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Bjelovar and Bilogora County

The Bjelovar and Bilogora county is a low-lying area with none of the hills measuring over 500 meters above sea level. In the past the area was known as becoming the venue of many battles, against Mongolians, Tartars and Turks. In the Vojna krajina era there happened many clashes between the local military and commanders and after the military uprising of 1755, the ruler Maria Therese decided for strategic reasons to start developing the city of Bjelovar, the centre of today's county. The city developed alongside the defence against the Turks. Following calls made out by the military authorities, craftsmen from Austria and the Czech Republic arrived organising fairs and their associations. Bjelovar was made a free royal city, as one of the youngest cities in 1874.

The town of Daruvar is well known for its spas, that were used since the Roman era, this supported by the archaeological findings and its ancient name of Aquae Balissae. With the arrival of the Croats at the end of the 6th century, the Probatica settlement was founded, later renamed to Podborje. Daruvar was given its current name in 1765 after the title and the castle of nobleman Antun Jankovic, responsible for the fast economic development of the town.