Vrbovec

Vrbovec, east of Zagreb, builds its identity around the Zrinski family, the parish church of St Vitus and the heritage-food festival Kaj su jeli naši stari. Its centre gathers around Trg Petra Zrinskog, home to the tourist office, while the railway and bus stations are close enough to make a car-free visit practical. The town’s organised tourism tradition began in 1976 with the Vrbovec Tourist Association; the present tourist board has operated under its current name since 1995. Vrbovec’s best-known event showcases dishes prepared by local women’s associations from family recipes, and the municipal development strategy reports that the three-day festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors. Beyond the centre, Varoški Lug is a special zoological reserve containing the Friendship with Nature Trail, while the Česma and Novakuša forest reserves have been protected since 1982. Vrbovec also lies directly on Croatia’s rail network between Zagreb and Koprivnica, with its station on Kolodvorska Street. This makes the town a manageable day trip combining a compact historic centre, distinctive culinary heritage and an excursion into the surrounding woodland landscape.

Vrbovec is an administrative and transport centre in eastern Zagreb County, with town life focused on Trg Petra Zrinskog and the Church of St Vitus. The saint also defines Vrbovec’s civic calendar: Town Day falls on 15 June. Food is central to local identity, particularly during Kaj su jeli naši stari, when community groups prepare dishes from Vrbovec and the wider Prigorje area using recipes passed down through families. The surroundings are not solely agricultural: Varoški Lug is protected as a special zoological reserve, while Česma and Novakuša have held forest-vegetation reserve status since 1982.