Pustograd Castle

Pustograd Castle, locally known as Utvrda Pustograd, lies east of the village of Tkon on the island of Pašman, in the county of Zadar in Croatia.

Pustograd Castle was built by the Byzantine Empire, during the reign of the emperor Justinian I, in the 6th century. Built on a hill at the south end of the island, it controlled the entrance to the Pašman Channel between the island and the mainland. As such, it was part of a system of fortifications and observation points along the maritime routes in the Adriatic. The castle was also a place of refuge for the locals in times of trouble.

What remains at present of the castle are mainly low parts of the curtain wall. There is also the ruin of one rectangular wall tower, which was used as a shelter for sheep in more recent centuries. The castle hill is 108 meters high and there is a small cove beneath it, which may has served as a small harbor to the castle.

Pustograd Castle is freely accessible. From the nearest dirt road there are 2 hiking trails, leading up to the castle, so you can walk in a circle. The one leading up from the cove is easy. The other one, which starts at a small parking lot west of the castle hill, is very rocky and rather challenging, and you will need appropriate footwear.  If you do the circle walk, I would advise you to take the challenging one up and the easy one down.

The remains of the castle are not much to look at, but the view from the top is spectacular. The castle is now a valuable archaeological site, so please treat it as such. 

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