Sućurac Castle

Sućurac Castle, locally known as Kaštel Sućurac or simply Kaštilac, lies in the town of Kaštel Sućurac, in the county of Split-Dalmatia in Croatia.

The first fortification at this site, originally a rock near the seashore, was a defensive tower built by the Archbishop of Split, Andrea dei Benzi di Gualdo, in 1392. It was intended to protect the church estate and the villagers of a small settlement called Putalj, located further up the Kozjak hill.

After Bosnia fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1463, Dalmatia, which was part of the Venetian Republic, faced the threat of Ottoman invasions. Local landowners—the Split Archbishopric, monasteries, and nobles from Trogir and Split, aimed to defend their estates and the villagers who worked for them. During the following decades, they began constructing 17 fortifications and fortifying 12 villages along the coast of Kaštela Bay, between Trogir and Split. The old tower of Sućurac was reinforced as early as 1474.

In 1488, the tower was further incorporated into a newly built fortified summer residence for Bartolomeo Averoldi, the Archbishop of Split. The site developed into a town of its own, and the castle acquired its final form in 1509. By that time, it was part of the town's defenses and connected to the city wall.

Today, only the base of the old tower remains. I don’t know how or when it disappeared. The complex of buildings that make up Sućurac Castle is now a quiet, small neighborhood with residences, a shop, and a small museum. A picturesque site.

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