Gornji Laduč can be explored through three distinct themes: a chapel with a painting, a castle with a distinctive façade detail, and gardens and parkland with a lake. This selection brings together culture and designed landscapes. For planning your trip, it helps to keep the themes separate: religious history and painting lead to the chapel, design and façade details to the castle, and geometric garden design and hilly parkland to the landscape.

Chapel and painting

St Leonard’s Chapel is the oldest chapel in the parish of Brdovec. The present building dates from 1835. The chapel also houses a painting of Saint Sebastian by Ivan Zasche, from 1860. The chapel thus connects two different historical points of reference: the year the present building was constructed and a specific work of art. For a cultural focus, both the chapel’s place in the parish of Brdovec and the individual artwork are significant. The dates refer to different things: 1835 to the building and 1860 to the painting.

Laduč Castle: design, construction and façade

Laduč Castle in Gornji Laduč is associated with the Vranyczány-Dobrinović family. Kuno Waidmann designed the castle; Gjuro Carnelutti carried out its construction in 1882. Their different roles are a point of interest in their own right: the design and construction can be distinguished, while the family connection adds historical context to the building. The main façade features a projecting section with an arcaded loggia. A loggia is a covered, open-sided area incorporated into the building; in an arcaded loggia, arches define the openings. The combination of the projecting section and arched openings makes the façade design a specific architectural theme alongside the people involved and the year of construction.

Garden and park

The castle grounds include a geometrically designed formal garden and a landscaped park with a lake on hilly terrain. The two areas offer different points of interest: the formal garden is defined by its geometric layout, while the landscape park is shaped by the contours of the terrain. The lake complements this combination of designed grounds and hilly landscape. If you are interested in garden design, you can distinguish between these two approaches rather than viewing the grounds solely in terms of the lake. Check whether the grounds are accessible before visiting.

Putting the themes in context for your trip

For a chronological overview, three dates can be considered side by side: 1835 refers to the present chapel building, 1860 to the painting, and 1882 to the castle’s construction. This makes the building and art history easier to compare without assigning any date to the wrong subject. The choice of theme also becomes clearer: the chapel brings together its religious context and painting, while the castle focuses on building history and façade details. The garden and park, by contrast, offer a landscape perspective. When choosing between cultural and landscape themes, consider whether your interests lie more in sacred art, architecture or designed outdoor spaces.

Discover more destinations: Zdenci Brdovečki.

Go to the main travel overview: Općina Brdovec.