In the center of the town of Jastrebarsko, hidden by the trees of  arboreous park, the remains of the past are hidden - the castle of the Erdödy family. The castle is the oldest preserved cultural monument in the city, built in the 15th century, and at the beginning of the 16th century, it became the property of the Erdödy family, which, through almost 400 years of coexistence, left an indelible and significant mark on the history of the city and surrounding settlements.

Although the citizens of Jastrebarsko received the status of a free royal market on 12.1.1257. with the Bula of Bela IV, which provided them with free trade and security from paying taxes to feudal lords, with the arrival of the Erdödy family, that will change. The people of Jaska fiercely fought against the levy and defended the freedoms that the Bula made possible for them.

Over the years, the construction of the castle changed, from a wooden wasserburg from the beginning of the 15th century to a defensive fortress in times of danger from the Turks, but it never served that purpose. After the death of the last owner from the Erdödy family, Count Stjepan, the castle passed into the ownership of merchant Erchmann, who experienced an economic collapse and sold the castle at a public auction for building materials. However, as the people of Jaska were closely related to the Erdödy family, they did not remain indifferent and decided to save the castle. That's how the castle was saved for the first time.

As we know, home is not made of material things - but of people, including castles. Although the Jaska castle had other owners after the Erdödys, it was the Erdödys who left an indelible mark. The last owner and tenant of the castle, Count Stjepan IV Erdödy (1848.-1922.), who lived in the castle until 1922., is especially dear to inhabitants of Jastrebarsko . As nothing in life is by chance, it is certainly not by chance that this particular descendant of the Erdödy family was the most distinctive personality and resident of the castle.

History describes him as a strict but fair ruler who started managing the estate in Jaska at the age of 16. He was an extremely good gymnast, he exercised regularly, which at the time caused people's astonishment, he bathed exclusively in cold water, and he never drank alcohol!

He was also very meticulous and in 1903. he started keeping a "Hunting Diary" written in german. He wrote diaries until his death in 1922., leaving us 21 diaries with a total of 11,000 pages of text. Very detailed, he originally recorded his hunting expeditions, natural phenomena, and later all social and political events in Croatia, Europe and the world. He accompanied his records with 5,000 illustrations of wild animals, fish and plants. From the count's diaries, which have been preserved to this day, we learn a lot about the count's life on the estate in Jaska. Although a passionate hunter, he takes care of the animal life on his property, about which he keeps rich statistics.

In his early youth, he traveled a large part of Europe, Asia and Africa, and from his travels he brought numerous seeds of exotic plants and reforested the park around the castle, and the park is now a horticultural monument.

Along with the many activities he was engaged in, we can also include photography. Namely, his nephew Count Karlo Drašković and Count Stjepan were pioneers of photography in Croatia. It was Karlo Drašković on  24.7. 1895 in Novi Marof who photographed his uncle, Count Stjepan, at the moment of jumping over the bench. This is how "Skok" was created - one of the first so-called moment photos in Croatia and one of the earliest examples of this kind of photography in the world.

But, in addition to all that, Count Stjepan Erdödy will be remembered for his forbidden love for a peasant girl, Barica Zdelar from Cvetković. The love of a Count and a peasant woman is an open secret of the Jastrebarsko region, which has recently turned into an urban legend. The love of a Count and a peasant woman was described by Janko Matko in the novel "Žrtva"(„ Victim“). The novel was published for the first time in 1938., while Barica was still alive, and he could not yet publish her true identity.  Therefore, in the novel, she is called Ljuba Kraljević. How much the Count was in love is also shown by an anecdote - on one occasion, the Count sent a coachman to pick up his sweetheart. Barica told the Count that he had a handsome coachman, and the Count never sent him for her again.

Due to his status, the Count could not marry her and was even punished in various ways for this. In essence, Barica was a "Victim" of a time that is only now being talked about more in the Jaska region. Barica was devoted to her family, her village, region, customs and homeland, Croatia. She was proud when she could say in front of the "gentleman" that she was from a peasant family. Even though these gentlemen looked at her like they were under the eye, they all recognized her beauty that God had endowed her with, and they were often jealous of her. The Count never married.

Since 2014., in Jaska, you can walk across the Ljuba Kraljević bridge, which connects the park Erdödy and the city itself, and in a symbolic way reminds of the great love of the beautiful villager Barica and the Conut  Stjepan.

Since the 1990s, the castle has been closed to the public and has been eroded by time. The park of the Erdödy castle was decorated and became the flagship of the city, and if he were alive - the count would be extremely proud of it. But the castle, that pearl in the middle of the park, was deteriorating more and more, and the people of Jaska were looking for a solution to make it shine again. Their wish came true and the castle is currently being renovated with the funds of the European Union - "Revitalization of brownfield sites" K.K.06.2.06. Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds. The project is implemented within the Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion of the Republic of Croatia 14-20, priority axis Environmental protection and sustainability of resources, specific goal 6e2 brownfield renovation (former military and industrial areas).

So the citizens of Jaska saved the castle for the second time - this time for good.

In the story of Erdody Castle, the unbreakable connection between the citizens of Jastrebarso and cultural heritage is depicted. Also, the Erdody family, as a Croatian-Hungarian noble family, is the foundation and link between Croatia Hungary and Slovenia, where they left their mark. It was the castle and this family that inspired and realized numerous projects in the area of ​​the City of Jastrebarsko in cooperation with these countries. With the renovation of the Erdody castle, a museum dedicated to the castle's inhabitants will be established and its rich history will be presented to all generations in a modern way. Especially the rich legacy of Count Stjepan and his diaries, which precisely present European values ​​- peace, environmental protection and respect for everyone, regardless of origin.