The castle itself reveals different phases of building. For several centuries, it used to be a fortification, so that the reconstructions undertaken during that period were functional rather than aesthetical.
A presentation of Trakoscan from the 19th c. 40’s (anonymous author)
The facility's essential core is a Romanesque fortification consisting of a housing unit, a small fortified yard, and a massive high tower. The fortification's good location and its observation tower made it safe and easy to defend.
Rapid development of firearms and increasingly threatening Turkish attacks made additional construction and further fortifying urgently necessary. The Draskovic family's second generation, Ivan II and Petar, added the western tower, which may be seen from the coat-of-arms and the accompanying inscription.
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Trakoscan before reconstruction, a callotype by V. Draskovic
On the Great Genealogical Tree, the oldest visual presentation from 1668, the facility had three storeys, and its basic dimensions could already be discerned. Over the next period, the fortification was added several defense facilities around it. At the time, it also had the highest number of inhabitants, as may be seen from the Small Geneological Tree datin back to 1755. It was in this same century that the outbuildings were erected at the foothills of Trakoscan, and a stone bridge built over Bednja.
In the 19th c., Trakoscan acquired its present appearance. In the 1840-1862 period, during one among the first restoration undertakings in the country, the castle was reconstructed in Neo-Gothic style. This not only altered its exterior, but also finally brought to an end its five centuries long fortification purpose. The reconstruction also included the appearance of Romanticist pleasure grounds, after the model of English parks. When the dam was built, the valley turned into a large lake. The uniqueness of style characterizing the facility equally includes the interior and its surrounding landscape.
Trakoscan in the 60’s of the 19th c. (a lithograph by I. Czerny)
After the reconstruction, the castle was still inhabited by several generations that did some additional constructions and adaptations. It was at the time that the northern tower appeared over the entrance, a large shingle cap added to the top of the tower (removed in 1961), and a southwestern vaulted terrace added.
The end of WWII found Trakoscan in a neglected and dilapidated condition, which is why protective architectural and interior decoration works were immediately undertaken. Over the past few years, the castle has once again been undergoing more thorough reconstruction.
