Velika Old Town

During the Middle Ages, a system of surveillance and defense was built in the form of military castles on the southern slopes of Papuk. One of them was Velički old town. This fort is north of St. Augustin’s church on the southern edge of Lapjak hill, 452 m above sea level. Visiting its remains is a true little adventure, but the effort you put in while climbing to it becomes irrelevant once you see the view of the Golden Valley spreading at its foot.

The plan of the fort is pentangular. In the north corner, a defense tower was built that has an approximately triangular plan. Certain Romanesque building elements of the ramparts date from the 13th century. The fort played a big role in the wars with the Ottomans in the defense of the southern sub-Papuk territory. After the Habsburgs’ power was reinstated in the territory of Požega Valley, in 1782 a military map was made where the following was written next to the map view of the Velika settlement: “the remaining walls of a city called Velika can be seen on an elevation between Zdenac stream and Veličanka”. Even though it lost its primary function and time has taken its toll, the castle is still standing.

Conservation works have been recently conducted on it to stop further rapid devastation and enable a safe visit for lovers of cultural landmarks.