Kostel: Hotels and accommodations

Kostel is connected with Kostelgrad, a medieval fortress on a rock. Below it is a historic architectural complex with St. Emeric Church, the Chapel of the Suffering Jesus, a parish house, utility buildings with a well, and a historic cemetery. Kostelgrad is described as an excursion destination offering views over the Sutinska Valley; access from the north via the settlement of Kostel is described as easy.

Culture

The Kostel parish is first mentioned in the 1334 list of parishes of the Diocese of Zagreb. The present parish church of St. Emeric was built at the beginning of the 19th century on the site of an earlier medieval church and completed in 1830. It was most recently restored in 2006.

Below the parish church lies the Chapel of the Suffering Jesus, also known as the Chapel of the Suffering Christ; its façade faces the parish church. The chapel has a late Baroque floor plan with recessed side walls forming shallow chapels. The year 1800 is carved into its portal.

The remains of the medieval Kostelgrad fortress in Kostel are registered under number Z-7162 as a protected military and defensive structure. The Kostel complex, with the Church of St. Mirko (Emerik), the old parish house, and the Chapel of the Suffering Christ, is registered under number Z-2084 as a protected ecclesiastical complex. Kapela Sv. Stjepana is mentioned in 17th-century sources as a chapel of the parish of St. Emeric in Kostel. Kostel's fortified settlement is recorded with the note that it had fallen into disrepair and been abandoned by the end of the 16th century.

Traditions

The Kostelska Uskrsna Pištola shooting tradition begins on Maundy Thursday and continues until Easter; complete silence prevails on Good Friday. The Easter custom in Kostel has been maintained continuously since 1523 and has the status of Croatian intangible cultural heritage.

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

Things to do and surroundings

Kunagora–Kostelgrad is designated as a hiking trail in the Pregrada area. HPD Kunagora Pregrada is described as an association that maintains several trails in the Pregrada area, including this one.

Izvor u Kostelu is a small shrine at the entrance to Kostel. Wooden benches stand there in the shade of trees beside the Kosteljina stream, providing travelers with a place to rest and refresh themselves. Nearby, Bregi Kostelski offers a view of Kunagora.

Those wishing to book a hotel in Kostel can continue their accommodation search afterward.

To the overarching travel overview: Općina Pregrada.