Varaždin

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Varaždin
Varasd
Flag of Varaždin
Flag		 Coat of arms of Varaždin
Coat of arms
Motto: Probitati et bonis artibus
Varaždin (Croatia)
Varaždin
Varaždin
Location of Varaždin within Croatia
Coordinates: 46°18′N 16°20′E / 46.3, 16.333
Country Croatia
County Varaždin County
Government
 - Mayor Ivan Čehok, HSLS
Elevation 173 m (568 ft)
Population (2001)
 - Total 49.075
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 42 000
Area code(s) 042
Website: varazdin.hr
The City Hall
The City Hall

Varaždin (German: Warasdin, Hungarian: Varasd, Latin: Varasdinum) is a city in northwestern Croatia, 81 km north of Zagreb on the highway A4. With a population of 49,075 (2001), the centre of Varaždin county is located near the Drava river, at 46.312° N 16.361° E. It's mainly known for its baroque buildings, textile, food and IT industry.

Contents

[edit] History

Varaždin's Croatian National Theater
Varaždin's Croatian National Theater

The first written reference to Varaždin was in 1181, when King Béla III mentioned the nearby thermal springs (Varaždinske Toplice) in a legal document.

Varaždin was declared a free royal borough in 1209 by the Hungarian-Croatian King Andrew II. The town became the economic and military centre of northern Croatia. Due to Turkish raids, the town was structured defensively around the old fortress, and acquired the shape of a typical medieval Wasserburg. In the early 13th century, the Knights Hospitaller (Croatian: Ivanovci) came to Varaždin, where they built the church and a monastery.

At the end of the 14th century the Varaždin fortress passed into the hands of the Counts of Celje. Over the following centuries Varaždin had several owners, the most influential being Beatrice Frankopan, Margrave Georg of Brandenburg, who built the town hall; the last was Baron Ivan Ungnad, who reinforced the existing fortification. At the end of the 16th century Count Toma Bakač Erdödy became its owner, assuming the hereditary position of Varaždin prefects (župan), and the fortress remained in the ownership of the Erdödy family until 1925.

In 1756, the Ban Franjo Nadasdy chose Varaždin as his official residence, and Varaždin became the capital of all of Croatia. It hosted the Croatian Sabor and the Royal Croatian Council founded by Empress Maria Theresa.

The periods of the reformation and the counter-reformation had a great influence on Varaždin. With the arrival of the Jesuits, the school (gymnasium) and the convent were founded, and churches and monasteries were built in the baroque style. In the 18th century Varaždin was the seat of many Croatian noblemen, and in 1756 it became the Croatian administrative centre. The fire of 1776 destroyed most of the town, resulting in the administrative institutions moving back to Zagreb.

By the 19th century Varaždin had been completely rebuilt and expanded, with flourishing crafts and trade, and later the manufacture of silk and bricks. The theatre, music school, and fire department were founded.

In the 20th century Varaždin developed into the industrial centre of Northwestern Croatia. The textile manufacturer Tivar was founded in 1918. In the Croatian War of Independence, 1991, Varaždin suffered directly for only for a few days, because the huge Yugoslav People's Army base quickly surrendered, resulting in a minimal number of casualties, and providing weapons (worth $600m) for the Croatian army.

[edit] Heritage

The Old Town
The Old Town

Varaždin, with its unique monuments and artistic heritage, represents the best preserved and richest urban complex in continental Croatia.

The Old City (fortress) is a beautiful example of medieval defensive buildings. Construction began in the 14th century, and in the following century the rounded towers, typical of Gothic architecture in Croatia, were added. Today it houses the Town Museum.

The Old and Contemporary Masters Gallery is located in the Sermage Palace, built in the rococo style in 1750.

In 1523, Margrave Georg of Brandenburg built the town hall in late baroque style, with the Varaždin coat of arms at the foot of the tower, and it has continued in its function until the present day. There is a guard-changing ceremony every Saturday.

Varaždin's Cathedral
Varaždin's Cathedral

Varaždin's Cathedral, a former Jesuit church, was built in 1647, and is distinguished by its baroque entrance, eighteenth-century altar, and paintings.

There are many baroque and rococo palaces and houses in the town. Worth particular mention is Varaždin's Croatian National Theatre, built in 1873 and designed by the famous Viennese architects Herman Helmer and Ferdinand Fellner.

A baroque-music festival has been held annually in Varaždin since 1971 (Baroque Evenings), and attracts some of the finest musicians and their fans from Croatia and the world. Recommended to visitors is also the historical street festival Špancir fest every September.

[edit] Varaždin city guard

The city features its old city guard, named Purgari, in various city ceremonies as well as the weekly ceremony of the 'change of the guards' in front of the city hall.

[edit] Economy

Varaždin is one of the few Croatian cities whose industry did not directly suffer from the war in 1991. Besides textile giant Varteks, it also has nationally important food (Vindija), metal, and construction industries. The financial and banking sector is also well developed. Further economic development has been encouraged with the creation of a free investment zone.

[edit] Transportation

Railway station
Railway station

The city of Varaždin is easily accessible by major roads from all sides. The road infrastructure is good and includes a new north-south expressway connecting the Hungary border-crossing point in Goričan with Zagreb, as well as the coast of the Adriatic Sea. In addition to the expressway, there is also an east-west highway connecting the city to the Slovenian border, and Koprivnica, Osijek and the east part of Croatia. The city is connected to the suburbs and villages surrounding it with a public transportation system of buses. The city also has a train and bus station, which are both located about a 10 minute walk from the center. The trains are mainly used for cargo, due to the lack of investment in the country's train infrastructure. Varaždin's Bus service is of high quality and use, it offers regular service to many local, domestic and international routes, as well as many additional seasonal routes to the Adriatic Sea. There is also taxi service available on-call which is situated by the bus station. In the outskirts of the city there is also a small recreational airport, used mainly for sightseeing and farming purposes.

[edit] Varaždin Today

Today Varaždin is a very popular destination for the summer holidays. In the summer time, actions are taken to attract the hundreds of thousands of tourists that come to Varaždin and its surroundings for the holidays. The city has numerous areas of interests ranging from cultural areas (reflected by many museums, galleries and theaters in the area), shopping centers in the downtown core, various sports and recreation facilities, also the cuisine in the area has a rich history. The close of the Varaždin Touristic Season is brought down by the annual Špancir Festival which begins at the end of August and ends in September (lasts for 10 days). In the winter time the city offers far less activities and happenings as a reflection of the beginning of the school year.

[edit] Sister cities

[edit] Sport

[edit] Education

Varaždin has a rich and developed system of education, especially for a city of its size. It has seven elementary schools, 10 high schools (2 public gymnasiums, 2 private gymnasiums, trade schools, and other specialized high schools for various paths), 4 higher schools (equivalent to college) and 2 faculties (Faculty of Organization and Information Technology and Geotechnical faculty) that are part of University in Zagreb.

[edit] Notable people

This list contains some of the notable people who were either born in Varaždin, lived in the city for a longer time or were in some significant way related to it.

[edit] External links

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Cities and major settlements of Croatia

Over 500,000 residents: Zagreb
Over 100,000 residents: Rijeka Split Osijek
Over 50,000 residents: Karlovac Pula Slavonski Brod Velika Gorica Zadar
Over 25,000 residents: Bjelovar Dubrovnik Koprivnica Sisak Šibenik Varaždin Vinkovci Vukovar

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Municipalities of Varaždin County
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