Bjelovar Travel Guide

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Bjelovar (Hungarian: Belovár ) is a city in central Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Bjelovar-Bilogora County. During the 2001 census, there were 41,869 inhabitants, 90.51% which are Croats . Bjelovar is one of the younger towns of Central Croatia, as it was first mentioned in 1413 and only gained importance when a new fort was built there in 1756. It was built on demand by empress Maria Theresa of Habsburgs. The initial role of the city was to defend central Croatia against the Ottoman invasions.
The town had to wait until the end of the wars to be pronounced a free royal town by ban Ivan Mažuranić in 1874. Oldest Neolithic location of this area can be found in the suburban part of Bjelovar, named Ždralovi, where, while building a basement for the house of Josip Horvatić, a dugout was found and identified as part of the Starčevo culture (generally 5000 – 4300 b. C.) Findings from Ždralovi belong to a regional subtype of the final variant in the long process of development of that Neolithic culture. It is designated as Ždralovi facies of the Starčevo culture or the Starčevo - Final stages. There are also finding of Korenovo culture, Sopot culture, Lasinja culture and Vučedol culture. The city of Bjelovar is situated on a plateau in the south part of Bilogora (north-west Croatia) at an altitude of 135 metres above sea level. Bjelovar is the capital of the Bjelovar-Bilogora county, but also the natural, cultural and political centre of this area. Bjelovar is home to an intersection of roads in this area; road D28 intersects with D43, and it lies on the road between Zagreb and west Slavonia, Podravina and Osijek. Also, Bjelovar is currently being connected by dual carriageway with Zagreb. That road is under construction.
The city of Bjelovar has an area of 191,9 km², and administratively it includes 31 other colonies.
North-east from Bjelovar there is a long and low elevation called Bilogora with an average height of 150–200 m (highest point is Rajčevica, 309 m).
The geology of the area consists of pliocene sandy marl and sandstones with possible less layers of lignite. Older rocks nowhere appear on surface in this area. In deep boreholes are discovered crystalline rocks.
Bjelovar has a temperate continental climate. Winters are moderatly cold, summers are warm. Precipitation about 900 mm per year is usual.
The characteristic wind during winter is northern, with eastern becoming stronger in spring and it may be quite cold. Usually it blows for a few days one after other. In summer the southern wind appears, it is warm and it heightens air humidity.
The mean yearly temperature in Bjelovar is about 12 °C (54 °F). Bjelovar is home to three memorial areas to soldiers. Memorial Area Barutana is dedicated to those who died defending the city on September 29, 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence; Memorial Area Lug is dedicated to Ustashi soldiers killed by Partisans in 1945 and Memorial Area Borik is dedicated to Partisans killed during the Second World War.
Bjelovar hosts the yearly theatre festival „BOK“ (Bjelovarski odjeci kazališta or Bjelovar Echoes of Theatre). The festival was founded and run by Bjelovar actor Goran Navojec and it gathers the selection of best plays performed in Croatia during previous year. In the 1970s, Bjelovar was known as the team handball capital of Europe, when its local squad RK Bjelovar (under the name Partizan) ruled Croatian, Yugoslav and European handball, with its team coming solely from Bjelovar and neighbourhood.