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Welcome to Varaždin,
Croatia!
Once serving as
the Captial of Croatia, its sits on the right bank of the Drava river
in north-western Croatia, 79 km northeast of Zagreb; elevation 173 m;
population 42,952.
It serves as the economic and cultural centre of the Zagorje and Medimurje
regions. Chief occupations include farming, viticulture and livestock
breeding. Major manufactures are textiles (Varteks), artificial silk
production (umbrellas), leather processing (footwear factory), food
processing (fruit and vegetable canning, vegetable oil production),
wood and timber, metallurgy (foundry, fittings factory), printing industry
and tourism.
Travel to Varaždin
from Zagreb Airport
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Varazdin
has several cultural institutions: the City Archives (with the documentation
from the 13th to the 19th centuries), the Archives of the Cazma
Chapter, faculties. It hosts the festival called the Varazdin Baroque
Evenings (since 1971). Varazdin lies at the intersection of the
main roads Varazdin - Slovenian border - Ptuj - Maribor (M3), Varazdin
- Cakovec - Hungarian border - Nagykanizsa (M12), Varazdin - Koprivnica
- Osijek (M3) and junction of the railroads Varazdin - Zagreb, Varazdin
- Koprivnica, Varazdin - Cakovec - Hungarian border, i.e. Croatian-Slovenian
border.
Varazdin is one of the most important tourist centres of the entire
northern Croatia. The variety of cultural and historical offer in
the city and its surroundings, as well as the beautiful countryside
attract many visitors the whole year round. The urban heart of this
Central European Baroque town, which is often compared with Vienna,
is very well preserved. The old town fortification, the central
part of the town, numerous museums, galleries and collections as
well as the Varazdin cemetery, protected as a horticultural monument,
represent the main tourist attractions. The central museum object
of the Town Museum is situated in Stari Grad and distinguished by
many exhibits related to the history of the Varazdin region from
the pre-historic period up to the present day. The unique collection
of more than ten thousand stuffed insects, gathered by Franjo Koscec
Esq., accommodated in the Entomological Department in Herzer Palace,
deserves a special mention. |
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Numerous
cultural and entertainment events are also important. The most significant
are the Varazdin Baroque Evenings - one of the greatest musical
events in Croatia. Other important events are the International
Festival of Wind Orchestras, the Days of the Book (in October),
etc.
One of
the landmarks of the town is the Varazdin guard, the so-called "purgari",
dressed in their nice blue grenadier uniforms, who stand by the
Town Hall during significant ceremonies.
The Drava
river and Varazdin Lake represent a heaven for anglers, with pike-perch,
pike, carp, etc. being the main catch. The cuisine of Varazdin is
popular and renowned, and the "Varazdin klipici" (bakery
product) are the most represented and simplest speciality of the
town. Buckwheat porridge, turkey with "mlinci" (kind of
pasta), "strukli" (cottage cheese strudel), "zlevka"
(traditional folk cake), venison, and the exquisite Varazdin wine
and the Varazdin beer, "Knaput", can satisfy even the
most demanding taste.
Varazdin
County Tourist Association: Ul. Stanka Vraza 4; City Tourist Association:
Aleja kralja Zvornimira 1 |
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The
Croatian Accordion Teachers Association (CATA) thanks the Zagreb Bank
for their kind support of the 63rd Coupe Mondiale to be held in Varaždin
from 19th - 25th of October, 2010. www.zaba.hr