Orahovica is a town in

Slavonia Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Bar ...

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 = , capi ...

. It is situated on the slopes of the mountain

Papuk Papuk is the largest mountain in the Slavonia region in eastern Croatia, near the city of Požega. It extends between Bilogora to the northwest, Krndija to the east, and Ravna gora and Psunj to the southwest. The highest peak is the eponymous ...

and positioned on the state road D2

Varaždin ) , image_photo = , image_skyline = , image_flag = Flag of Varaždin.svg , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_shield = Grb_Grad ...

Koprivnica Koprivnica () is a city in Northern Croatia, located 70 kilometers northeast of Zagreb. It is the capital and the largest city of the Koprivnica-Križevci county. In 2011, the city's administrative area of 90.94 km2 had a total po ...

Našice Našice () is a town in eastern Croatia, located on the northern slopes of the Krndija mountain in eastern Slavonia, 51 km southwest of regional hub Osijek. Administratively it belongs to Osijek-Baranja County. Geography Našice is located ...

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

History

The name Orahovica is derived from the word ''orah'', meaning a walnut tree. Orahovica was first officially mentioned in the year 1228, in a historical document issued by king Andrew II. Ružica fortification, not far from Orahovica, was first mentioned in the year 1357 as a royal estate. In the 15th and the first half of the 16th century the town was a thriving community owned by various patricians ( Nikola Kont, Lovro Iločki, Ladislav Iločki, Ladislav More etc.) Suleiman I, in his 1542 campaign, conquered Orahovica. It was renamed as "Rahoviçe" and initially was

kaza A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough') * bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза * el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also () * lad, kaza , ...

centre in Sanjak of Pojega, which initially part of Budin Eyalet (1542-1580), later in

Bosna Eyalet The Eyalet of Bosnia ( ota, ایالت بوسنه ,Eyālet-i Bōsnâ; By Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan Masters ; sh, Bosanski pašaluk), was an eyalet (administrative division, also known as a ''beylerbeylik'') of the Ottoman Empire, mostly based o ...

(1580-1600) and finally in Kanije Eyalet. It became a notable sanjak centre in Kanije Eyalet in 1601. The Turkish rule lasted till the year 1687. After the liberation, and up until the end of the 19th century many prominent noble families, like the Pejačević family, and the Mihalović family, owned the town. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Orahovica was part of the

Virovitica County Virovitica County ( hr, Virovitička županija; hu, Verőce vármegye) was a historic administrative subdivision (''županija'') of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. Croatia-Slavonia was an autonomous kingdom within the Lands of the Crown of ...

of the

Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia The Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia ( hr, Kraljevina Hrvatska i Slavonija; hu, Horvát-Szlavónország or ; de-AT, Königreich Kroatien und Slawonien) was a nominally autonomous kingdom and constitutionally defined separate political nation with ...

. In the 20th century the town was a centre of a large municipality with a well-developed industry, and agriculture. During the Croatian War of Independence Orahovica suffered from a number of shell attacks that caused certain material damage. It received the status of a town () in 1997.

Economy

Orahovica has a developed industry of tile production, panel-parquet, wine production, fruit and vegetables processing, and metal processing. Agriculture plays an important role for the town economy (crop and livestock farming, fresh water fish, fruit and vineyards).

Population

In the 2011 census, the total population of the administrative area of Orahovica was 5,304, distributed in the following settlements: * Bijeljevina Orahovička, population 37 * Crkvari, population 128 * Dolci, population 286 * Donja Pištana, population 239 * Duzluk, population 163 * Gornja Pištana, population 5 * Karlovac Feričanački, population 12 * Kokočak, population 14 * Magadinovac, population 11 * Nova Jošava, population 182 * Orahovica, population 3,954 * Stara Jošava, population 240 * Šumeđe, population 33 In 2011, 87% of the population were

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 ...

. * Source: CD-rom: "Naselja i stanovništvo RH od 1857-2001. godine", Izdanje Državnog zavoda za statistiku Republike Hrvatske, Zagreb, 2005.

Notable sights

* Orahovica's Lake - the most popular destination every summer. * Locomotive "Ćiro" - in the middle of the town * Ružica grad - old ruins of the fortress near the lake * Orahovica Monastery - Eastern Orthodox monastery * Watermill - in the city park

Education

* Kindergarten "Palčić" * Primary school "I.B. - Mažuranić" * High School "Stjepan Ivšić"

Tourism

Orahovica became one of the most popular tourist destinations in Virovitica-Podravina County and

. Its culture, events, beautiful nature, sports and lake attract more and more tourists every year. The Spring of Orahovica, an annual cultural and tourist festival, is held since 1957.

Notable natives and residents

* Robert Domany * Gojko Zec * Stjepan Mesić