ZAGREB COUNTY TOURIST INFORMATION ... year round REPUBLIC of ZAGREB CROATIA COUNTY Dear Guests, Welcome to Zagreb’s green oasis – Zagreb County! In the 9 cities, 25 municipalities, and 699 settlements located around the city of Zagreb, one can discover not only the rich cultural and historical heritage, but many interesting stories dating back to the past, as well as the customs and traditions of this area. The county offers a wide range of cultural, entertainment, folklore, sports, recreational and other events throughout the year. This guide was conceived so as to introduce you to Zagreb County and guide you through its every corner. In doing so, we hope to spark your inter- est in the county and entice you to spend some quality time here. Close proximity, accessibility, so many things to see and do, relaxation, nature, homestyle cuisine, high quality wines and champagnes, a return to the village and the outdoors, excursion sites suitable for families with chil- dren, a new type of active vacation, outdoor adventures and a new dimension WELCOME! to your free time: Zagreb County is all this, and more. Zagreb County Tourist Board Preradovićeva 42, HR - 10000 Zagreb Tel. 4873 665 – Fax. 4873 670 E-mail: [email protected] www.tzzz.hr 1 CONTENTS: GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE COUNTY ● GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE COUNTY ............................ 3 ● COUNTY CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES ...................................... 9 ● CALENDAR OF CULTURE AND TOURISM EVENTS ...................... 13 ● ZAGREB COUNTRY CALENDAR OF SPORTS EVENTS .................. 20 ● ACCOMMODATION .................................................................... 23 ● EXCURSION AREAS, RURAL TOURISM ...................................... 28 ● MUSEUMS, GALLERIES, EXHIBITS, CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS ........................................................ 32 ● MAP OF ZAGREB COUNTY ......................................................... 37 ● SPORT AND RECREATION ......................................................... 40 SWIMMING POOLS ................................................................... 40 HEALTH RESORTS .................................................................... 40 PAINTBALL .............................................................................. 41 TENNIS CLUBS .......................................................................... 42 CYCLING CLUBS ........................................................................ 43 GOLF ........................................................................................ 44 PARAGLIDING .......................................................................... 44 EQUESTRIAN CLUBS ................................................................ 45 MOUNTAINEERING, MOUNTAIN LODGES .................................. 47 ORIENTEERING ........................................................................ 49 SPELEOLOGY ............................................................................. 50 ALPINISM, SPORTS CLIMBING ................................................. 50 SKIING, SLEDDING ................................................................... 50 ARCHERY .................................................................................. 51 HUNTING TOURISM ................................................................. 51 FISHING TOURISM .................................................................. 52 FRESHWATER FISH PONDS ..................................................... 57 ● WINE AND WINERIES OF ZAGREB COUTY, WINE ROADS ......... 58 ● HOSPITALITY FACILITIES ........................................................ 64 ● TRAVEL AGENCIES .................................................................... 78 ● TOURIST BOARDS AND TOUR GUIDE ASSOCIATIONS ............... 80 2 GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE COUNTY Area: 3,108 km² Population in Zagreb County (2001 census): 309,696 Population in cities with surrounding municipalities: Dugo Selo 14,300 Ivanić-Grad 14,723 Jastrebarsko 16,689 Samobor 36,206 Sveta Nedelja 15,506 Sveti Ivan Zelina 16,268 Velika Gorica 63,517 Vrbovec 14,658 Zaprešić 23,125 GENERAL INFORMATION City of Zagreb 779,145 Seat of Zagreb County: City of Zagreb, joint chambers of commerce and crafts Zagreb County, Ulica grada Vukovara 72/V, HR – 10000 Zagreb Tel. 6009 400 – Fax. 6154 008, www.zagrebacka zupanija.hr International country code for the Republic of Croatia and Zagreb County: + 385 1 Other information on calling codes for Croatian counties, cities and settle- ments can be found on the T-Com website:www.t-com.hr Location: Zagreb County is part of central Croatia and the greater Zagreb region. It borders with the City of Zagreb, the Republic of Slovenia and