Fort Čačvina is a

medieval fortification Medieval fortification refers to medieval military methods that cover the development of fortification construction and use in Europe, roughly from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the Renaissance. During this millennium, fortifications ...

, now in ruins, just above the village of Čačvina in modern-day

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. It was built on a hill at an altitude of to control a key ancient route through the passages of the

Dinaric Alps The Dinaric Alps (), also Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern Europe, Southern and Southcentral Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia ...

from coastal

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. Remains of a 1st-century ancient road have been found in the vicinity. The fortress features two towers joined by a long courtyard. The larger, better-preserved east tower has an irregular circular exterior and an octagonal interior. The smaller west tower is less preserved. Archaeological evidence spans from

late antiquity Late antiquity marks the period that comes after the end of classical antiquity and stretches into the onset of the Early Middle Ages. Late antiquity as a period was popularized by Peter Brown (historian), Peter Brown in 1971, and this periodiza ...

to the early 18th century, mainly the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. Below the fortress is an 18th-century old parish Church of All Saints with a facade bell tower. The area was under the

House of Šubić A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

until 1322. First recorded in 1371, the fortress belonged to the

Nelipić family The Nelipić family, also called Nelipac or Nelipčić, was a medieval Croatian nobility, Croatian noble family from the Dalmatian Hinterland. They were greatly involved in political situations in Dalmatia, and in Bosnia. At their greatest extent ...

until the early 15th century. It was held by the

Frankopans The House of Frankopan (, , , ) was a Croats, Croatian Nobility, noble family, whose members were among the great landowner magnates and high officers of the Croatia in union with Hungary, Kingdom of Croatia in union with Hungary. The Frankopan ...

from 1435, then from 1436 by the

Talovci The House of Talovac (; ) was a Croats, Croatian nobility, noble family, descending from the island of Korčula and reaching its peak in the 15th century in the Croatia in personal union with Hungary, Kingdom of Croatia, at that time in personal u ...

, and from 1459 by

Herceg Stjepan Vukčić Kosača Herceg may refer to: * Herceg (title), South Slavic spelling of a German noble title * Herceg (surname) Herceg is a Croatian surname. It is one of the most common surnames in the Krapina-Zagorje County of Croatia. It is presumably derived from He ...

, who fought

King Tomaš Stephen Thomas ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, Stefan Tomaš, Стефан Томаш, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, label=none, Stjepan Tomaš, Стјепан Томаш; 1411 – 10 July 1461), a member of the House of Kotromanić, reigned from 1 ...

for it. The

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

controlled Čačvina from 1513 to 1718 as part of

Sanjak of Herzegovina The Sanjak of Herzegovina (; ) was an Ottoman administrative unit established in 1470. The seat was in Foča until 1572 when it was moved to Taşlıca (Pljevlja). The sanjak was initially part of the Eyalet of Rumelia but was administrated int ...

. It then became part of

Venetian Dalmatia Venetian Dalmatia () refers to the territories of Dalmatia under the rule of the Republic of Venice, mainly from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Dalmatia was first sold to Venice in 1409 but Venetian Dalmatia was not fully consolidated until 1420, ...

, and abandoned in the mid-18th century. The fortress was demolished during French rule in 1808. During the 1992–1997 archeological excavations a marble capital from

, stone and metal

cannonball A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...

s, fragments of late medieval pottery and glass, metal tools, arrowheads, and bone

crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an Elasticity (physics), elastic launching device consisting of a Bow and arrow, bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar f ...

pieces were found. The fort and the Church of All Saints are protected as an immovable cultural property of Croatia.

References

External links

Castles in Croatia Buildings and structures in Split-Dalmatia County {{Croatia-castle-stub

See also

References

External links