Trakošćan (also pronounced Trakostyan) is a castle located in northern Croatia (in the Varaždin County) that dates back to the 13th century (first written mention is in 1334).Trakošćan was built in the 13th century within Croatia’s northwestern fortification system, as a rather small observation fortress for monitoring the road from Ptuj to Bednja Valley.According to a legend, Trakošćan was named after another fortification (arx Thacorum) that was alleged to have stood in the same spot back in antiquity. Another source claims that it was named after the knights of Drachenstein who were in control of the region in early Middle Ages.