Zabok is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and situated in northwest

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 ...

in the

Krapina-Zagorje County Krapina-Zagorje County (, hr, Krapinsko-zagorska županija) is a Counties of Croatia, county in northern Croatia, bordering Slovenia. It encompasses most of the historic region called Hrvatsko Zagorje. The area contains the excavation site of a ...

. According to the 2011 census, it has a total population of 8,994, with 2,714 in Zabok itself. Zabok is situated on the main crossroads in the heart of

Hrvatsko Zagorje Hrvatsko Zagorje (; Croatian Zagorje; ''zagorje'' is Croatian for "backland" or "behind the hills") is a cultural region in northern Croatia, traditionally separated from the country's capital Zagreb by the Medvednica Mountain. It comprises ...

region. Zabok is the economical centre of the Krapina-Zagorje County.

History

In 1782, Sigismund Vojković-Vojkffy started the construction of a church in Zabok, completing it in 1805. With the abolition of the

feudalism Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...

, former serfs were offered a possibility of choosing their own place of settlement, and the majority settled along the roads connecting Gredice and Bračak with the new centre developing around the church, to form the new city centre. The town reached its final shape in the period after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, when it spread longitudinally along the northern side of the railway track.

Geography

Zabok is located at , at an altitude of 186 m above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

. The following settlements comprise the town's administrative area: * Bračak, population 21 * Bregi Zabočki, population 257 *

Dubrava Zabočka Dubrava Zabočka is a village in Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map ...

, population 591 * Grabrovec, population 607 *

Grdenci Grdenci is a village in Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , m ...

, population 459 *

Gubaševo Gubaševo is a village in Croatia. It is connected by the D1 (Croatia), D1 highway. Populated places in Krapina-Zagorje County {{KrapinaZagorje-geo-stub ...

, population 262 *

Hum Zabočki Hum Zabočki is a village in Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = ...

, population 457 * Jakuševec Zabočki, population 364 *

Lug Zabočki Lug or LUG may refer to: Places Bosnia and Herzegovina * Lug (Bugojno), a village * Lug (Derventa), a suburb in Bosanska Posavina * Lug, Jablanica, a village * Lug (Kiseljak), a village * Lug, Prozor, a village * Lug, Tomislavgrad, a village ...

, population 585 * Martinišće, population 338 *

Pavlovec Zabočki Pavlovec Zabočki is a village in Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map ...

, population 605 * Prosenik Gubaševski, population 155 * Prosenik Začretski, population 158 * Repovec, population 312 *

Špičkovina Špičkovina is a village in Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = ...

, population 764 * Tisanić Jarek, population 345 * Zabok, population 2,714 In the 2011 census, 98% 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, G ...

Politics

The town's major Ivan Hanžek (

Social Democratic Party of Croatia The Social Democratic Party of Croatia ( hr, Socijaldemokratska partija Hrvatske, SDP) is a social-democratic political party in Croatia. The SDP is anti-fascist, progressive, and strongly pro-European. The SDP was formed in 1990 as the succe ...

) was elected a member of the

Croatian Parliament The Croatian Parliament ( hr, Hrvatski sabor) or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sabor ...

in the 2007 parliamentary election.

Etymology and earliest references

"Zabok" means "behind the river curve" (the river in question is the Krapinica). The name ''Zabok'' first appeared in 1335 in a text in which ownership of Zabok was given to Petar, son of Nuzlin, by the Hungarian king,

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. The Nuzlin family added the prefix ''de Zabok'' to their name and, by the 15th century, had started naming themselves "Zaboky de Zabok".

Culture

Zabok is home to monuments to Antun Gustav Matoš and

Katarina Zrinska Countess Ana Katarina Zrinska (c. 1625–1673) was a Croatian noblewoman and poet, born into the House of Frankopan, Croatian noble family. She married Count Petar Zrinski of the House of Zrinski in 1641 and later became known as Katarina Zrinsk ...

. The soprano

Vlatka Oršanić Vlatka Oršanić (born 1958) is a Croatian opera singer ( soprano) and vocal pedagogue. Kutsch, Karl-Josef and Riemens, Leo (eds.) (2004)"Oršanić, Vlatka" ''Großes Sängerlexikon'', 4th edition, p. 3461. Walter de Gruyter. Life and career O ...

was born in Zabok and received her early music education at the music school there. Zabok_railway_station_in_August_2022

Transportation

Zabok is the central railway hub of Krapina-Zagorje County. It lies on the corridor R201 (Zaprešić-Čakovec) and also serves as a terminus for railway lines to and from

Krapina Krapina (; hu, Korpona) is a town in northern Croatia and the administrative centre of Krapina-Zagorje County with a population of 4,482 (2011) and a total municipality population of 12,480 (2011). Krapina is located in the hilly Zagorje region ...

/ state 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 ...

(R106) and Gornja Stubica ( L202). Zabok bus station is served by buses of the company "Presečki d.o.o." which connect the City of Zabok with numerous cities through county and inter-county lines such as Zabok-

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

, Zabok- Zlatar, Zabok-

Marija Bistrica Marija Bistrica () is a village and municipality in the Krapina-Zagorje County in central Croatia, located on the slopes of the Medvednica mountain in the Hrvatsko Zagorje region north of the capital Zagreb. The municipality has 5,976 inhabitants, ...

, Zabok-Krapina, Zabok-

Pregrada Pregrada is a town and municipality in Krapina-Zagorje County in Croatia. In the 2011 census, there were 6,594 inhabitants in the following settlements: * Benkovo, population 326 * Bregi Kostelski, population 269 * Bušin, population 139 * C ...

, Zabok-

Hum na Sutli Hum na Sutli is a municipality in the Krapina-Zagorje County of Croatia. According to the 2011 census, there are 5,060 inhabitants in the municipality, the absolute majority of which are Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavi ...

, Zabok-

Bedekovčina Bedekovčina is a village and municipality in the Krapina-Zagorje County in Croatia. It is connected by the state road D24 and R201 railway. In the 2011 census, the total population of the municipality was 8,041, in the following settlements: * ...

and Zabok-

Oroslavje Oroslavje () is a town and municipality in Krapina-Zagorje County in Croatia. Oroslavje is often referred to as The Gate of Croatian Zagorje (''Vrata Hrvatskog zagorja'') because of its geographical position and its proximity to The City of Za ...

References

External links

Official website of Zabok
{{Authority control Populated places in Krapina-Zagorje County Cities and towns in Croatia