Krapina-Zagorje County
Krapina Zagorje County is located in the continental part of the Republic of Croatia, in its northwestern part and belongs to the area of central Croatia. It is a separate geographical unit that stretches from the peaks of mountains Macelj and Ivančica in the north where it borders with Varaždin County and the Republic of Slovenia to mountain Medvednica in the southeast where it borders with the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County. The western border, also the state border with the Republic of Slovenia, is the Sutla River, and the eastern border is the watershed of the Krapina and Lonja river basins, where it borders with the Zagreb and Varaždin County. The area of the county is 1,229 km2 and according to the 2021 Census it has 101.221inhabitants.
Here you will find everything a true fairy tale must have – forests, castles and manors, museums, thermal springs, churches, trails, vineyards and wine routes, delicious food, nice people, stories, legends and „popevke“ (traditional songs). Therefore, the county’s slogan is Zagorje – A fairy tale at hand!
The most important natural resources of the County are thermal springs and sources of drinking water. Thermal springs are used for therapeutic and tourist-recreational purposes, and modern bathing resorts with top hotels and gastronomic offer make Zagorje the Croatian Continental Riviera. In addition to the modern gastronomic offer, Zagorje also offers a handful of selected specialties, especially “Zagorje turkey with mlinci“ and Zagorje „štruklji“, also protected by the European geographical indication.
Given the millennial history and continuity of life, the Krapina Zagorje County is rich in cultural heritage. The Krapina Neanderthal Museum is known as one of the most modern museums in the world. Rich in the latest technological advances with numerous visual sensations, it brings a fascinating world of Neanderthals.
The tourist offer is complemented by religious heritage. The shrine in Marija Bistrica is the most famous Croatian shrine and annually attracts more than 800,000 pilgrims from all over the world. From this area, on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage, there are also recognizable symbols of Marija Bistrica and unavoidable souvenirs – wooden traditional toys and gingerbread hearts.
Today, Krapina Zagorje County bases its competitiveness and attractiveness for life and economic development on further introduction of new technological solutions, encouraging innovation and creativity, introducing smart solutions to improve the competitiveness of the economy and improve the quality of services for the population.