This military fortress was unassailable from the outside due to the moat which was filled with water from the river Drava and the cannons inside the walls that in some places were 2.5 metres thick.
On the inside, the Old Town is a Renaissance palace whose owners constantly adjusted it to their wants and needs between the 13th and the 19th century.Today the entire Old Town is the Varaždin City Museum. The Museum was established on the initiative of the Varaždin Museum Society and was formally opened for visitors in 1925 in just a few rooms of The Old Town fortress. The basic items of the first permanent exhibition were the objects donated to the Museum by renowned Varaždin families.
Over the years the collections grew larger and richer and the Museum turned into a complex institution made up of six specialized departments: Archaeological, History, Culture and History, Ethnographical and Entomological Departments. Today the Museum departments are situated in several buildings of historical value, in the historical town centre: the Gothic- Renaissance fortress of the Old Town, the baroque Sermage Palace, the classicist Herzer Palace and the Watchtower as part of The Old Town complex.
The Museum departments include four permanent museum exhibitions: Culture and History Department in the Old Town, Entomological Department in the Herzer Palace and the Gallery of Old and Contemporary Masters in the Sermage Palace. The Archeological and History Department permanent exhibition will soon open in the premises of the Herzer Palace.
Address: Old Town (12th century), Strossmayerovo šetalište 7
Phone: +385 (0)42 658 754
Opening Hours:
Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Closed Mondays and holidays
Note: the Museum informs the public about the correct opening hours via local media. It is possible to organize a group visit outside the regular opening hours, by arrangement (at least 3 days ahead). In that case the entrance fees are doubled.
Visits last 40 minutes; group tours by appointment