the Una National Park and the beautiful waterfalls on the Una River. And it turns out there are many more attractions to see. There is quite interesting Bihać, which you can see, as it were, by the way, but also Ostrožac Castle, which is the hero of this article. And I am sure that if you search, you will find more. Many more tourist attractions.

Ostrožac – a fairy tale castle

Castles are usually associated with austerity, stone and powerful towers. I don’t know why, but Ostrožac Castle has such delicacy about it. It’s probably because of the buildings in its narrower part. Looking at them one has associations with Transylvanian castles in Romania (e.g. Sighisoara), but maybe this is just my association. If someone would renovate this castle nicely, it could make a Disney fairy tale world inside 🙂

Besides, could a castle in the vicinity of such beautiful nature look gloomy? Believe me, from the greenness of the surrounding hills it is so hard to take your eyes off. As if there was a cafe on one of the ruined terraces, I wouldn’t be dragged away from the table for a long time.

Unfortunately, today the castle is completely ruined. But at the same time it is a great place if you are looking for something unusual and are turned on by such ruined places. After all, when visiting the interior of Ostrožac Castle, you can go everywhere, although not everywhere is worth going in. It’s simply risky, as the wooden ceilings’ glory years are long behind them. Just look at the collapsed interiors of some of the towers and rooms. I admit that I was quite insecure walking on the boards, which creaked and bent under my weight. No one guards these interiors (except, of course, for the fee at the entrance to the castle). Entering the ruined part is at your own risk.

Most of the installations have been looted and gutted from the walls, but a careful eye will still catch the former beauty. There are, for example, beautiful portals and ornate balustrades. But there are also shot walls that only add to the impression of decay.

Anyway, I will admit to you that while visiting Ostrožac Castle I had this thought that from this Polish perspective of ours, such a tour would be impossible. Here you can climb a wall that has no protection, some ceiling can also fall on your head, as well as the floor can collapse. And I’ll admit … that this thrill is exciting.

Ostrožac – history of the castle

It is said that some form of fortress existed in this place in the 5th century AD. However, the first documented entry about Ostrožac castle dates back to 1286, it was reported that the fortress was owned by the Blagajski princes of Babonić. The castle was expanded over the years, all because of the Turkish threat. Anyway, it was not the only castle in the area, which was built to stop the Ottoman Empire.

And the Turks got their way. True, they first besieged the castle twice unsuccessfully (in 1538 and 1543), but finally in 1579 the castle fell under Ottoman rule for several centuries. The Turks also began to rebuild the fortress, and it eventually reached truly massive proportions measuring 185 meters in length, with a width varying from 30 to 80 meters. The length of the walls is 625 meters.

Another reconstruction is associated with the sale of the castle at the end of the 19th century, as in 1896. It was then that it passed into the hands of Lothar von Berks, and it was he who added on its grounds…. palace. The palace was built in neo-Gothic style and in 1902 became the ancestral seat of the von Berks family.

However, they did not enjoy the possession of this beautiful place on earth for long. All because of World War II, which brought a real earthquake to this part of Europe. Lo and behold, in 1946 the castle was nationalized and became the property of Yugoslavia.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to find information on what happened in detail at Ostrožac Castle after the second war and why it is now abandoned. Of course, it is possible to read that in 1969 a so-called art colony was located here. And the exhibition of sculptures from the open air can still be seen today. However, I was interested in what institutions ruled the castle and why looting was allowed, which threatens to annihilate the castle. It is simply falling apart!

The only thing I was able to find out was that the castle survived World War II. Interestingly, Josif Broz Tito stayed there intermittently for a year. The current damage is the result of the civil war at the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Directions, prices and practical information

• Ostrožac is located about 12km from Bihac. The road is quite ok, although it must be said that the final stretch is steep and winding serpentines. Parking for several cars is located right under the castle walls themselves.
• The entrance ticket for an adult is 4KM, the price for a child is 2KM.
• The castle is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in high season, at least that’s what the information at the entrance says.
• You will need from half an hour to an hour to explore the entire castle grounds. It all depends on how deep into the nooks and crannies you go.
• From the castle it is very close to the Croatian border and a very interesting and unusual attraction – an abandoned airfield and air base hollowed out inside the mountain. And that’s where we went too. But that’s a topic for another article.

While writing the article I used the following websites: klix.ba; Ostrozac.com; – both sites are in Bosnian.