Lisak tower

Why it is worth your time

The Lisak Tower is the last remnant of the Varazdin defensive system that surrounded the city until the 19th century: a stone tower by the former city gate, built in the 16th century when Varazdin, as a border city facing Ottoman holdings, had to have ramparts, a moat and a guard at every entrance. When the danger passed, the city pulled down the walls and filled the moat in order to expand, and the tower survived because it was converted into living space; it carries the name of the family that lived in it. Today it stands on the corner by the Jagic Promenade, restored and fitted among the houses, and it is easy to pass by without noticing that this is the oldest secular building in the city outside the fortress.

The tower is not visited inside, but it is worth seeking out as part of the circuit around the core: with the explanatory board one gets a picture of how the city looked while it still had walls, and the Stari grad was part of a wider defensive system rather than a lone fortress in a park.