Kamerlengo

#189 Kaštel Kamerlengo
on Stari Grad Trogir Island, Croatia
1380; 1420-37; and later
This is NOT an official Lego site

The modest, rectangular island whereupon Kamerlengo Castle resides has more than 2,300 years of continuous urban occupation. While submitting to the Venetians or Hungarians for much of the twelfth through fourteenth centuries, Trogir [Traù in Italian] had been enjoying virtual independence when the War of Chioggia broke out in 1378, the culmination of decades of skirmishes between the Republics of Genoa (on Italy's west coast) and Venice (on Italy's upper east coast). With Chioggia, just south of the city of Venice, captured by the Genoese, Zadar (north of Trogir) and Trogir joined them against the Venetians. At that time the citizens of Trogir erected a massive roughly octagonal tower at the southwest corner of the island to guard the port city. It was called Kula Veriga, or The Tower of Chains. It is likely much of the walls that surrounded Old Town Trogir were also built at this time.

In 1420 the Republic of Venice laid siege to Trogir, and after two months captured the city. Thus began a period of almost 400 years of Venetian rule over Trogir. The construction of the new castle of Trogir was entrusted to Marin Radoj, the first magistrate, and his engineer, Lorenzo Picino. The fortress, using the Kula Veriga as its keep, was separated from the city of Trogir by an embattled moat, as the residents of Trogir were by and large still hostile to their captors. The castle was trapezoidal in shape with a large turret on each of the other three corners. In additional to its defensive functions, the castle provided storage space for supplies and treasure, and temporary quarters for Venetian mercenaries and military crews. Somewhere in the middle of the 16th century, the castle's named was changed to Kaštel Kamerlengo (Governor's Castle).

With the fall of Venetian rule in 1797, Trogir came under the authority of Napoleonic France. During this period, the city's defensive walls were mostly removed, and the castle gradually became dilapidated. An effort to tear down the castle was fortunately thwarted. While the residential ranges within the castle are gone, the castle walls are largely intact, and a Tower of Chains provides wonderful views of Old Town Trogir, the expansion of the city both onto the mainland and Čiovo Island, and the nearby Adriatic and Croatian coast.

Photos of the Lego Model Under construction August 2024 to ???

On August 25, exactly 4 months to the day after our visit to Trogir, the Lego model of Kamerlengo is begun!	First order of business is to establish the perimeter - this is the job through the end of August.	By August 29, the entire ground level protective wall is complete.	It's time to construct the castle's two level courtyard...	August 30 is mostly spent building the grid that will support the castle's courtyard.


So as August draws to a close, the ground level is in place, and the design of the courtyard buildings is laid out,...	...including the dooreway into the old Kula Veriga (Tower of Chains).	On September 1 construction on the west service range is well underway.	By September 3, the north residential range id also ready to roof, and the curtain walls continue to rise.	The next day there's lots of progress on the residential range, the stair up to the wall walk, and...


...the curtain walls. The corner towers are nearly ready to be floored.	By September 6 not only is residential range complete (except for chimneys), but...	...the wall walk is complete all around the castle, though not yet embattled.	Next up: the Kula Veriga!


Two days later the donjon has above the curtain wall level.	The entrances from the wall walk can be seen.	The corner towers are floored...	...and the wall walk has merlons, though they are not yet "Italianated"	The slopes to cap the merlons will be arriving imminently.


By September 12 not only does the castle have its Italian merlons, but...	...the massive donjon is nearing the level of its machicolated parapets.	And the next morning, the donjon has a roof.	And coming VERY soon: the completed castle below!

Photos of the Lego Model Built August - September, 2024 This model is dedicated to Ivan Markovic Ribič, our Tour Manager for Collete's "Croatia and It's Islands", which my wife Judy and I thoroughly enjoyed April 20 through May 1, 2024. Ivan was not only well informed and a great communicator, but he was a very good sport and had a wonderful sense of humor. Thank you, Ivan!

Here are the exterior views of the Lego model. From the south [front from canal].	The southwest elevation, highlighting the huge keep.	The view from the west.	And the northwest.


The view from the north features the main entrance.	The northeast elevation highlights the unusually- shaped corner tower.	The east view is what the residents of Old Town Trogir would see.	And the southeast view reminds us of the all important Trogir canal.


An exterior detail of the top of the southeast tower.	And from the courtyard side of the castle.	A close-up of the machicolated battlements. [Note that the NW Tower is the mirror-image.]	The prow-shaped NE Tower. Very difficult to recreate in Lego, but came out well.	The view from above. 17 studs wide at the base and 17½ at the prow!


The donjon from the courtyard.	The unique (in my experience) protected entrance from the south wall walk.	And the mirror entrance via drawbridge on the north side of the donjon.	Here's a slightly different angle showing both dorrs.	And the completed flat- roofed donjon with stair and battlements.


The view of the residential range...	...and what I believe to have been the service range.	A general view of the courtyard looking SE.	The blacksmith is always doing neat stuff.	Maybe more... maybe not.

Build Your Own

Lego Ground Plan is too large for me to scan. Sorry.


Wall walk view toward donjon	Wall walk view looking east	Donjon view across castle	The view from the donjon roof


South Elevation	Cross-section looking south	Cross-section looking north	Top-down Donjon, with details


Ground Floor Plan	Parapet Level Plan	Donjon cross-section