Cazin—Fairy Tale in Cazin

THE OLD FORTRESS AND OSTROŽAC CHATEAU A Fairy Tale in Cazin

AMONG THE FORTRESSES THAT CAN BE FOUND IN THE CAZINSKA KRAJINA REGION, BEARING WITNESS TO THE EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE PAST, THE OSTROŽAC FORTRESS STANDS OUT, WITH MANY VISITORS LIKENING IT TO A SCENE OUT OF A FAIRY TALE.

The Old Town of Ostrožac is located in the western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Ostrožac Fortress sits on a hill above the left bank of the River Una and in the settlement bearing the same name which belongs to the Cazin Municipality, at a distance of 12 km from Bihać on the way to Bosanska Krupa, or more precisely – where the road branches off towards Cazin. Owing to its location, Ostrožac was the administrative centre of many rulers, including counts from Blagaj, various agas and beys, captains from Krajina and other famous, and less known, rulers. The significance of the old town of Ostrožac is best illustrated in the past of Cazinska Krajina.

A FORMERLY LUXURIOUS CHATEAU

Whoever ruled the chateau would adapt it to their taste and the needs that would arise throughout various periods, and those who had the chance to see it until the start of World War II had this to say:

OUR HOME

“This is the most gorgeous place there is and it was meant to be our home…” Isabella pl. Berks shouted to her husband, Lothar von Berks, who was mayor of the Bihać District from 1896 to 1905. And he made her wish come true… “The chateau is luxurious. The chambers are full of artfully crafted items. There are music rooms and a library with a large number of books, paintings, portraits of family members, large and small bedrooms, halls with hunting trophies, household items and furniture with wood carvings and marquetry.”

A HOME TO NOBLE FAMILIES

Its name, according to old records, was mentioned as early as in 1286. Chronicler Ivan Tomašević, however, claimed at that it had existed in 405 BCE under the name of Horosium or Hostosach, but this has not been historically proven.

THE LARGEST CHATEAU

Lotar von Berks Chateau is the largest and only chateau in our country. The Old Town of Ostrožac was declared a National Monument of B&H in 2013.

And while its rulers rotated across the centuries, members of the Beširević family started ruling Ostrožac as captains in 1579, and they ruled for nearly 300 years. Since it ruled for so long, the family had the right to inherit the old town and the fortress, and Mehmed Bey Beširević sold the old town of Ostrožac to Lothar von Berks, who was the mayor of the Bihać County from 1896 to 1905. Lothar pl. Berks was a knight of the Order of Malta, a government adviser, an imperial and royal chamberlain, the Founder of the B&H Mountaineering Association, chief of police, and an honorary citizen of Sarajevo. On a 27-hour tour of the Bihać County, which he organised on behalf of the Habsburgs, Berks and his wife Isabella pl. The Berks, or Blla as she was affectionately called, gazed at what was left of the town of Ostrog. Isabella von Berks, whose maiden name was Adamović pl. Čepinska, was a romantic soul delighted with the size of the fort, its vivaciousness and position so she began to dream of a magnificent chateau above the River Una. “This is the most gorgeous place there is and it was meant to be our home,” she shouted to her husband as they were walking around the ruins of Ostrožac for the first time. And he made her wish come true… The following year, in 1900, Isabella pl. Berks signed a sales contract with Mehmed Bey Beširević, a descendant of the last Ostrožac captain Murat Bey, and thus became the owner of the old town of Ostrožac and left a recognisable mark on this complex. The town was then reconstructed and a fortress was built. They settled there in 1902. A serpentine road leading from the Una valley to the Ostrožac Fortress and a bridge over the River Una were also built. Ostrožac became a fairy tale town. Later on, the Second World War, the old town of Ostrožac was the seat of the main headquarters of the National Liberation War. This is where, they say, the plan for a very important event was created—the second session of the Anti-fascist Council of the National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ).

A SCULPTURE PARK

The old town has got a special artistic flair to it thanks to the Ostrožac Sculptors’ Colony. Founded in 1969, the colony made sure that there was a park with sculptures of various shapes carved out of a special type of limestone called bihacit. The following artists left their sculptures here: Stipe Sikirica, Tomislav Todorović, Stipe Ledić, Ahmet Bešić, Samir Sućeska and many others. The tradition of creating sculptures continues to the present day, which makes it the longest-standing sculptural colony in B&H.