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Klostar Podravski is the municipal center, and in addition to the settlement of Klostar Podravski, the settlements of Budancevica, Prugovac and Kozarevac also belong to the same municipality.
The municipality is part of Koprivnica-Krizevci County.
The area of the municipality is 51.47 km².
According to the last census 2021, all settlements had a total of 2766 inhabitants.
Due to the poor demographic policy of recent decades in Croatia, as well as the emigration of young families to other countries, the municipality of Kloštar Podravski in all its settlements recorded a significant decline in population compared to the 2001 census.
The settlement of Klostar Podravski is located in the fertile Pannonian Plain, in the middle of Podravina.
To the north, after a few kilometers, passes the river Drava, which is also the border with Hungary.
Between the Drava and Klostar there is a famous natural sand phenomenon Podravski Pesci or the so-called Podravska Sahara.
On the south side you can see the slopes of Bilogora, a mountain a few kilometers away.
The Podravska highway passes through the center of Klostar Podravski, which connects Klostar to the west with Durdevac and Koprivnica and continues along the river Drava towards Varazdin and Cakovec. After Durdevac, the road heads south towards Bjelovar and further towards Zagreb. On the east side, the Podravska highway connects Klostar Podravski with Pitomaca and Virovitica and continues, along the Drava river, towards Osijek.
By secondary roads, Klostar Podravski is connected with the settlements of Prugovac (via the settlement of Budancevica) and with the settlements of Podravske Sesvete in the north and south with the settlements of Dinjevac and Kozarevac. Nearby is the village of Kalinovac, which touches the Podravina highway between Klostar Podravski and Durdevac. On the opposite side, before Pitomaca, is the settlement of Kladare.
Klostar Podravski is located on the three borders, equally distant from the county centers of Koprivnica, Virovitica and Bjelovar.
It is connected to the same cities by railway and is an important railway hub in that part of Croatia.
According to the last census, the settlement of Klostar Podravski had 1289 inhabitants.
Until recently, most of the population was engaged in agriculture. But due to the poor national agricultural policy of past decades and the import lobby, fewer and fewer small family farms have survived, despite the fertile land. Most families have left some soil to cultivate for family use or small-scale cultivation of vegetable crops that pays more than, as before, corn and grain. Part of the farmers grow tobacco, while part has turned to greenhouse production of vegetables or flowers.
The same thing happened with cattle breeding. In the past, many families could survive on a few cows and pigs, and some poultry, while today only larger herds on farms pay off due to the low purchase price of milk and meat.
Due to unprofitability, agricultural land was sold or leased to larger farmers who managed to survive on credit indebtedness and large investments.
Residents turned to entrepreneurship, employment in larger companies in the area or going to work abroad.
After Croatia's accession to the European Union, the municipality of Klostar Podravski began to develop with the help of EU funds. A roundabout has been built in the center of Klostar Podravski, and the surrounding roads and infrastructure are being renovated and upgraded.
A new primary school has been built, kindergartens are being arranged and built, all with the aim of keeping young families from moving to larger cities or abroad.
Numerous civil society associations operate in the area of the Klostar Podravski municipality.
The Klostar Podravski Voluntary Fire Brigade, which was founded before the end of the 19th century, is worth mentioning. Both DVD Prugovac and DVD Kozarevac have a long tradition.
There are 3 football clubs with accompanying football fields (in Klostar Podravski, Prugovac and Kozarevac).
There are also two parishes in the municipality: Klostar Podravski (which includes Budancevica and Prugovac, with its sacral buildings) and the parish of Kozarevac, which belong to the Diocese of Varazdin.
SETTLEMENT BUDANCEVICA
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The settlement of Budancevica is located along the Podravska highway and continues to the western part of Klostar Podravski.
A side road in the center of Budancevica leads to the settlement of Prugovac.
In the southern part of Budancevica there is a railway, which in the direction of Koprivnica-Virovitica follows the Podravina highway. Here, the railway separates towards Bjelovar, making that part an important hub.
Although the railway station is located in Budancevica, the station has a name Kloštar Podravski, as the municipal center.
According to the last census 2021, Budancevica had 399 inhabitants.
The population is engaged in agriculture, small business, and is employed in the surrounding companies.
After the railway, next to the Budancevica-Prugovac road, a small business zone was created.
