Križevci

Sister cities

• Nagyatád

History

The first mention of "Upper Križevac" was in 1193 by Béla III, when it was given the status of a Royal Borough in 1252 by the ban (count) Stephan, and which was confirmed by King Béla IV a year later. "Lower Križevac" developed somewhat slower than its twin town: it became a free royal city in 1405, thanks to king Sigismund. Bloody Sabor of Križevci () refers to the assassination of the Croatian ban Stjepan Lacković and his followers at the orders of king Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, on 27 February 1397. Križevac is the birthplace of the Catholic priest and martyr Saint Marko of Križevac, who died at the hands of Calvinists in Košice in 1619, and was subsequently canonized because of his martyrdom. His feast day is celebrated on September 7. After centuries of separation, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria united Lower and Upper Križevac into "Križevci" in 1752 (the word Križevci is plural of Križevac). The town was attacked during the wars with the Turks, but regained its prominence in 1871 when the newly built railway passed through it connecting Budapest and Rijeka. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Križevci was the district capital of the Bjelovar-Križevci County in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. These days, while the city has become a hub of entrepreneurship, it still enjoys many of the most valuable and ancient monuments in the county (both in the town itself and the wider region). Križevci has nine churches (seven Roman Catholic, one Greek Catholic and one Serbian Orthodox), some of them dating back to the Middle Ages. In the oldest Gothic [http://international.krizevci.info/en_GB/kri%C5%BEevci/sights/church+of+the+holy+cross Church of Holy Cross in Križevci], there are important Baroque frescoes and a marble altar dating from the 18th…

Geography

Križevci is a town in the Koprivnica-Križevci County. Because of its close proximity to Zagreb (57 km), Križevci is becoming a "satellite suburb" of the national capital. It enjoys a central position in the region due to its close proximity to all the regional centers: Koprivnica (31 km), Bjelovar (33 km) and Varaždin (48 km). The town's importance has always depended on its status as a crossroads. It was known in antiquity and in the Middle Ages because of its location along one of the main caravan routes; in fact, there was a famous "King's Coloman Road" that passed through Križevci, connecting Pannonia and Dalmatia. In the more recent times it became a major transport hub: roads connecting Posavina and the region around Kalnik and Podravina were all already built in the 18th century; the railroad between Hungary and Zagreb, that goes through Koprivnica and Križevci (1870.), and to Bjelovar (1894). Today, the town remains an important center connecting Bjelovar and Koprivnica, and other major regional centers. Križevci is 140 m above sea-level, where the southern part of Kalnik begins. Topographically, it lies on Pleistocene foundations, between swamped alluvial valleys of the brook Vrtlin from the east and the brook Koruska from the west. Relief, geological-petrografical structure, convenient climate and abundance of water, all contribute to the economic and demographic development of the town. The city has been affected by major demographic and economic regional changes, most notably due to increased industrialization and the consequent decline in agricultural production, and rural communities, with the population move to Križevci. Since records began in 1961, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station at an elevation of…