The Armory Collection from the Homeland War in Turanj is a museum open space under the sky that remembers all the wars in this area. And there were too many of them. The history of Turanj is related to the creation of the Karlovac fortress and was raised as a protection of the bridges on Korana and Mrežnica. The name comes from the word "Turan", a wooden watch tower built along the coast of the Korana river. Turanj history was constantly linked to military and war events. As the first gate to enter the Karlovac area through the two rivers, it attracted the invited and uninvited guests. Turanj was and remained a symbol of victory. Sad war fights are interwoven with a sense of pride, and exhibits of military vehicles and weapons remain a reminder of the future. Karlovac nobody won by force, Karlovac is conquered with heart. The Homeland War, hopefully, the last one, will remain a long time in memory. As always in history, residents of Karlovac defended the city.

We do not know when we built the old town of Dubovac, we do not remember so well. Old books say that at the top of the hill above the river Kupa was always a city. Even before the invention of old books. We completed it in the 13th century because we were constantly attacked, and we had to defend our traders of grain and salt. The town of Dubovac is one of the best preserved and the most beautiful monuments of feudal architecture in Croatia. It was built on a prehistoric hill above the Kupa, and it is named after Duba (oak) growing on the surrounding slopes. Collective memory says that there is a tunnel in the well of the old town of Dubovac, which leads to the shore of the Kupa and to the city star. The yard of the old town will remain fairytale no matter what the historical evidence. Look at the museum setting in the Branič tower and as you climb the wooden steps to the top of the tower, you feel like an ancient resident of Karlovac. The walls are cold but inside them are the precious stories about Zrinski and Frankopan family and colorful destinies of people firmly tied to the old town of Dubovac. And when you're already here, stay until sunset. You will see Karlovac in the colors of the red sun changing his face while you holding him in the palm of his hand.

The star is one of the must-see locations in Karlovac. And how to see the star? You're going to the unknown star through the streets of Karlovac. You will see the City Museum, the foundations of St. Joseph's Chapel, the main square surrounded by two churches with a gold medal in the middle, the baroque palace of the Polytechnic, the oldest Music School in Croatia. You will walk through the street revealing the details of history, stop on the terrace of a cafe, and wonder where the star is in fact? Well, you just saw her, met the inside, enjoyed discovering the hidden and inhaled magical stellar dust of the historic Karlovac fort. Here was born Karlovac, a long time ago on July 13, 1579. The star is the oldest part of Karlovac, surrounded by defensive canals, today's parks and clearly form the boundaries of the star area. The walk around the star at the edge of the canal leads you through the chestnut and lime trees where you will see preserved remnants of the stone rampart. The Inner Street of the star will turn you around the center of Josip Jelačić Square. The square has a fountain. Today fountain is adapted and modernized by the water supply system, but in the past, it was a very important supply of potable water. The Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity and the Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, each on one side of the square, hide the historical and spiritual values of the city as well as the Franciscan monastery in its museum collection. Travel to the past of Karlovac will take you to the City Museum. You can not be lost in the star. The high church tower is an excellent landmark, and if you do not see it, you probably lost it - in the fog

Karlovac, the town on four rivers, boasts the first registered river beach in Croatia. It is situated on the Korana bank. The Foginovo beach, as the historic heritage of the citizens, has been engraved in the town’s very fabric, and its future matrix, just like a genetic code. Even a century later, it remains a memorable place. From its source at the Plitvice lakes, all the way to its mouth, where it joins the Kupa river in Karlovac, the green beauty that is the Korana river adorns its surroundings. As it flows practically through the very centre of the town, both the citizens and the visitors have been using it, for centuries and throughout the year, as an oasis of peace and the place to get in touch with the nature. From the time its health benefits were confirmed, generations of citizens gathered at the Korana banks, enjoying the benefits of the clean river, while it beckoned them to swim and relax during the summer heat.

