Susedgrad (Hungarian: Szomszédvár), also known earlier simply as Sused, is a ruined medieval fortress located on the far-western hill of Mount Medvednica, marking the far-western part of modern-day Zagreb, Croatia. It is a protected cultural good of the Republic of Croatia (reference no. Z-7528).
Position
The fortress was built on a hilltop approximately 194 meters high, near the confluence of the Krapina and Sava rivers. It overlooked an important crossroads at this confluence, enabling control over nearby land and waterways. Archaeological and paleontological findings suggest the site was settled since antiquity, and nearby quarries are believed to have supplied stone for building forts and churches in the surrounding area since ancient times.
History
Medieval period. Written sources from 1287 and 1299 indicate that the castle was constructed sometime during the second half of the 13th century, when it was owned by the Cistercian order. It is mentioned in 1316 in a charter of King Charles I of Hungary as royal property. The castle remained royal property until 1345, when King Louis the Great granted it to Nikola III Aka-Toth, who had supported the king in his wars. Nikola III also gained significant possessions in Hrvatsko Zagorje, which later evolved into what became known as the Susedgrad-Stubica Seigniory. The family branch controlling Susedgrad became known as the Toths of Susedgrad. When the Toth family died out, their last heiress, Doroteja, married Nicolas Henning, whose family took over rights to the Aka possessions in 1439.
Early modern period. The Henning family held complete control of the castle until 1502, when they died out, after which several claimants laid claim to the castle through the female line. A legal dispute arose over whether such "female" claims were valid or whether the king retained the right to grant the castle to a new owner. Ultimately, Emperor Ferdinand gave one half of the estates to Styrian noble Andrew Teuffenbach (who adopted the Henning name through his mother's line) and the other half to Andras Bathory, also a Henning descendant.
Henning–Tahy Wars. Andrew Teuffenbach-Henning died in 1563. His wife, Ursula Meknitzer Henning, and Andras Bathory each held portions of the estate. Bathory sold his complete rights to both Susedgrad and Stubica to Ferenc Tahy for 50,000 forints, making Tahy the majority owner. Ursula refused to accept Tahy as rightful owner, leading to a confrontation. In 1565, Ursula gathered an army of some 800 local peasants and had Tahy's family expelled from the possession. When Croatian Ban Petar Erdödy raised the army of the Croatian ban to punish her, Ursula and her allies gathered a 3,000-strong peasant army and routed the ban's forces in the Battle of Susedgrad in July 1565. The matter was then brought before the Croatian parliament, which raised a lawsuit against Ursula, and the Royal Chamber confiscated her possessions until the dispute was resolved. Tahy was reinstated the following year and took revenge against local peasants who had fought alongside Ursula, a situation that eventually escalated into the Croatian-Slovene Peasant Revolt of 1573. Tahy died the same year, and the Henning family bought back his part of the estate from his descendants in 1574. Later owners included members of the Mlakovečki noble family.
Abandonment. Historian Stjepan Laljak notes that in 1590 Susedgrad was shaken by a violent earthquake. In the early 17th century, the castle burned down and was subsequently abandoned and left to ruin. Contributing factors included the diminished danger from Ottoman akinji incursions and the evolution of warfare, which rendered the castle obsolete.
Contemporary period. The castle gave its name to the modern Zagreb neighborhood of Podsused, meaning literally "under Sused." For a time in the late 20th century, the name Susedgrad was used for a city municipality that was dissolved in the 1999 municipal reform and subsequently transformed into the Podsused-Vrapče and Stenjevec city districts.
Restoration initiatives
The remaining ruins were significantly damaged in the 2020 Zagreb earthquake. Despite local wishes to restore the castle, according to the Croatian daily Večernji list, the Republic of Croatia and the City of Zagreb have for years been unable to reach an agreement on land ownership and financing, leaving the restoration project stalled and the ruins exposed to further decay.
Flora
The Forest Park Susedgrad (Croatian: Park šuma Susedgrad) is home to numerous native plant species, including several endangered ones such as Taxus baccata (yew), Cephalanthera longifolia, Cyclamen purpurascens, and Veronica opaca. The invasive species Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust) has colonized the ruins, accelerating their erosion.
