Feštetić Castle in Pribislavec: €6.5 Million Renovation Nears Completion
After a demanding reconstruction, one of Međimurje's most valuable monuments will become an interpretation center dedicated to the Feštetić family and indigenous gastronomy.
After a demanding reconstruction, one of Međimurje's most valuable monuments will become an interpretation center dedicated to the Feštetić family and indigenous gastronomy.
The renovation project of Feštetić Castle in Pribislavec, with costs exceeding €6.5 million, is nearing completion. Work on one of the most complex cultural and tourism undertakings in Međimurje began in late January 2025.
Once the reconstruction and repurposing are finished, this valuable cultural monument will be transformed into a modern interpretation center. It will be dedicated to the Feštetić family and the heritage they left behind. The project includes the arrangement of a museum display, accommodation units, and spaces whose central theme will be the presentation of authentic Međimurje gastronomy.
As this is a protected cultural asset, contractors and expert supervision have encountered numerous complex conservation and construction challenges. These circumstances have necessitated a shift in the original completion deadline, which was planned for the end of June.
"It is precisely because of these justified, technologically conditioned circumstances that the initial project completion deadline has been extended," say representatives from the Public Institution for the Development of Međimurje County REDEA, which manages the project.
REDEA adds that all involved partners are making a joint effort to ensure the castle is restored to the highest standards and is absolutely safe for all who will visit it.
The history of this site stretches far into the past. The earliest traces point to the era of the Zrinski family, when a fortress stood there. At the beginning of the 18th century, it evolved into a masonry castle. The building acquired its current, recognizable neo-Gothic appearance in the mid-19th century, when Count Juraj Feštetić had it renovated, adorning it with rich stone details and family coats of arms.
Over the centuries, the castle has served various roles. It has been a noble residence, an officers' quarters, a refuge for war orphans, and, for many years, a school. It experienced a particularly difficult period during World War II when, in 1945, it was struck by a fire that lasted nearly ten days. After the war, its reconstruction and adaptation for educational purposes began, and by the mid-1960s, it had become a modern educational institution.
With the completion of the current renovation, Feštetić Castle will begin an entirely new chapter in its long and turbulent history.
