Glavaš Castle

Glavaš Castle, locally known as Utvrda Glavaš, lies near the village of Validžići, in the county of Šibenik-Knin in Croatia.

Not much is known about the castle. It was probably built in the early 15th century by the Nelipić family, when it became increasingly likely that the Ottoman Empire would attack the Croatian Kingdom. Glavaš Castle was part of a small defensive chain of castles in southern Croatia, along with Prozor Castle and Potravnik Castle.

In 1434, the Nelipić family died out. Afterward, Sigismund of Luxembourg, King of Hungary and Croatia, handed the castle over to the Croatian noble family Talovac. Several other Croatian nobles owned it over time, until 1522, when the Ottomans took control. They held it for nearly 200 years, until they were defeated in 1718 and left. Since then, it lost its strategic importance and was abandoned, eventually falling into ruin.

Historically, the castle was known as the fortress of Dinarić because it sits on a slope of the Dinara Mountain. It wasn’t named after the nearby hamlet and spring until the 17th century.

Glavaš Castle is freely accessible and makes for a nice ruin to visit. To get there, you’ll need to do a short uphill hike from the nearest road.

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