Pejačević Castle is one of several country houses owned by the members of the Pejačević noble family in the region of Slavonia.
According to the sign located on the, facade above the entrance, the manor was built by count Sigismund Pejačević in 1801, with the actual construction beginning somewhere around 1796.
The Retfala Estate was acquired by the Pejačević Counts as a grant by the then Austrian Empress and Croatian-Hungarian Queen Maria Theresa in 1750. In the beginning it started out as a relatively small estate.
The refined classical manor is composed of three wings shaped in the form of the letter U. The internal space is organised around a central hallway with rooms aligned on either side. The central axis is highlighted by the grand hall and atrium within the great pavilion.
The central pavilion is raised on the first floor, whilst the remaining part of the manor, complete with its lateral wings, is at ground level.
At ground level, the pavilion is articulated by arcades and a great series of ionic pilasters, which was originally covered by a mansard roof, as was the remainder of the building. The manor is separated from the street by a triumphal entrance made from wrought iron railings. Despite the identity of the architect not being known, the manor is regarded as a significant work of classical architecture within Croatia.
Close to the vicinity of the manor at the Retfala Cemetery, the Pejačević Family chapel-mausoleum dates from the year 1891.
Previously set amongst a large pleasure garden, the manor is now in a neglected and decrepit state. Once a part of the pleasure garden which stretched all around the manor, the mausoleum set within the contemporary Retfala Cemetery shares the same fate.
References:Stobi was an ancient town of Paeonia located near Gradsko. It is considered by many to be the most famous archaeological site in North Macedonia. Stobi was built where the Erigon (Crna River) joins the Axios (Vardar), making it strategically important as a center for both trade and warfare.
Stobi developed from a Paeonian settlement established in the Archaic period. It is believed that in 217 BCE, Philip V annexed Paionia during his campaign against the Dardani who had entered Bylazora, the largest Paeonian town.
The city was first mentioned in writing by the historian Livy, in connection with a victory of Philip V of Macedon over the Dardani in 197 BC. In 168 BC, the Romans defeated Perseus and Macedonia was divided into four nominally independent republics. In 148 BC, the four areas of Macedonia were brought together in a unified Roman province. In the reign of Augustus the city grew in size and population.