Varazdin, Croatia: Stari Grad

Varazdin is famous for its ancient structures, and this is one of the big ones. Stari Grad is the Old Town fortress in the city.

There are references to it that date back all the way to the late 1100s. The current structure began to take shape in the 1300s under private ownership. The rounded towers were added in the 15th century, and a moat was built about 100 years later. You needed plenty of protection when the Ottoman Empire was feeling frisky. 

The building switched to public ownership in 1925, and it's now the home of the Varazdin City Museum. There are 10 rooms and 40 different displays. The moats have been turned into parkland. 

By the way, the image of the fortress used to be on a Croatian banknote.