micgrafika.com Homeland
PHOTO GALLERY
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, all settlements had a total of 3603 inhabitants.
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 1707 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
PHOTO GALLERY
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, Budancevica had 525 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
PHOTO GALLERY
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, Prugovac had 772 inhabitants.
SETTLEMENT KOZAREVAC
PHOTO GALLERY
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, Kozarevac had 599 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.
