The bells of the St. Vid Church started to toll all by themselves, and the citizens woke up and defended the city.

Turks' worst enemy, Croatian ban Franjo Frankopan, died in Varaždin from scorpions oil.

One of the most beautiful love stories of Varaždin was told by Ksaver Šandor Gjalski.

Suzana Malatinsky, or Countess Drašković and later Countess Nadasdy, was known for her sumptuous balls and the story of her arrival in Varaždin is very interesting.

Do you know what was eaten and what the Varaždin Christmas meal looked like in medieval times?

The event from 1628 shows that not only foes, but also friends drowned in the trenches of the Old Fort.

People have always wondered when it would happen and what doomsday would look like.

The rumour circulated that 13 June, 1857 will be the doomsday, and many people of Varaždin believed it.

Even the locals are often surprised when they see a bear in the eastern wall of the old stone tower. The legend of a petrified bear is connected to the mere beginning of this town and its oldest church.

In the ancient times, at the place of the today's Trakošćan castle there was a lonely fort surrounded by vast thick forests.

Grapevine was probably grown in the Varaždin area as early as in the Roman times, and historical sources say that the citizens of Varaždin have had their own vineyards for years and they care about them very much.

When Varaždin's public notary Krunoslav Čolo started offering the Varaždin passport to the visitors of the Špancirfest festival on his stand, it soon became an attractive town souvenir that many eminent Croatian and European politicians who visited the festival brought back to their homes. However, Varaždin indeed issued passports in the past.

The three naiads, spring nymphs on a marble relief panel dating from the 2nd century discovered in Varaždinske Toplice, could be tied to an old legend of the three beauties from Varaždinske Toplice- Božica, Margareta and Simona.

The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary- Queen of the Most Holy Rosary in the village of Remetinec near Novi Marof has got a long and intriguing past.

Bela, a lonely fortified town on the hill above the river Bednja's valley, guarded an important path even in the early Middle Ages.

In the Hrvatsko Zagorje traditional cuisine turkey is definitiely the most valued delicacy and an essential part of festive holiday tables. Zagorje turkey is highly valued for its delicious taste and high quality meat, so it had the reputation of a superior delicacy far from the hills of Zagorje region.

The beautiful Trakošćan castle would be a ruin if it hadn't been for Count Juraj Drašković, who decided to renew it in 1853 and make it the most beautiful castle south of Bavaria, admired by generations of visitors.

Many bizarre stories have been woven into Varaždin's history. One of them is definitely the story of the butcher Martin Miklec from the late 17th century.

If asked, many will say that the oldest square in Varaždin is the King Tomislav Square. However, the oldest square is the Franciscans' Square.

n September 1995 the vow that the Croatian Parliament made in 1792 was finally fulfilled. The Parliament vowed to build a votive chapel in Ludbreg if God will protect them from the plague that ravaged this part of Croatia that year.

This will probably never be known for sure. However, there are at least 3 legends about the name of this town, which used to be a Roman settlement Castrum Iovia.

In one of their crusades in the late 15th century, the Turks burnt down the monastery in Lepoglava, with all the records of the founding and its first years burning in the fire. Therefore the exact year when this famous Pauline monastery was built will forever remain unknown.

Among others built by the Paulines around Lepoglava, the Chapel of St. George in Purga stands out with its proportion and beauty. This is one of the most beautiful monuments of Baroque art in Croatia.

Ivanec and Ivančica, Ivanečko Polje or the Ivanšček creek are only few of the names in the Ivanec area that remind and hold the memory of the Knights Hospitaller, who came to Croatia in mid-12th century.

Up until the middle of the 15th century the free royal town of Varaždin didn't have any fortifications to protect it from the enemy armies. After it was burnt to the ground in 1446, the citizens decided to build the walls and protect their town.

Apart from a remarkable cultural wealth left to us by the Paulines, Lepoglava hides a valuable mineral treasure, a semi-precious stone agate, which can be found only around Gaveznica, our only inactive volcano, that will tell you an exciting story of our planet's history.

Four years after the awful fire in which Varaždin was burnt down (in 1665), the citizens built St. Florian's Church at the north side of the Old Town.

There is always an old legend or at least a spooky story tied to vast, dark forests, passed on the younger generations. The paka forest near Novi Marof, stretching along the Kalnik hills, hides many legends, one of which being the one of Crna Paka (Black Paka) and the old Gradišče fort.

The slopes of the Ivančica mountain, covered by thick forest, have always entertained the folks' imagination, and many of the creepy stories about supernatural beings were kept until today.

Varaždinske Toplice, our oldest and most famous thermal spa, was famous for its thermal water even in ancient Rome.

Ludbreg is a town that many legends are tied to.