Križevci
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 Coat of arms |
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| Latitude | 46° 02’ |
| Longitude | 16° 32’ |
| Mayor | Branko Hrg (HSS) |
| Surface (km²) | 263,72 km² |
| Population (2001) |
22,324 |
| Time zone (UTC) | UTC+1 Central European Time |
Križevci (German: Kreutz, Hungarian: Kőrös, Latin: Crisium) is a town in central Croatia with a population of 22,324 (2001), the oldest town in its county, the Koprivnica-Križevci county.
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[edit] History
The first mention of the so-called Upper Križevac was from 1193 by Bela III, obtaining the status of Royal Borough in 1252 by the ban Stephan which was confirmed by King Bela IV a year later. The so-called Lower Križevac developed somewhat slower than its twin town: it became a free royal town in 1405, thanks to king Sigismund.
Križevac was the birthplace of a Catholic priest Marko who died at the hand of Calvinists in Košice in 1619, and was subsequently canonized because of his martyrdom. This event is commemorated every September 7th in Križevci.
After centuries of division, empress Maria Theresa of Austria united the Lower and Upper Križevac into Križevci in 1752 (the word Križevci is plural of Križevac). The town was also hit by the wars with the Turks, but it regained importance in 1871 when the railway was built through it on the way from Budapest to Rijeka.
These days the town is pretty much oriented towards mass entrepreneurship, but it still enjoys the greatest number of valuable and oldest monuments in the county (both in the town and its surroundings).
Križevci has eight beautiful cathedrals, built mostly in the Middle Ages. In the oldest Gothic church of St. Cross, there are important Baroque pictures and a marble altar dating from 18th century (by Francesco Robba). Also interesting is the parish church of St. Anne from 17th century.
Of particular note is the Greek Catholic cathedral, the seat of the Eparchy of Križevci since 1789. The cathedral building was worked on by some of Zagreb's finest architects: its facade was rebuilt by Bartol Felbinger in 1817 while an internal reconstruction was performed in the Gothic revival style by Hermann Bolle in 1892-97. The iconostasis and the pictures on the walls are works of famous Croatian painters including Ivan Tišov, Celestin Medović and Bela Čikoš-Sesija.
The city museum exhibits a rich archeological, ethnographic and cultural-historical collection.
The main town manifestation is called Križevačko veliko spravišće, commemorated yearly, when the local cultural traditions are displayed during a fiesta that lasts throughout the first full weekend of July. According to legend, this feast originates from a 14th century feast of reconciliation between the previously hostile communities of merchants from the towns of Križevac and the nobility from the nearby Kalnik hillside.
[edit] Geography
Križevci is a city in Koprivničko-križevačka županija. Because of its nearness to Zagreb (57 km), Križevci is developing like a satellite city. It has a good position because it's close to all regional centers: Koprivnica (31 km), Bjelovar (33 km) and Varaždin (48 km). Very important fact for establishing the city was his macro traffical position. This place was konwn already in antics and Middle Ages because that was where the main caravan roads crossed, and there was a famous king's Coloman road that was going through Križevci. That road was connecting Pannonia and Dalmatia. In our closer past, many roads and other types of traffic connections were built: Many macadamic roads that connects Posavina, region around Kalnik and Podravina (there were all already finished in 18th century), the railroad from Hungary to Zagreb, that goes through Koprivnica and Križevci(1870.), and to Bjelovar(1894). Today, city is still important because it connects Bjelovar and Koprivnica, big regional centers, and because it's the place where many regional roads starts from direction of Bjelovar, Sudovec, valley of the river Bednja, zelinsko prigorje over Čanjevo and from Rasinja over Apatovec. Križevci lies on 140 m above the level of the sea, where the southern part of Kalnik begins.
Topografficaly, it lies on pleistocene surface, between swamped aluvial 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 these were elements of economical and demographic development of the city. Modern demographic-economical transformation has changed relations in space and structure of population, and it's seenable through processes of deagrarization, industrialization and deruralization. This effected with abandonning agricultural production, abandonning villages and moving to Križevci. Today, mayor of Križevci is opening new business and industrial zones in hope that this will make Križevci stronger and more competitive to other big cities in region.
[edit] Demographics
According to the 2001 census, there are 22,324 inhabitants in the area, Croats forming an absolute majority at 95.37%.
[edit] External links
| edit | Municipalities of Koprivnica-Križevci County |  |
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Koprivnica |
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