Interpretation Centre Grobnik

Legend says that Grobnik Field took its name from the graves of Tatars and Croats, killed in a battle that allegedly took place in 1242, however, due to the lack of evidence this story has remained unsubstantiated. The southwestern tower with the former ground-floor Chapel of Saint Helen is the oldest part of the fort, whilst the core of the castle with its triangular floor plan with towers at the corners was built in the 15th to 17th centuries. Grobnik had great defensive importance for the Frankopans. At the time of Ottoman incursions, after the Battle of Krbava Field in 1493, Bernardin Frankopan often stayed in Grobnik. It is believed that in the Grobnik Castle in the 16th century there was a scriptorium from which, at the instigation of Bernardin Frankopan, the first Bible in the Croatian language was derived, which has not been preserved. However, the Second Novi Vinodolski Breviary has been preserved - a prayer codex written by priest Martinac in most of the 500 pages. Priest Martinac was the chief scribe, illuminator and calligrapher of the Grobnik scriptorium, and this record is an exceptional work written by a man of strong feelings and great literary culture in which the beginnings of Croatian patriotic poetry are recognized because the events related to the Battle of Krbava shook his surroundings and him. Find out more about the topic of Ottoman invasions and political turmoil in the Frankopan era by coming to this Interpretation Centre!