Perušić Castle

Perušić Castle, locally known as Kaštel Perušić, lies next to the village of Perušić Benkovački, in the county of Zadar in Croatia.

Strategically situated on a hill above an older village and fertile fields, the castle was built in the 15th century by the local Croatian noble family Perušić. From its position it dominated the surrounding fields and roads. The castle was built in an era during the division of Dalmatia between the Venetian Republic and the Croatian-Hungarian Kingdom, and was part of a string of fortifications that served as a defense against the Venetians.

In the early 16th century, the area began suffering from Ottoman incursions. Perušić Castle was handed over without a fight to the Ottoman Empire in 1527. It was then adapted to their use. The castle stayed under Ottoman control until 1683 when the Turks were driven out. After that, it lost its military function.

The castle survived, rather unscathed, until just before the end of World War II, when it was demolished by partisans during fights. Originally, the castle had an irregular square plan with square corner towers. Within its walls stood a round, 18 meter high, keep which was connected to a smaller square tower. Nowadays, it remains very ruined.

Perušić Castle is freely accessible. Not very interesting.

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