Between the town of Čakovec and Marina Prelog, there is a little town of Pribislavec, above which from the hill the Feštetić castle overlooks the entire area. Due to its architectural characteristics in the neo-Gothic style, this castle easily reminds visitors of the famous Hogwarts school of wizardry. This is not necessarily incorrect, as the coincidence is more than visual—until recently, there really was a school here, and it's quite possible that it spawned a few wizards in some scientific field. 🙂

But let's go a bit further into the past. First, the older castle of the Zrinski family, the famous owners of Čakovec, stood on this site. This older castle was built so close to their Čakovec home because it served as a hunting lodge at a time when this entire area was surrounded by dense forests. But when the Zrinsko-Frankopan rebellion was suppressed, the old castle in Pribislavac was taken over by the Althan family. Although they started to restore it, the credit for its present-day appearance goes to the old noble family from Turopolje, after whom the castle is named: the Feštetić family.

On the site of the old castle, the Feštetić family built a new one in the middle of the 19th century in the neo-Gothic style. You will notice it on pointed arches, large windows and numerous decorations. This style of construction was popular at that time, so even the famous Trakošćan castle (which was in the process of a major renovation in the 1850s) has neo-Gothic elements. The builders left a permanent seal of ownership in Pribislavac, so if you find yourself by this castle, be sure to find the coats of arms of the Feštetić family above the entrance.

Although there was a large surrounding park with fountains, the construction of the settlement in more recent times expanded and slowly trampled the former large garden. Only a few old trees that are left prove that the Feštetić family took great care to make their backyard pleasant for daily walks. Today, this is perhaps best confirmed by the magnolia tree, which, in order to preserve it at least for a little longer, was declared a monument of park architecture. The castle, which is currently owned by Međimurje County and is awaiting the start of the renovation, is currently closed to the public. But the flowering of this magnolia in early spring is a good enough reason to visit it and admire the castle from the outside.