The Trsat Castle—A Keeper of Rijeka’s Heights through Centuries

The Trsat Castle, situated on a 138 meters tall hill above the Rječina, is one of the most significant historical buildings in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and a cultural destination in the city of Rijeka which is impossible to miss. Through the centuries, it changed its function and owners, but it always stayed deeply connected to the identity of this region.

The Castle’s history reaches far into the past—as long ago as prehistoric times, there used to be a watchtower of the Liburni here. Later, the Romans recognize the importance of the location and include it in the defense system known as the Liburnian Limes. The name it used to carry, Tarsatica, later becomes Trsat, and its strategic position transforms it into a permanent military and administrative center.

In the Middle Ages, the Castle belongs to the parish of Vinodol, and from the 13th to the 17th century it’s under the rule of the Frankopan lords. Many of the parts we still recognize to this day were built during that time—the konak, the defense towers, the drawbridge, and the water cisterns. Upon the arrival of the Habsburgs, Trsat falls under imperial rule and thus begins the age of administration of the imperial captains, which lasts all the way to the end of the 18th century.

After several decades of disrepair, count Laval Nugent, the Austrian field marshal, buys the Castle. With the help of the merchant Andrija Ljudevit Adamić from Rijeka, he begins extensive renovations, entrusted to the Venetian sculptor Giacomo Paronuzzi. The decoration in the Gothic Revival style brings new details, like the Ghibelline-style battlement, the Neoclassicist mausoleum “Mir junaka”, and decorative architecture inspired by the European Romanticist trends. This gives Trsat not only a new function, but a new meaning—it becomes a symbol of personal memory, a home of archaeological collections, and the Nugent family final resting place.

The importance of the Trsat Castle transcends the borders of local history. It was here, for the first time ever in Croatia, that a systematic conservatorship was undertaken on a medieval monument, which marked the beginning of the modern understanding of the protection of cultural heritage.

Today, the Trsat Castle has been renovated and decorated for visitors. Within the Castle walls numerous culture and music events are held, exhibitions, lectures, and meetings. Its position offers a unique view over Rijeka and the Kvarner Gulf, and the combination of history and attractive space makes it one of the most visited locations in the area.

The Trsat Castle is not just a remnant of the past—it is a living space of encounter, inspiration, and permanent value.