Pitomača

Pitomača sits between the slopes of Bilogora and the Drava, with a visitor experience that ranges from Baroque heritage in the town centre to the river landscapes of Križnica. Its principal landmark is the Church of St Vitus, built in 1782–83, restored after a 1968 fire and furnished in 2003 with a new St Vitus altar modelled on its lost Baroque predecessor. North of town, Križnica belongs to the transboundary Mura–Drava–Danube Biosphere Reserve and has a visitor centre devoted to the river ecosystem. A day there can include birdwatching, cycling, fishing or an organised canoe outing. West of Pitomača, the poet Petar Preradović’s restored birthplace in Grabrovnica has operated as an interpretation centre since 2019. Together, these sites reveal three distinct sides of the area: Pitomača’s civic and religious centre, Grabrovnica’s literary legacy and the Drava scenery around Križnica. A car or bicycle is useful for reaching the outlying attractions, while Pitomača railway station provides access to the national passenger-rail network.

Pitomača’s centre is anchored by the Church of St Vitus, a 34.12-metre-long, single-nave Baroque building associated with a parish founded in 1710. The settlement belongs firmly to the Podravina region, yet its identity also reflects the vineyard-covered Bilogora slopes and the nearby Drava. A literary dimension comes from neighbouring Grabrovnica, the birthplace of poet Petar Preradović, whose family home is now an interpretation centre. Elsewhere in the municipality, Križnica offers a sharp change of scenery, with river channels, woodland and wetlands inside the Mura–Drava–Danube Biosphere Reserve.