Nehaj

#171 Nehaj Fortress [Tvrdava Nehaj]
Senj, Croatia
Completed 1558
This is NOT an official Lego site

The history of the fortress above Senj is really the history of the Uskoks of Croatia and on the Adriatic Sea. The origin of this group of guerrilla fighters began around the ancient fortress of Klis, atop a mountain about 10 miles from Split, Croatia, and about 130 miles south of Senj as the crow flies. Around 1525 the Ottoman Turks had recently conquered both Bosnia and Serbia, and refugees from those countries were streaming into Croatia to escape. Groups of Christian men, gathered and led by Petar Kružić [left], centered a strong defense there against the Muslim Turks, to the happiness of Archduke Ferdinand I, newly elected King of of Bohemia and Hungary [1526] and Croatia [1527]. Since payments for frontier protection were often missed, and since the Uskoks were largely a law unto themselves, they took up piracy to make ends meet, to the chagrin of both the Ottoman Turks and the Venetians. Klis Fortress surrendered in March 1537, when they ran out of water and Kružić died. His Uskoks fled up the coast to Senj to be regrouped by capable Croatian army leader, Ivan Lenković [right]. Peace was established between Venice and the Ottomans in 1539, and for the next eight years the Uskoks raided inland Bosnia [under the Turks] and Dalmatia [under the Venetians]. In 1547 when the Habsburgs and Ottoman Turks signed a peace treaty, the Uskoks returned to piracy on the high seas. This led to 3 unsuccessful attempts by the Turks to capture the walled town of Senj, but outlaying homes and churches were burned and otherwise damaged. Ivan dismantled these remains, and used the stone to construct his fortress atop Trbusnjak Hill.

Tvrdava Nehaj was completed in 1558. The many trees on the hill made both cannon and siege machines practically useless. The Venetians appealed to Ferdinand I, now Holy Roman Emperor, but the plunder flowing into Vienna and Graz from the Uskoks caused their pleas to fall on relatively deaf ears. General Lenković died in 1569, but his Uskok legacy continued with his fortress and town untamed for decades to come. In 1592 the commander-in-chief of Bosnian Muslim forces led an army to capture Senj and Nehaj, but despite early successes his army was routed and dispersed. In 1600 Austria sent Count Joseph de Rabatta to brutalize the Uskoks, but his favoritism toward Venice led to his loss of all military support, and he was ousted then killed by the Uskoks. Uskoks attacks on Venetian shipping increased so that by 1613 Venice sent a squadron of ships to attack the Uskok, only to be answered in kind. Finally in 1615 war broke out between Austria and Venice. The peace treaty signed two years later arranged for the Uskok to be disbanded, and most migrated into the hinterlands of Croatia.

The fortress itself is a tower of 75 feet square, and 59 feet tall. The walls are 6.8 to 10 feet thick. The ground floor is arranged like a tic-tac-toe puzzle with eight nearly identical rooms surrounding a small courtyard. A well in the center is above the cistern. The ground floor housed kitchen, dining and social quarters, with gun ports in every room. The second floor is a quadrangle featuring 11 cannon ports with the other position being the summit of the staircase and the box machicolation which is the base of the fifth turret, guarding the entrance. The top floor is soldiers' quarters with sloping garret above. Each corner features an identical turret with small rooms on the second floor and at battlement level. The roof access is by mural stair between the northwest tower and the entrance tower on the north side. A solitary garderobe projects from the battlements on the opposite side. The roof drains rain water into pipes running down two corners of the courtyard into the cistern. Very clever. For many years the tower sat neglected and inaccessible, but between 1964-74 the castle was restored and features a unique museum of Senj and Uskok artifacts.

Photos of the Lego Model under construction January, 2019 My initial plan was to just construct my usual shell for this project, but as I looked at the base on January 17, I thought "How boring. All four sides are more or less the same." So I decided on the spot to leave one side open, so much of the interior could be appreciated. It looked good on the 18th, but got very dim with a ceiling on Saturday, so now it's also lighted.

The basic layout is quickly done on January 17...	...with floor supperts done the same afternoon. It at this point that "boring" happened.	I decided to leave the east side open, so the mural staircases could be appreciated.	This is now the "east view" which will a much better angle for all the construction pictures that follow.	On day 2 the ground level really begins to take shape...	...with some furniture added to improve livability. There is, of course, a wall between the dining room and tiny courtyard.


January 22 sees the first floor with ceiling in place.	It's beginning to look somewhat homey inside -- for a castle...	Wednesday saw the second floor in place, and first floor wiring hidden.	The next day work begins in earnest on the interesting windows of the second story...	...and the space designated for the Uskoks soldiers to sleep.


On January 25 the second story walls are readied. LET THE ROOFING BEGIN!	Saturday saw the placement of the huge "wooden" beams which will support the roof.	Here is a view with the roof about one half complete.	January 27 marked the completion of the roof...	...and the beginning of con- struction of the wall walk and turrets. SEE BELOW.

Photos of the Lego Model completed January, 2019 The castle was actually finished a couple days into February, as I was awaiting a Bricklink order to finish the merlons, but it was 99.9% completed by the end of January.

Here is the view of the completed cast from the north.	The northwest view gives an excellent perspective of symmetry of the fortress.	The west view looks exactly like the east view!	And the south view would as well, except for the garderobe inserted into the parapet.	The northeast view brings us to the viewing side of the tower.


But first, here's a nice aerial view from the northwest...	...and a closeup of the entrance stair and drawbridge.	Here's a close-up of the stair to the battlements, and several turrets.	And, of course, the rather public toilet. 😲	And for perspective, the bird's eye view of the tiny courtyard, now roofed.	Finally, we're back to the east side...where it's time to...


...turn on the lights! I'm going to proceed floor by floor, from lower right to upper left.	I imagine the Entrance Hall for rifles and other weapons, and for social- izing with your fellows.	Here's a closer view of the far end of the Hall.	The Dining Hall is to the left [Note: I removed the far wall to show off the courtyard.]	In the next room an Uskoci soldier discusses menus with the staff. Looks like fresh fish from the Adriatic.	On the first floor I imagine the heavier cannon, since the floor is atop stone arches. Plenty of powder and cannon balls!


Nearby are current maps of the Ottoman conquests, and the Senj area.	The far left room on the 1st floor highlights both cannon and the door to the Captain's quarters.	On the top floor are the cots for the rank and file Uskoci. There are also lighter cannon.	The cots all feature the Croatian colors, and are issued to each man.	Looking back a bit, one can appreciate the rack of back- packs with soldiers personal belongings.	It looks like avoiding a confrontation would be a smart idea.


The courtyard with cistern	Cannon on the first floor	Roof and battlements including stair	Solitary garderobe


It became immediately clear on Saturday morning, January 19, that it was too dark inside.	The openings on both the ground and first floors are quite small	The dim interior was going to impress no one!	So LED Liteup Blocks (actually 1 x 4 plates) were added in each of the five visible rooms on the entry level!


On day 4 the first floor is in place...	...ready for the first floor, with its eight cannon bays.	Monday, January 21 saw walls rising on the first floor.	Here's the east view: Note the pair of Uskok soldiers looking at their wall map of Senj.


Ground Floor Plan	Top Down Plan	North Elevation	Cross-section looking west