Koprivnica

Sister cities

• Nikšić
• Kaposvár

History

Koprivnica has a history similar to that of nearby Varaždin: it was first mentioned in 1272 in a document by prince László IV and declared a free royal town by king Lajos I in 1356, and flourished as a trading place and a military fortress since that time. In the 14th century, the town settlement further developed due to increased trade under the influence of Varaždin. During the construction of Renaissance fortification in the second half of the 16th century Koprivnica was the centre of the Slavonian military border. Koprivnica counted among its troops musketeers, German soldiers, hussars and infantry. At that time the Renaissance square emerged together with the Town hall which emphasized its Renaissance identity, so Koprivnica can today be legitimately considered a renaissance town. The military aspect set it back somewhat when it was included in the Military Frontier in the 16th century during the wars with the Ottoman Turks, but after Maria Theresia's decree of 1765 it resumed life as a peaceful little merchant town which it was in reality. Its position on the border of Habsburg monarchy and Ottoman Empire influenced the environment, economic, social and demographic changes, as well as everyday life. Koprivnica can therefore be considered a border town. In the second half of the 17th century Koprivnica was among the most developed royal towns in the Croatian-Slavonian Kingdom and its economic growth was initially based on strong trade activity. The fact that the three most significant churches (St. Nicholas, St. Anthony of Padua with the Franciscan monastery and church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary in Mocile further illustrates the economic power of the town in the 17th century. Economic activity was moved outside the town fortifications and this resulted in…

Geography

Koprivnica (German: Kopreinitz, Hungarian: Kapronca) is situated at a strategic location – on the slopes of Bilogora and Kalnik to the south and river Drava to the north. Its position enabled it to develop numerous amenities for the wider area such as trade, crafts and administration, and in the 13th century Koprivnica became a town settlement. Koprivnica was named after the stream of the same name, which was first mentioned at the beginning of the 13th century during the Hungarian Kingdom. Since records began in 1949, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station was , on 24 August 2012. The coldest temperature was , on 16 February 1956.