Kostel: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Kostel is closely associated with Kostelgrad, a medieval fortress built on a rock. Below it lies a historic building complex with the Church of St. Emeric, the Chapel of the Suffering Jesus, a rectory, utility buildings with a well, and a historic cemetery.

Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Kostel is thereby choosing a specific focus for planning their stay.

History

Kostelgrad is regarded as a destination for excursions offering views across the Sutinska Valley. Access from the north via the settlement of Kostel is described as easy. The fortified settlement of Kostel is considered to have fallen into disrepair and been abandoned by the end of the 16th century.

The remains of the medieval Kostelgrad fortress in Kostel are registered as a protected military and defensive structure under registration number Z-7162. The complex consisting of the Church of St. Mirko (Emerik), the old rectory, and the Chapel of the Suffering Christ is registered as a protected ecclesiastical complex under registration number Z-2084.

Sacred Places

The Kostel parish is first mentioned in the list of parishes of the Diocese of Zagreb from 1334. The present parish church of Kostel was built at the beginning of the 19th century on the site of an earlier medieval church and completed in 1830; its last restoration took place in 2006.

Below the Parish Church of St. Emeric stands the Chapel of the Suffering Christ, whose façade faces the church. Its floor plan is designed in the late Baroque style, with recessed side walls forming shallow chapels. The year 1800 is engraved on the portal. In 17th-century sources, Kapela Sv. Stjepana appears as a chapel of the Parish of St. Emeric in Kostel.

Traditions

The Kostelska Uskrsna Pištola begins on Maundy Thursday and lasts until Easter; complete silence is observed on Good Friday. The Easter shooting tradition has been practiced continuously since 1523 and has the status of intangible Croatian cultural heritage.

The Kostelska Uskrsna Pištola event on Low Sunday takes place next to Kapela Sv. Stjepana, following a procession with a historical unit and a Mass.

Paths and Surroundings

Kunagora–Kostelgrad is a named footpath in the Pregrada area. HPD Kunagora Pregrada is considered responsible for maintaining several hiking trails in the Pregrada area, including this one. Nearby, Bregi Kostelski offers a view of Kunagora.

At the entrance to Kostel lies Izvor u Kostelu, a small shrine. Wooden benches stand there in the shade of trees beside the Kosteljina stream, providing travellers with a place to rest and refresh themselves.

For the broader travel overview: Općina Pregrada.