Karlovac is situated on the banks of four rivers. It is only logical, then, that it is also a town of many bridges. Further analysis brings us to the conclusion that it is a town of boats. Also of fog, angling, fish, frogs and an odd mosquito. Everything in this town is connected to the four rivers, the freshwater Aquatika aquarium, the romantic walks along the banks and the drinking water. We use them to name everything we can, from kindergartens, to sports clubs, to restaurants, to our own children. For reasons unbeknownst to us, Mother Nature decided to locate all the spare rivers right here. For reasons that are quite well-known, however, a wise man decided to build a town on the banks of those four rivers. And here we are, in the watery embrace of our own four beauties. How many times have we mentioned the word ‘four’? Four times. Every Karlovac citizen has his or her own favourite river. And each river has its special hue. Every visitor is going to fall in love with one of the rivers. Or with all of them? All four. Did you know that in Karlovac you can swim in all of the four rivers in a single day? If you’re in a hurry and cannot stay the whole day, we can show you how and where, in just two dives, you can swim in all four. Two in four.

Historically, Karlovac was a boating town, and even to this day, the houses along the Kupa have paths leading to the very bank, the wooden boats are a common sight, while rowing is a popular sport even among children. Boat building used to be a common trade, challenging us to try and build a traditional Kupa boat. We have accepted the challenge and today you can board the grain boat ‘Zora’, a replica of the boats that used to ply the Kupa river in the 18th century. This unique European attraction is going to take you back in time, show you how grain was transported by boats, along the Kupa and the Sava rivers. That was also how Karlovac was connected to the rest of Croatia, but also to the Danube and the distant Timişoara. This tumbas is one of the three types of river boats of the Karlovac boatmen’s guild, the most prosperous town guild of the Illyrian movement period. Today, the ‘Zora’ dock is in the Brođani village, some 15 km from Karlovac.

With its Baroque belfry, the Holy Trinity Church stands in the centre of the Star, the Karlovac old town, as a landmark, a beacon, both in the actual space and on one’s spiritual journey. It was built at the same time as the fort itself, with various parts added through the centuries, and is the very heart of the town’s spiritual life. It is also a part of the town’s religious heritage, and an unavoidable point for meeting history, people and one’s own self. The Franciscan monastery and the church are a part of the same complex, and since the 17th century the Franciscans have been taking care of it. Having arrived to Karlovac, the Franciscans started to run the local schools and to teach reading, writing, arithmetic and religious education. They also studied the Karlovac flora and wrote natural history and geography textbooks. Through the centuries, they have accumulated an impressive collection consisting of ten thousand rare books and religious objects, which can be seen at the monastery museum.

From the ancient times of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the philosophy of landscaping symbols tends towards attaining the spiritual peace of a divine garden. The Latin word parricus (from which the English word park originated) denotes an enclosure or a ‘defended space’. Do parks defend us from the alienated world of urban bustle? Is Karlovac a town with therapeutic parks or is it all one huge park with a town within? It seems that the historian R. Radovinović’s words ‘a town within a park’ are best suited to describe the dominant impression of Karlovac. The green vistas of the town are awaiting, regardless of the direction of your approach. And one of the approaches is the majestic Marmont Allée, where you’ll feel welcome in the embrace of the centuries old giant plane trees, or feel obliged to stop and have a break after seeing the playful red leaves of the maples. Your stress is probably going to be at risk, likely to disappear in all the greenery. We are not going to charge you for that.

The latest international studies show that regular museum-goers, enjoying the arts and new insights, get even more from those experiences – they’re happier and less lonely than others, less prone to depression and anxiety. Museums are, therefore, important for your health. As a historic town, Karlovac loves history. History is life’s teacher. In Karlovac, it lives in the star-shaped walls of the fort, but also in the Town Museum. The museum is situated in the oldest Karlovac mansion, at the Strossmayer Square, a former Frankopan residence (the so-called kurija). It was founded at the very beginning of the 20th century, as a place to preserve the town’s memories and antiques.