The first ideal "Renaissance town"
Source: http://karlovac-touristinfo.hr/en/landmarks/places/karlovac-star
There are very few towns in the world that can boast that they know the date of their founding and also the fact that from their very establishment they were a town. Karlovac is one of them. It was founded on 13 July 1579 with the start of construction work on the great fortress to provide defence against the Turkish invaders. It was the first ideal "Renaissance town", laid out in the shape of a six-pointed star. Just two years later, Karlovac's twin town was built: Nove Zamky in Slovakia.
Surrounded by six bastions connected with walls, the fortress was named after its founder the Archduke Karl (Charles), while with the expansion of the town it was named after its shape: Zvijezda (the Star). With the end of the Turkish threat and a reduction in the military role of the town, the walls unfortunately fell into almost complete ruin.However, the core of the old town kept its shape due to the dense rows of chestnut and lime trees that bordered Zvijezda at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. It was also surrounded by trenches that today have been transformed into parks full of walkways, flowerbeds and ornamental trees and shrubs.
Zvijezda must certainly be visited on Karlovac's birthday on 13 July. After the daylong events, the inhabitants of Karlovac and their numerous guests gather togetherin the evening at exactly eight o'clock on the main square to dance waltzes in honour of the town. There are as many couples as Karlovac's age!