Varaždin

Sister cities

• Zalaegerszeg
• Kumanovo
• Trnava
• Ptuj
• Ravensburg
• Pula
• Koblenz
• Bad Radkersburg
• Auxerre
• Montale

History

The first written reference to Varaždin, whose historical name is Garestin, was on 20 August 1181, when King Béla III mentioned the nearby thermal springs (Varaždinske Toplice) in a legal document. Varaždin was declared a free royal borough in 1209 by the Hungarian King Andrew II. The town became the economic and military centre of northern Croatia. Due to Ottoman raids, the town was structured defensively around the old fortress, and acquired the shape of a typical medieval Wasserburg. In the early 13th century, the Knights Hospitaller () came to Varaždin, where they built the church and a monastery. At the end of the 14th century, Varaždin fortress passed to the hands of the Counts of Celje. Over the following centuries Varaždin had several owners, the most influential being Beatrice Frankopan (1480–1510), wife of Margrave Georg of Brandenburg-Ansbach, who built the town hall; her successor was Baron Ivan Ungnad (1493–1564), who reinforced the existing fortification. At the end of the 16th century Count Thomas Erdődy became its owner, assuming the hereditary position of Varaždin prefects (župan), and the fortress remained in the ownership of the Erdődy family until 1925. The town was the seat of Slavonnian Military Border in late 16th century. ; Destructions by fires and fire fighting measures The 16th century is also the beginning of fires being recorded; starting with a fire in Varaždin in 1558, although no details are given. We know more about the great fire of 27 May 1582, that had such dire effects that the Varaždin population counted time as "prior" and "after the Great fire". The losses include the parish church, the Franciscan church and a friary (subsequently the Franciscans left Varaždin), the chapels of St. Vid, Michael and Holy Trinity, the homes of…

Geography

The total area is (2001). The urban city settlement is . The centre of Varaždin County is located near the Drava River, at . Varaždin has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) bordering on a maritime climate (Cfb). Since records began in 1949, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station at an elevation of was , on 8 August 2013. The coldest temperature was , on 16 February 1956.