The ruins of Orahovica Multi-cache
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(regular)
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The castles can be reached on tourist path (red circle with white spot in the middle). The vegetation on the tourist path can be high in the summer.
I would like to introduce one of my favourite excursion aim in the Krndija Mountains. (Eastern slopes of the Papuk.)
We can find several medieval ruins in this territory in untouched nature, but there are three of them in the close vicinity of Orahovica town. The history of the ruins – in all cases – in relation with the history of the town.
I have placed three boxes. The coordinates of the first one is given and you can find information from the other box too in it.
First box: 10 x 10 cm round one.
Second box: 20 x 10 x 5 cm
Third box: 20 x 15 x 10 cm
Orahovica was mentioned first time in 1228. The name of it comes from the word ’orah’ (means – nut).
1.) NOBLE MAN’S MANOR (Kurija Hercegovac)
We have very few information on this building. It was built approximately in the XV.-XVI. century. It was used by the squires of Ružica castle as a residence or as an estate building of their extensive feudal holding. It is located very close to a stone mine.
2.) RUŽICA TOWN – (Ružica grad)
Ružica town is the biggest medieval fortification remained in Slavonia. The name of the castle was mentioned first in 1357 as a royal estate, but it is not clear, whether these early records exactly on this one or the old fortress.
Gj. Szabo (famous croatian art-historian) mentioned, that Ružica is a town, castle, and fortress in one. The fortress – as we see it today – was built at the end of the XIVth and at the beginning of the XVth century, and reached it’s peak under the time of Ilocki family (Lovro and Nikola) (It was the age of the rule of the hungarian king Matias.)
The fortress had a significant role under the turkish invasion, and survived sevaral storms.
3.) OLD FORTRESS (Stari grad)
The ruins of this castle is located on an even bigger are than the Ružica town. There are no known historical data about this site. It makes this place to be misterious. ( It supposed that this fortress served only defence purposes. )
AT THE END OF THE TOUR, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU TO MAKE A PHOTO OF YOU, WITH THE MACHINE CAN BE FOUND IN THE THIRD BOX.
This cache takes place in the extra mission organised by calacirya in which all the old fortresess of the Papuk have to be visited. All the details are below:
Extra Mission:
Visit all the geocache waypoint from the list and win a diploma. Boxes are hidden (or will be soon) to 7 old towns (fortress) on Papuk:
Kamengrad (published)
Velički grad(published)
Stražeman (published)
Klak (not published)
Voćin (published)
Ružica grad (published)
Stari grad (published).
In each box at the bottom is written one word. Discover all 7 words, arrange them in sentence and send it to user calacirya via the contact form. Successfully collected words bring you a commemorative diploma. :-)
I would like to say special thanks to Eena & Marko in Sesvete for their kind help in the creation of the cache.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Svefg obk: va gur gehax bs na byq gerr (frr cubgb)
Frpbaq obk: va gur pnivgl bs gur jnyy (frr cubgb)
Guveq obk (va gur pnivgl bs n ebpx) (frr cubgb)