Hello, peoples long time no see and here I am again with another one in the series of exploring Croatia traveling the country and learning a thing or two about the money we use here. So I didn't make a post in some time but I have been writing some other posts about Dalmatia and some spots on the Krka river. I made them into a series called Around and about in Dalmatia off the beaten path check it out 
For those of you who are tuning in for the first time here is a short recap. I cover the money we use in Croatia the Kuna to explain about history, geography and interesting aspects about my country. The idea was to show to you the reader Croatia from on end to the other so I began my guide in the east of the country with the 20 Kuna bill and the city of Vukovar. We made our way with the 200 and 1000 Kuna bill to the cities of Osijek and Zagreb. And today will visit Varaždin with the 5 Kuna bill. If you got inspired and want recreate the trail it will take you about 400 kilometers from Vukovar to Varaždin about a 4:30hour ride with the car.
So far we would have no problems on our tour as we spent in total 1220 Kuna and that amount would be plenty a night on the town, food for a few days or transportation. But with the 5 Kuna, we encounter some problems. First of all this banknote is not in use anymore only the 5 Kuna coin is in use. So bear that in mind on your next visit.
Let's take a look at the fiver now. It takes us to Varaždin known as Kraljevski grad or kings city and NO it has nothing to do with Game of Thrones. Varaždin was a long time ago the capital of Croatia on the banknote one can see the fortress, Stari Grad. On the other side of the bill, we see two men these are Fran Krsto Frankopan and Petar Zrinski, noblemen and important political figures from a time long past.
Varaždin and Stari Grad fortress
Varaždin is located in the north of Croatia close to the Slovenian and Hungarian border it is the capital of the Varaždin county and lies on the Drava river. Like so many cities and towns, Varaždin had a lot of industry reminiscent of the communist era. Still Varaždin today is one of the most developed cities in the country. Leading in industrial production with the flourishing food industry and textile industry some of you may know Vindija :) Vindija not only known for food production is famous for the archaeological evidence of the Neanderthal and are the oldest in Europe more than 30 000 years old. Varaždin was probably founded during the Roman era the first mention of the town in the middle ages was in 1181 by the Hungarian king Bella III.
During later times Varaždin went from small town to one of the most important cities of Croatia it was the center of trade and political life. The capital of Croatia was here until 1776 when the great fire destroyed the whole city and to make things even worst just two months after the fire a tornado destroyed the rest of Varaždin. After the tragedy, the capital was moved to Zagreb where it remained until today.
The Stari Grad fortress was built during the 14th century and over the years was rebuilt and adapted for the modern times during the 16th century it was turned in to a Wasserburg. The last work done was during the 19th century. Today it is one of the best preserved fortresses decorated in gothic style and since 1925 the fortress is home to the Varaždin city museum with over 40 rooms and exhibition from every era of history.
The two men on the 5 kuna bill
Portraits of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan. Image source
How are those two men and why are they on the banknote you ask? Well, let me explain. These two men are important political figures of Croatians nobility and are representatives of Croatia's century-long fight for independence. Both of the two were ringleaders and played important roles in the so-called Magnate conspiracy known as the Wesselényi conspiracy in Hungary or Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy in Croatia. Nobility from Croatia and Hungary plotted to overthrow the rule and influences of Austria.
The conspiracy was a result of the Peace of Vasvár between the Austrians and the Ottoman empire. The peace treaty was considered unfair by the nobility of Croatia and Hungary because the Turks even defeated by the united forces were made the winners as they could keep the conquered land. The conspiracy was designed by Croatian Ban Nikola Zrinski how died of the wounds after he was attacked by a wild boar during a hunt. His brother Petar Zrinski took charge together with Fran Krsto Frankopan. The Croatian and Hungarian conspirators tried to make alliances throughout Europe negotiating with the French and even their enemies the Turks. Their plot was quickly discovered as it was poorly planned and leaks from both sides made a quick end to their plans. The Austrian dignitary at the Ottoman court I. Casanova was one of the leaks. In 1670 the Austrian ruler Leopold I. called all of the conspirators to Viena under the pretense of conciliation. They were all arrested and jailed in Wiener Neustadt awaiting trial. As you can imagine they were charged with high treason sentence to death by beheading and cutting off of the right arm. The sentence was carried out on the 30to of April 1671, the night before the two men were allowed to write farewell letters to their wives. The letter of Petar Zrinski was famous and distributed in Europe. The men and their families were stripped of their title and their noble estates were confiscated by the king.
The events were devastating for Croatia as two of the oldest noble families were erased from history and their lands became part of the Austrian rule and the inherent lands. Their remains were returned to Croatian 300 years later in 1919. by the Brethren of the Croatian Dragon and were buried in the cathedral of Zagreb. Their tombstone says Navik on živi ki zgine pošteno or translated He who dies fairly shall live forever.
This brings us to the end of today's post hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
If you liked my post leave a comment or if you have any additional questions check out some of my other posts here
Thanks for reading.
Best of luck to you until the next time zija2022