Karlovac (Carlstadt in German or Carolostadium in Latin) is not an old town. When it was built in 1579, was one of the first “ideal towns” in Europe. It is a town whose core represents a master-piece of Renaissance urbanism in six star (hexsagonal) shape. It was built by order of the Archduke Karlo of Styria and is one of the few towns for which we know the exact date of birth. The date is on 23rd July 1579 when the Order was signed. A main reason for its build was a fact that the Ottoman Empire (today Turkey) increasingly began to invade Europe and if they occupy territories north of future town Karlovac the road lays open to Vienna.
The establishment of a new city-fortress was a part of the deal between the Protestant nobility of Inner Austrian and the archduke Karlo of Styria in exchange for their religious freedom. The nobility agreed to finance the building of a new fortress against the Ottoman Empire and was the headquarters of the commander of the army called Croatia Military Border.
It was constructed as a six-pointed star fortress built on the Zrinski estate near the old town of Dubovac at the confluence of the Kupa and Korana rivers and was built on terrain exposed to flooding and disease from unhealthy water, with the intent to hamper the Turkish advance. My teacher of history at primary school tought me that when the Turks approached Karlovac, the dam was raised an the river water flooded channels surrounding the fortress. Those channels we call “Šanac” and you can see it in the downtown. The reason is very simple. The Turkish army consisted from a huge number of warriors on horses (this was their war philospohy –mobility as antecedent of later developed “blitzkrieg”). As the city later expanded, the urban area reached as far as the Mreznica and Dobra rivers, therefore Karlovac is often called “The town on four rivers”. The unique star shape can still be seen around the town.
