www.hr - Croatian homepage since 1994.

Virovitica and Podravina County

The Virovitica and Podravina county is one of the oldest Slavonia counties (mentioned as early as the 13th century) and stretches along the low-lying Drava region and the northern slopes of the Slavonian hills. Virovitica, the county centre, is situated in the central section of Podravina, at the foot of Bilogora. It had been mentioned under different names (Verevce or Verevca), while in the 1234 charter awarded to it by ruler Koloman (the brother of Bela IV) it was given the status of a free merchant city near Wereuch. After it had been ruled by the Turks for 1 century ( until 1684), the Virovitica county had been restored in 1745, while its centre had been transferred to Osijek. Virovitica had had railway links with Budapest since 1874 and since 1912 with Zagreb, Bjelovar and Osijek.

The first primary school was opened in 1774, secondary school in 1919, and a year later the trade academy had been founded. The Virovitica theatre had played an important role in the town's cultural development, while musical culture has been nurtured for more than a century by the Rodoljub quire.

The baroque church of sv. Rok ad the Pejacevic castle surrounded by a protected natural park dominate the city. Also the remnants of the medieval city of Ruzica (a 0 category cultural monument) and the sv.Nikola monastery complex are important examples of Croatian cultural heritage. Slatina represents another important town in the area. It had been founded along a Roman road that connected Poetoviu (PTUJ) and Mursa (Osijek). Also in the area stands the Blazena djevica Marija church in Vocin (blown up in 1991), a unique example of Ladislavian gothic buildings in the area. A mountaineers' resort Jankovac is situated near Orahovica. The resort is situated among woodland and Jankovac lakes.