Novi Marof

Novi Marof lies in the Bednja valley, roughly 18 kilometres south of Varaždin, at the eastern edge of the Hrvatsko Zagorje region. Its name and historical centre are tied to an aristocratic estate and Novi Marof Castle, probably built between 1666 and 1697 and later enlarged for the Erdődy family. In 1926, after the estate was sold, a public tuberculosis foundation purchased the castle and established a state lung sanatorium there; the complex now belongs to Novi Marof’s Special Hospital for Chronic Diseases. The wider town’s best-known excursion is Grebengrad, a medieval fortress reached on foot from Topličica or by a hiking route across Čevo. The county tourist board also highlights Pusta Bela, the Čanjevo complex, Remetinec’s church traditions and the Erdődy castle park. Novi Marof has a station on the railway running via Budinšćina and Zabok towards Zagreb and via Turčin towards Varaždin. The official 2026 HŽ Passenger Transport timetable also lists nearby Mađarevo, Podrute and Krušljevec.

Novi Marof occupies the Bednja valley between the outer slopes of Ivančica and the transport corridor leading to Varaždin. The town’s name is associated with Novi Marof Castle, whose earliest structure probably dates from 1666–1697, before the Erdődy family enlarged it in the 18th century. This square late-Baroque and Neoclassical building, arranged around an inner courtyard, has served healthcare purposes since 1926 and now forms part of the Special Hospital for Chronic Diseases. The wider municipal area also contains Grebengrad’s ruins, Pusta Bela and the medieval complex at Čanjevo, giving aristocratic estates and fortifications a defining role in the local identity.