Varaždin County (Croatian: Varaždinska županija) is a county in northern Croatia. It is named after its county seat, the city of Varaždin.
The county is structured into the city of Varaždin, the towns of Ivanec, Ludbreg, Lepoglava, Novi Marof and Varaždinske Toplice, as well as 22 more municipalities. It covers an area of 1.262 km2 and has a population of 159.487 (2023).
Varaždin County borders Slovenia to the northwest, Međimurje County to the north, Krapina-Zagorje County to the southwest, Zagreb County to the south, and Koprivnica-Križevci County to the southeast, with a small portion of the latter separating it from Hungary. The Drava flows along the northern border of the county. There are three reservoirs on the river – Lake Ormož, Lake Varaždin and Lake Dubrava. All of them are partially located within the county. Another river flowing through the county is the Bednja, which merges with the Drava within the county. There are also the mountains of Ivanščica (also known as Ivančica) and Kalnik.
The economy of Varaždin County is focused on the manufacturing industry, particularly on the branches of milk products processing, beverage production, meat packing industry, clothing and textiles industry, metal manufacturing industry, leather footwear industry and manufacturing of high-quality wood furniture and other lumber products.
The city of Varaždin is considered a must see destination for international tourists. It is considered “Little Vienna” due to its Austro-Hungarian architectural heritage. The most important annual cultural events are the Špancirfest, a street festival of good emotions in summer and the classical music festival “Varaždin Baroque Evenings” which celebrates music, baroque architectural inheritance and authentic instruments in autumn.
(Sources: Wikipedia, www.varazdin.hr)