Racessa vára

Racessa vára stands in the rolling hills of north-western Croatia, near the village of Bobare. Its ruins lie 300 metres north-west of the village, on the eastern bank of the Rašaška stream. The site once belonged to a medieval estate called Racessa, which stretched up the valley towards the southern slopes of Psunj mountain. In 1210 King Andrew II granted the estate to the Knights Templar, confirming their control over lands that had once belonged to Požega castle. The charter described the boundaries of Lesnissa and Racessa in detail. The fortress was probably built by the Templars and later passed to the Knights Hospitaller. By the late 15th century Racessa had become the centre of a large estate with market rights, mentioned in 1495 and 1507. After 1519 it changed hands several times, belonging first to Péter Beriszló, then to the Tahy and Zrínyi families. Excavations between 2012 and 2015 uncovered the remains of a substantial medieval stronghold. Today visitors see the exposed ruins of a 98-by-54-metre enclosure. At its heart lies an oval structure measuring 54 by 38 metres, aligned west to east, with an adjoining barbican of 40 by 14 metres. A three-metre-deep ditch and rampart, fed by the Rašaška stream, once surrounded the whole complex. In the north-eastern part of the central area archaeologists uncovered a rectangular building containing the remains of a 13th-century church. Fragments of finely cut stone, buttress foundations and traces of a ribbed vault were found there. Among the finds are many pieces of medieval pottery, weapons, tools, personal items and dress accessories dating from the 13th to the 15th centuries.