Kaštelina Castle

Kaštelina Castle, locally known as Utvrda Kaštelina, lies near the village of Vir on the island of the same name, in the county of Zadar in Croatia.

Exactly when Kaštelina Castle was built is unknown. The island of Vir became a property of the Republic of Venice in 1313. One theory is that the Venetians built the castle already in 1347. Another theory, and one that is commonly accepted, is that they built it in the 16th century to counter Ottoman incursions in the area. Yet another theory is that it was built by them in the 1620s. This last theory is based on the fact that above the gate there are built-in coats of arms of 3 families of Venetian general governors from that time. Venetian rule lasted until 1797, I suspect it had already been abandoned by then.

The castle consists of only a single wall with 2 square towers and a gate separating a small and rocky tip of land from the rest of the coast. There don't seem to have been any walls protecting the castle from the waterside, so I wonder how safe it was.

Kaštelina Castle is freely accessible. A beautiful little castle on a beautiful seaside location. To reach it, you will have to walk a coastal path from the Sapavac beach for about 5 minutes.

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