Karlovac was founded on 13 July 1579, as a Renaissance fortress in the shape of a six-pointed star, with a central square and a regular network of buildings and streets. Since the 17th century it has been the centre of craftsmanship and commerce, and it was promulgated the status as a free royal town in 1781. This brought on the development of transportation and commerce along with the 19th century's vigorous growth of industry. After World War Two its development was quickened and its population quickly reached 60,000.

Nowadays the trenches ("moats") encircling the town walls remind us of the Karlovac fort - the Star. From the 19th century onward, these have been converted into parks. The oldest non-military building is the church of the Holy Trinity, erected simultaneously with the fortress. The central square also houses the well, Baroque palaces and the Church of St. Nicholas. Karlovac has the oldest Music school in Croatia (from 1804), The First Croatian Singers' Association Zora (from 1858), Croatia's first cinema built for this specific purpose (since 1920).

The church of the Holy Trinity with its Franciscan Friary is a national cultural monument. The central early-Baroque altar is made of black marble, and the interior of the church is richly painted. The bell-tower (originally a turret) is 44 m tall. Underneath the church lie the crypts - vaults. The Friary houses a valuable collection of sacral art.

The City Museum (founded in 1904) is located in the Frankopan manor on Strossmayer Square, the town's oldest building within the Star. The museum collections consist of some 18,000 items ranging from pre-historical times to military and civic history dated from 14th to 19th century and those bequeathed to the Museum by Karlovac globe-trotters. The Town Theatre Zorin dom is the "temple of culture" in Karlovac. It was built in 1892 in Neo-Renaissance style and redecorated in 2001. Beside drama and ballet productions, it is a concert and art-exhibitions venue, as well as a place where lectures are held.

At the "round-about", where the five central streets meet and intersect, one finds the Mile-stone or mileage marker (the distances are denoted in German miles), placed at the starting point of Emperor Joseph's Road which connected Karlovac to the Adriatic and was constructed from 1770 to 1779.

The old fort Dubovac above the river Kupa stands at the site of a previous settlement lasting from the 3rd to 1st century BC. At the end of the 12th century the local district of Dubovac erected the round tower, while later, in the period from the 14th to the 16th century, the noble families Sudar, Frankopan and Zrinski along with some other gentry, built the Renaissance castle. The watch tower is nowadays a belvedere which also holds a City Museum exhibition.

Karlovac is a city of parks. The prominent monuments of the park architecture are Vrbanić Pleasure Gardens and Marmont's Tree Avenue. The Gardens were planted in 1896 as treasured public gardens. "Hotel Korana" was built on the premises in 1908, and since 2004 it has existed as "Korana-Srakovčić". In 1809 Marshal August Marmont of Napoleon's Army had the boulevard planted with plane-trees. The river Korana brushes against the historical nucleus and the loveliest parks with promenades or summer-time beaches. The wooden, pontoon and concrete arch bridges span the river. They are the scenes of romantic encounters and social contacts.

The fate of the Katzler Pavillion reflects the centennial history of Karlovac's most prominent florist family. The pavillion on Karlovac's top promenade was reconstructed in 2005 as a museum-gallery pavillion and a small studio.

Karlovac is also a city of cultural manifestations and popular folk festivals. The shrove-tide in February has been regularly mentioned since 1749. The Squire Fair Dubovac takes place in May, reviving the 16th century Dubovac fairs. Midsummer's Eve, on 23 June, has for centuries been the date of great Gaza and Banija bonfires, on the two opposite banks of the river Kupa. Ethno & Jazz Festival together with the International Folklore Festival celebrate and mark the town's birthday, on the Town's Day, 13 July, whereas the end of August is reserved for the traditional Karlovac Beer Festival.

For all information, please contact the Tourist Information Centre (TIC) at Turistička zajednica grada Karlovca (the Town of Karlovac Tourist Board), 3, Petar Zrinski Street. Phone number +385 (0) 47 600 606, fax number +385 (0)47 600 602, cell phone +385 (0) 91 600 6071, e-mail address or via web-page site of the Tourist Board. The TIC is open on work days from June to September from 8am to 3pm and from 5pm to 8pm, and during the rest of the year from 8am to 3 pm. The TIC will organize guided tours for groups.