Bjelovar

Sister cities

• Pakrac
• Imotski
• Novalja
• Tapolca
• Visoko

History

The oldest Neolithic location in this area is in Ždralovi, a suburb of Bjelovar, where, while building a basement for the house of Josip Horvatić, a dugout was found and identified as belonging to the Starčevo culture (5000 – 4300 BC). Finds from Ždralovi belong to a regional subtype of a late variant of the Neolithic culture. It is designated the Ždralovi facies of the Starčevo culture, or the final-stage Starčevo. There are also relics of the Korenovo culture, Sopot culture, Lasinja culture, and Vučedol culture, as well as the Bronze and Iron Age cultures, which are found in the wider Bjelovar area. The more intensive development of the area began with the arrival of the Romans, who first came to the area between the Sava and Drava rivers in 229 BC. The intersection of two Roman roads was located exactly at the place where present-day Bjelovar developed, and in its immediate vicinity was a presumed military camp or station. With the stabilization of the northern border of the Roman Empire, a collection of settlements probably developed here in the period from the second to fourth centuries, unrecorded on Roman itineraries but attested by archaeological remains in today's Matošev Square, Stjepan Radić Square, and findings in the wider city area, such as a Roman rural settlement in the forest and area of Lug. By the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th century, many noble and church estates were located within the circle of modern Bjelovar, examples being the settlement Jakobove Sredice, the fort of Gudovačka Gradina, and church parishes in modern-day Veliko Korenovo, Međurača, and Nova Rača. With the Turkish invasions in the 16th century, the modern-day Bjelovar region became a border area and a humanly and materially devastated region that constantly…

Geography

Bjelovar sits on a plateau in the southern part of the Bilogora, a long, low elevation range with an average height of 150–200 m (highest point: Rajčevica, 309 m). The geology of the area consists of Pliocene sandy marl and sandstones with lesser layers of lignite. Older rocks do not appear on the surface in this area. Deeper down, crystalline rocks can be found. The city stands 135 meters above sea level. It is the capital of the Bjelovar-Bilogora county, and the natural, cultural, and political centre of the area. Bjelovar sits at an intersection of roads in this area: the D28 intersects with the D43, and it lies on the road between Zagreb and west Slavonia, Podravina, and Osijek. Bjelovar is currently being connected by dual carriageway with Zagreb. The city of Bjelovar has an area of and administratively includes 31 other settlements.