Lake Varaždin

Lake Varaždin (Croatian: Varaždinsko jezero) is a reservoir on the Drava in northern Croatia. It is administratively divided between Međimurje County and Varaždin County, bordered by the municipalities of Varaždin, Trnovec Bartolovečki and Čakovec. The Drava flows into the reservoir near the city of Varaždin, while the dam is located near the village of Šemovec.

Lake Varaždin is one of three reservoirs built on the Drava in Croatia, the other two being the smaller Lake Ormož (which is located on the border with Slovenia) and the bigger Lake Dubrava. The three reservoirs and the power plants they serve form the Hydro North group of hydro power plants run by the HEP Group. It serves the Čakovec Hydro Power Plant, since the Varaždin Hydro Power Plant is served by Lake Ormož. The power plant was built in 1982.

Tourism

Lake Varaždin is also a popular angling, leisure and water sports destination for many people from the region, especially during the summer. There are many log cabins built on the shores of the lake near Varaždin and Gornji Kuršanec.

Varaždin

Vȁraždīn (Croatian pronunciation: [ʋâraʒdiːn] or [ʋarǎʒdin]; also known by other alternative names) is a city in Northern Croatia, 81 km (50 mi) north of Zagreb on the highway A4. The total population is 46,946, with 38,839 on 34.22 km² (13.21 sq mi) of the city settlement itself (2011). The centre of Varaždin County is located near the Drava river, at 46°18′43″N 16°21′40″E / 46.312°N 16.361°E / 46.312; 16.361. It is mainly known for its baroque buildings, music, textile, food and IT industry.

Name

In Hungarian the town is known as Varasd, in Latin as Varasdinum, and in German as Warasdin. The name Varaždin traces its origin in the word varoš, a Hungarian loanword.

Population

The total population of the city is 46,946 and it includes the following settlements:

Varaždin County (former)

Varaždin County (Croatian: Varaždinska županija; Hungarian: Varasd vármegye) was an administrative subdivision (županija) of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. Croatia-Slavonia was an autonomous kingdom within the Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen (Transleithania), the Hungarian part of the dual Austro-Hungarian Empire. Its territory is now in northern Croatia. The capital of the county was Varaždin (Croatian, in Hungarian: Varasd).

Geography

Varaždin County shared borders with the Austrian land Styria, the Hungarian county of Zala, and the Croatian-Slavonian county of Bjelovar-Križevci and Zagreb. The river Drava formed its northern border. Its area was 2521 km² around 1910.

History

The territory of the Varaždin County was part of the Kingdom of Croatia when it entered a personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary in 1102, and with it became part of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1526.

After 1607, the position of the County's župan was hereditary, given to the Erdődy noble family.