Baron Trenk Castle, Pakrac

One of the most significant historical buildings in Pakrac is Baron Trenk’s castle which has, unfortunately, been neglected and is in a precarious condition, waiting for its final renovation and revitalization. The fire it was recently caught in reminded us for a moment about the urgency of renovation of this facility which is a protected cultural monument due to its historical significance.

It is a quadrangular baroque castle with an open inner courtyard – an atrium. It was built by a famous warlord Baron Franjo Trenk who owned the Pakrac estate briefly.
Even though we do not know the exact year when his castle in Pakrac was built, if we compare it to the castles from that period and the almost identical one Trenk built in Pleternica, it was surely built in the first half of the 18th century. This spacious one-story residence served as a castle, but also as military barracks, first for Trenk’s pandurs, and later for a garrison that moved out of the old Pakrac fort in 1750.

After military barracks, Trenk’s castle hosted a hospital that operated there until a new Public Hospital in the south of the city was built. After serving as a hospital, the building was used for many years as a school, and the famous Teacher’s College operated there.

Unfortunately, today that building is deserted but there are certain plans for renovation and revitalization by the city of Pakrac which would give a new glow to this old and significant historical building through a new function.