six Croatian counties: Karlovac, Krapina-Zagorje, Varaždin, Koprivnica-Križevci, Bjelovar-Bilogora and Sisak-Moslavina. Transportation connections: The accelerated development of the county began in the 19th century when Zagreb constructed railways and a modern highway towards the Adriatic Sea, and towards Central and Eastern Europe, becoming one of the most important crossroads of South-Eastern Europe. The county is represented by: ● all types of roadways, as well as the Bregana international highway bor- der crossing and Harmica interstate border crossing. Croatian Motorways: www.hac.hr and Croatian Roads: www.hrvatske-ceste.hr. Bus transporta- tion in Croatia and the county: www.akz.hr and www.zet.hr, www.samo- borcek.hr, www.mpz.hr; ● train connection between city and municipal centres (www.hznet.hr), in- ternational railroad border crossing Savski Marof - Dobova; ● international Zagreb Airport Pleso, Velika Gorica (www.zagreb-airport.hr) and several airports for sports crafts; ● radio taxi – connects all cities and tourist centres, Tel. 970; ● roadside assistance provided by the Croatian Automobile Club (www.hak.hr). 3 Natural characteristics: Lowlands – Sava, Krapina, Lonja and Odra Rivers; Lowlands of the marsh areas – fish ponds Vukšinac, Pisarovina and the lar- gest and most famous Crna mlaka (www.crna-mlaka.t-com.hr), a special ornithological reserve included on the list of Ramsar sites. Foothills – the slopes of Mt. Medvednica, Žumberačko and Samoborsko gorje, remote foot- hills of Vukomeričke gorice (255 m) and Marijagoričko foothills (312 m). Mo- untains - Medvednica (Sljeme 1033 m), Žumberačka gora (Sveta Gera 1178 m) and Samoborsko gorje (highest point is Japetić 879 m and the distinct Plešivica 778 m). Climate: moderate continental. Water: One of the very important natural resources of the county is water, especially a sufficient supply of quality drinking water. The two most famous waters are: Jamnica natural mineral water and Jana natural spring water. The Sava River is the largest river flowing through the county separating the county into two parts; it flows from west to east with a length of approximately sixty ki- lometres. It is a calm and wide river. Due to the small difference in altitude, it bypasses the more elevated areas, creating frequent sleeves and creating islands in between. When these sleeves lose contact with the main river course, marshlands result. To- day, these are present in large numbers of municipalities along the Sava River. Due to a range of floodplains and backwaters, as well as gravel excavations, there are approximately thirty manmade lakes in the county: the largest is Čiče (3.5 hectares), followed by Zajarki, Orešje, Rakitje, Str- mec, Kerestinec, Abesinija and Siromaja with developed sports fishing. The largest flood in history was in October 1964; the new Sava bank, as well as the Sava - Odra – Sava channel, was constructed as a result of this. Other important rivers in the county are: Kupa, Kupčina and Odra in the south, as well as Sutla, Krapina and Lonja in the north. Protected nature: Medvednica Nature Park (protected since 1981, www. pp-medvednica.hr) and Žumberak - Samoborsko gorje Nature Park (protec- ted since 1999, www.pp-zumberak-samoborsko-gorje.hr). The area of Tu- ropoljski lug, with a surface of 3348 hectares, was proclaimed a protected area on 12 May 2003 due to its diverse plant and animal species, as well as large oak forests. It is important to point out that there are special botani- cal, ornithological, zoological reserves and forest vegetation reserves in the county, as well as areas with special protected landscapes. There are also seven monuments of park architecture, mainly the grounds of castles and curia, as well as several well known forest parks. 4 Economy: The most significant economic activities include: trade, industrial operations, agriculture, small and medium size business, crafts and old trades, as well as tourism and catering. Around three quarters of county revenues are generated by private small and medium size entrepreneurs. The most numerous are entrepreneurs in trade and services, followed by the processing industry. In practice, entrepreneurship, tourism and the municipal economy have proven to be the backbone of social and economic prosperity in Zagreb County. Agriculture: Agricultural activities include farming and swine production, cattle breeding, viticulture, fruit and vegetable growing, as well as fishing. Rural locations, based on their size and activities, are the greatest social and natural treasure of the county (56% are agricultural areas, while 35% of the total area is forested). The average size of family farms GENERAL INFORMATION in the county is approximately 3.35 hectares. The county is second in Croatia in terms of value of agricultural production, acco- unting for 10% of total