The fortress was constructed after the Mongol invasion of 1242 when the city of Zagreb was destroyed and burned to the ground. It was built by Philippe (de genere Türje), bishop of Zagreb, between 1249 and 1254; later it was owned by bans of Sclavonia. After an earthquake in 1590, the fortress was heavily damaged and abandoned. It remained in ruins until recently when it was partly restored and now offers a panoramic view of the city from an altitude of over . Notable Croatian and Hungarian poet and ban of Slavonia Janus Pannonius (Ivan Česmički) died in the Medvedgrad castle on March 27, 1472.