The year is 1251. Almost a decade has passed since Mongols invaded our land. But people are still in fear. Because Mongols, a devastating force from the Far East that made them shake well in their shoes, could return. Even king Bela IV knows no peace of mind. He has no will of leaving the comfort of his court, of running away again, from the hoard of conquerors, all the way down to the South, to Dalmatia. The king knows the country should be fortified, that as many strong castles as possible should be built throughout the kingdom. And is very well aware he cannot do it by himself. Therefore, many noblemen have already got king’s permission to build castles to suit their needs but also to provide defense if another Mongol attack should follow. And among them we find Ivan, the possessor of famous castle Okić (Okich). Ivan got his share of fame during the battle against Mongols and therefore has earned king's gratitude and a prize: a land in the vicinity of Okić to build a fort for a defense of the area.
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| Lipovec hill, view from the path to Oštrc massif |
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| view of Lipovec in wintertime |
And so, our count Ivan has built castle Lipovec, in the image and likeness of his Okić , at the top of a conical hill overlooking the old road to the German Empire, at an excellent strategic position, but still so well hidden it couldn’t be seen until the foot of its walls was reached.
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| closer look at hardly noticeable walls |
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| Lipovec overgrown by vegetation, view from Oštrc |
Over the centuries Lipovec has stood at the hill above the “gorge”, faithfully carrying out his “guardian” duty, just in the hands of different landlords. Today, there are no more counts of Okić (comes de Oklych), no Babonićs, no Frankopans or Erdödies, and Lipovec still stands at his little hill. But his days of glory have passed as well, just truncated walls have remained, almost entirely covered by an overgrown vegetation. And so stand the walls in the quietness of a deep forest, treasuring stories of the past, and only the one who knows whence and where to look can spot, at the top of a distant hill, the remains of small but important castle – the center of old Lipovec-Jastrebarsko seigniory.
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| remains of the keep |
Present path to Lipovec (at 589 m) starts at mountain hut Šoićeva kuća (Šoić’s house) which is the oldest building of the kind in the hills of Samobor. It was built in 1931. at the location of a former forest railroad station. Its name came from former president of Croatian Mountaineering Society “Japetić”. From the parking lot in front of the house, a path climbs sharply up the hill over several serpentine, approaches Lipovec ruins from the north, goes around them and ends in front of the former (and present) gateway at SE.
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| castle's gateway, view from the approach |
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| inner curtain wall with the gateway |
At NE, east and SE side, the castle was enclosed by an outer curtain wall of which only scarce traces have remained, and is best preserved in front of the gateway itself.
The main, inner part of the castle was built following the contour of the plateau at the top of the hill, but still has, to some extent, kept straight lines. Although the similarity among plans of two castles (in Croatia) is extremely rare, as every single one depends largely on the character of the site it occupies, Lipovec shows great similarity not only with his “older brother” Okić, but also with castle Velika north of Požega. Its plan is of elongated shape with three-sided keep at one side, palace at the other and small inner courtyard with the cistern in the middle.
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| view of the keep from the courtyard |
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| location of the palace, view from the keep |
Though built by Ivan of Okić, Lipovac was sold by him to Radoslav Babonić already in 1283. The Babonić family loses the estate in a conflict with the king in 1325. In the mid 14th ct., the king gives it to noblemen Rafael and Nicholas Mutina (Muchina), and in the mid 15th ct. it was transferred, due to marital relations, to the possession of Frankopan family. In 1470. Martin Frankopan gives it over to the king Mattheus Corvinus who, in 1502, gives it away, as a prize, to his supporters Ladislau and Thomas Petö de Gerse. In 1519, by an estate switch, Thomas Bakač Erdödy gains possession of Lipovec estate which remains the property of the Erdödies until the abolition of serfdom in 1848. In the 16th ct., after the construction of renaissance fort (castelum) in Jastrebarsko, the castle itself is already dilapidated and deserted while in the 17th ct. and later is mentioned as a ruin.
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| remains of the keep |
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| remains of the keep |
And the 21th ct. has arrived and Lipovec slowly slips into oblivion, surrounded by thick vegetation, completely overgrown, abandoned, seldom visited, rarely mentioned…
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