Comprehensive renovation of Oršić Castle and the new permanent exhibition of the Museum of Peasant Revolts
Samci, Gornja Stubica, Hrvatsko Zagorje
Building area=2670m2
Project 2023., renovation 2024.-2025.

Oršić Castle is located near Gornja Stubica on an elevated plateau above the village of Samci. It was built in 1756 as a two-winged extension of an older 16th-century fortress. The castle was constructed by the noble Oršić family. In the 19th century, following a major earthquake, a classicist portico with a tympanum and Doric columns was added to the western façade. In the early 1970s, the castle was renovated and repurposed to house the Museum of Peasant Revolts. The surrounding area was landscaped in 1973 as a scenic park according to the design of engineer Dragutin Kiš, featuring the monument to the Peasant Revolt and Matija Gubec, sculpted by Antun Augustinčić. The floor plan follows a traditional layout, with an open arcaded loggia on the ground and first floors facing an inner courtyard, around which the rooms are arranged and oriented outward. At the junction of the two wings is a two-story chapel, with a gallery on the first floor. The loggias on the ground and first floors are vaulted with a series of Czech vaults, the ground floor and basement rooms with barrel vaults, and the first-floor rooms with mirror vaults. The façades are simple, smoothly plastered, with painted decorative corners and uniformly spaced windows framed with profiled moldings. The northern façade features a prominent central section with a main entrance portal. Some original wall and ceiling paintings, stucco decorations, and stone floor coverings of the loggias and staircases have been preserved.

The project plans a comprehensive renovation of Oršić Castle and its surrounding landscape, along with the installation of a new permanent exhibition of the Museum of Peasant Revolts. The renovation will include structural restoration, moisture remediation, energy efficiency upgrades, enhanced fire protection measures, and the installation of a panoramic elevator to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities and reduced mobility—implemented to the extent that it does not compromise the building’s protected heritage features. The basement will house an exhibition on viticulture; the ground floor will include the headquarters of the Museums of Hrvatsko Zagorje, a bistro, the chapel, and exhibition space. The first floor will feature the new permanent exhibition of the Museum of Peasant Revolts and a space for temporary exhibitions. The attic will accommodate a multipurpose hall and museum storage.