Recently, a children's park was arranged as part of a kindergarten located along the Podravska highway.
SETTLEMENT PRUGOVAC
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The settlement of Prugovac is located on the edge of the slopes of Bilogora.
It is connected by road with a local road to Budancevica, where it connects with the Podravina highway. To the south, the road continues crossing Bilogora all the way to Bjelovar. The first settlement to Prugovac towards the Bjelovar side is Suha Katalena.
Recently, the cross road to Kozarevac was asphalted, which significantly shortened the journey to that part of the municipality.
The surrounding part of Prugovac is ideal, due to the sandy soil, for viticulture. Due to the installed infrastructure towards Suha Katalena, numerous vineyards and cellars have sprung up along the road.
In addition to viticulture, the population is engaged in agriculture and due to the quality of the soil, numerous greenhouses have sprung up in which vegetables are mostly grown. Part of the population is engaged in fruit growing. There are also several small businesses.
Due to the surrounding forest areas, there is also an active hunting association which, in addition to planned hunting, also deals with feeding and caring for numerous game.
The winegrowing association is also active, as are other associations dealing with the preservation of traditional heritage.
The Voluntary Fire Brigade Prugovac also has a long tradition, as do other fire brigades in the municipality.
There is a regional school in Prugovac, and after the 4th grade students continue their primary education in the primary school in Klostar Podravski.
According to the last census 2021, Prugovac had 586 inhabitants.
SETTLEMENT KOZAREVAC
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The settlement of Kozarevac is connected by a local road with the Podravina highway with which it connects in the center of Klostar Podravski. At the opposite end, this road can be used to reach Bjelovar through the slopes of Bilogora.
Kozarevac is cut into the edge of the slopes of Bilogora.
Like other sub-Bilogora settlements, the area is rich in viticulture. One of the famous family wine-growing destinations is located on Veseli Brijeg, before Kozarevac, next to the road to Klostar Podravski.
Part of the population is engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry and vegetables are grown in greenhouses and there are also orchards. Several families are engaged in tobacco growing.
Due to the proximity of forest areas, forestry is also developing.
The hilly part near Kozarevac is widely known for its motocross terrain called Karasov brijeg, where the Croatian open motocross championship races take place.
Various associations and societies also operate here, of which the almost 1 century old voluntary fire brigade Kozarevac stands out.
In 2019, a solemn Holy Mass was held in the parish church of St. Francis Xavier on the occasion of the bicentennial of the parish, led by the Bishop of Varazdin, Josip Mrzljak.
In addition to the parish church, there is also the Kozarevac regional school. After 4 years, students continue their primary education in the primary school in Klostar Podravski.
According to the last census 2021, Kozarevac had 492 inhabitants.
Klostar Podravski is mentioned under the name Grabovnik, ie Gorbonog or Gorbonuk, as a medieval manor in the wider area of today's Klostar Podravski.
Gorbonog is mentioned as a toponym as early as 1237.
According to historical records, it was mentioned as early as 1262 as a place in the far east of the tribal parish of Komarnica under the name Gorbonuk.
As written in a document issued in 1334, the descendants of Prince Sagud had eleven mills on the stream that flowed through the place.
As the property of a noble family, Gorbonog is mentioned in the 13th and early 14th centuries, when the family became extinct.
Mention is also made of a Franciscan monastery that operated from 1292 to 1552. Klostar was named after him, as a derivative of the German word "kloster" which means monastery.
The Franciscans built the church of St. Adrian in the area of Klostar, so that part of the settlement was named Oderjan.
On the Grabovnik estate there was the Grabovnik market, which was also the most important settlement in that area.
The Grabovnik manor disappeared in 1538.
Then the Grabovnik castle is mentioned in documents from 1461 until its destruction in 1552. It was located on the present-day Gradina site near the Klostar Podravski.
Next to the castle there was also the settlement of Pridvorje with the chapel of St. Ladislav.
After the fall of Virovitica in 1552, due to the fear of the Turks, the population left this area.
Today's settlement Klostar Podravski was founded at the end of the 17th century, when in 1683 the population began to return to these areas.
Renovation of the parish of St. Benedict In 1702, the settlements of Oderjan, Prugovac and Kozarevac also belonged to Klostar.
