Štrigova (german: Stridau; hu, Stridóvár) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

and municipality in

Međimurje County Međimurje County (; hr, Međimurska županija ; hu, Muraköz megye) is a triangle-shaped county in the northernmost part of Croatia, roughly corresponding to the historical and geographical region of Međimurje. Despite being the smallest C ...

, in northern

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

History

Gabriel Bucelin Stridon Kapelle und Quelle des hl Hieronymus 1644

Oldest archaeological finds in Štrigova municipality are from Roman period.

Burial mounds A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built ...

and fragments of pottery were found in the hamlet of Trnovčak. Fragments of the roman roads were found at the same locality. The settlement Štrigova is first time mentioned in 1271 as ''Castr. Strigo'' (English: ''Fort Strigo''). During that time fort was in possession of Arnold of Stridó. In year 1290 Andrew the Venetian, later king of Hungary and Croatia, was captured in fort Štrigova by Arnold of Stridó, and was sent to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

in captivity. In year 1334 Štrigova was recorded as Catholic parish named ''Sancte Marie Magdalene de Strigo'' in Census of parishes of Zagreb Diocese. From the late Middle Ages until the beginning of the 20th century, Štrigova has the rights of a

Market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

. During the 15th century feudal proprietor of Međimurje

Frederick II, Count of Celje Frederick II ( sl, Friderik II. Celjski; german: Friedrich II Graf von Cilli) (17 January 1379 – 13 or 20 June 1454) was a Count of Celje and Ban of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia. Early life Frederick was the son of Hermann II, Count of Celje ...

built the wooden chapel of saint Jerome in Štrigova. In year 1447 Papal bull ''Gloriosus Deus in sanctis suis'' (English: ''God is glorius in his Saints'') was promulgated by Pope

Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V ( la, Nicholaus V; it, Niccolò V; 13 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene made ...

for Saint Jerome church in Štrigova. In that document Štrigova is mentioned as birthplace of

Saint Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...

. But claims about birthplace of Saint Jerome are disputed by some scholars. In year 1931 Štrigova municipality was separated from Čakovec District and the rest of Međimurje and placed under authority of Ljutomer District in Drava Banovina. In April 1941 Međimurje was occupied by Hungarian Army, but Štrigova were occupied by German Army. In june 1941, at the Hungarian request, Štrigova is again reincorporated in Međimurje. In April 1945 former municipality Štrigova provisionally became a part of Yugoslav Federal republic of Slovenia. In 1946 Štrigova municipality was divided between People's Republics

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

and Slovenia. Villages Banfi, Grabrovnik, Jalšovec, Leskovec, Prekopa, Robadje, Stanetinec, Sveti Urban and Štrigova became part of Croatia, and Gibina, Globoka, Kopriva, Razkrižje, Šafarsko, Šprinc, and Veščica became part of Slovenia. In year 1947 in forest near Štrigova Yugoslavian secret police ( OZNA) murdered dozens of members of anticommunist guerrilla called

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

(Croatian: ''Križari''). In year 1992 Štrigova regained the status of municipality.

Geography

Štrigova is located in part of Međimurje called Gornje Međimurje at border with

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. Village of Štrigova, municipality centre, is about 19 kilometres northwest from

Čakovec Čakovec (; hu, Csáktornya; la, Aquama; german: Tschakathurn) is a city in northern Croatia, located around north of Zagreb, the Croatian capital. Čakovec is both the county seat and the largest city of Međimurje County, the northernmost, s ...

, and some 110 kilometres north of

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

. The municipality covers an area of 39.21 km². Landscape of Štrigova consist of low hills called Međimurske gorice, covered with

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineya ...

s, orchards and woodlands. Međimurske gorice are extension of Slovenske gorice. At 341 metres, Mađerkin breg is the highest hill in municipality, and also a popular viewpoint. River Mura touches the border of municipality at its northernmost part. Štrigova is located on road that connects county seat Čakovec with town of Ljutomer in Slovenia. There are two border crossing with Slovenia in municipality, called Banfi and Bukovje.

Demographics

In the 2011 census, the municipality had a population of 2,766 in 10 villages. Štrigova is experiencing population decline since the 1950s. The majority of inhabitants are

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, ...

making up 94% of population and most significant minority are

Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Slovenci ), are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia, and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovene as their na ...

(4%).

Settlements

Economy

The

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

of the municipality is largely focused on its

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

. Many hills in the municipality were planted with vineyards and the production of

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

is a major business in the municipality. There are many

wine cellar A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae, or plastic containers. In an ''active'' wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system ...

s throughout the municipality, most of which are privately owned, but there is also a large communally-owned wine cellar in Štrigova. Cattle breeding and dairy products are also an important part of the economy of the municipality, although to a lesser extent in comparison with the production of wine, as well as

rural tourism Rural tourism is a tourism that focuses on actively participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism. Many villages can facilitate tourism because many villagers are hospitable and eager to welcome or host visitors. Agriculture ...

Culture

The Church of St. Jerome was rebuilt in 1749 by famous artist Ivan Ranger following the demolition of the original 15th-century-built

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

by an

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

in 1738. There are also two historical castles located in the municipality. The castle in Banfi (Bánfihegy) was built by

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Bánffy Bánffy is a Hungarian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Katalin Bánffy, 16th-century Hungarian noblewoman * Dezső Bánffy (1843–1911), Hungarian politician * Eszter Bánffy (born 1957), Hungarian prehistorian, archaeologist, ...

in 1373, and Tkalec Castle on Kalec hill is believed to be built by local Paulines in the 18th century.

Gallery

Štrigova (Croatia) - centar.jpg, Centre of the village Štrigova (Croatia) - panorama.jpg, Panoramic view Gabriel Thaller; Sveti Jeronim i pavlini (18.st.).jpg, ''Saint Jerome and the Paulines'' painted by Gabriel Thaller in the St. Jerome Church in Štrigova (18th century) Štrigova municipality location.GIF, Location within Međimurje County Water tower in the village of Sveti Urban.jpg, Sveti Urban water tower Železna Gora (Međimurje) - panorama.jpg, Železna Gora Sveti Urban (Međimurje) - znak dobrodošlice.jpg, Sveti Urban File:Chapel in the village Prekopa.jpg, Prekopa File:Grabrovnik - stara hiža.jpg, Old cottage in Grabrovnik Železna Gora (Međimurje) - središte.JPG, Železna Gora - village centre

References

External links

Website of the municipality's tourist board
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strigova Populated places in Međimurje County Municipalities of Croatia