The Old Town of Veliki Kalnik is a complex of fortifications built from the 12th century onwards on the Kalnik mountain near the village of Kalnik. The area has been inhabited since prehistoric and Roman times. The fort was first mentioned in 1243, when King Bela IV. emphasized its importance in the fight against the Tatars. According to the legend, the king took refuge on Kalnik with an escort fleeing from the Tatars. The locals fed them plums, so they got the name plum growers. The Tatars gave up, and the king granted them noble titles. Under Kalnik, the Tatars suffered their first defeat, so Ivan Kukuljevich Sakcinski wrote: "On Kalnik, the Tatars received the first unpleasant greeting from the Croats on Croatian soil." The old legend about plum growers Kalnik encouraged August Shenoa to write the work "Shljivari" (plum growers), and Milutin Mayer to write his historical novel "Tatars in Croatia".
Much of the former fort has been preserved to this day. The fort is visited by numerous mountaineers and excursionists. There is a view of the surrounding areas on all sides. Somewhat to the west, on a ridge, are the remains of the old town of Mali Kalnik.

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№1 of 3 places in Kalnik
№368 of 2178 places in Croatia
№1 of 3 abandoned castles in Kalnik
№1 of 13 abandoned castles in Croatia