Varaždinske Toplice (; or ;
Kajkavian
Kajkavian is a South Slavic languages, South Slavic supradialect or language spoken primarily by Croats in much of Central Croatia and Gorski Kotar.
It is part of the South Slavic dialect continuum, being transitional to the supradialects of Č ...
: ) is a small town in northern
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
's
Varaždin County
Varaždin County () is a county in Hrvatsko Zagorje. It is named after its county seat, the city of Varaždin.
Geography
The county contains the city of Varaždin, the towns of: Ivanec, Ludbreg, Lepoglava, Novi Marof and Varaždinske Top ...
. The town has been well known throughout the centuries for its
hot spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...
s as well as a medical center. In
Ancient Rome
In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...
it was known as
Aquae Iasae
Aquae Iasae was the Roman Empire, Roman settlement and Thermae, Roman bath in the area of present city Varaždinske Toplice, Croatia. Today it is the name of the archaeological site.
History
In the 3rd century BC, in this area lived the Illyrian ...
.
Thermal Spa

Today, the town's biggest employers are "Hotel Minerva", built in 1981 with approx. 440 beds, and Hospital for Medicinal Rehabilitation "Terme" which is one of the leading rehabilitation centers for
spinal cord and neurological injuries and disorders in Croatia. In 2013 Varaždin County, the formal owner of the hotel and the hospital, outlined a plan of building a new hospital which would continue on the expertise in spinal cord treatment. The plan also includes the construction of a completely new hotel, as well as an adaptation of the existing hotel Minerva. The value of proposed investments revolves around €80 million.
Varaždinske Toplice has two churches, the smaller one having been built in 13th century with the resting place of Antun Kukuljević, a supreme principal of all the schools in Croatia between 1836 and 1847, and father of
Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski
Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski (; 29 May 1816 – 1 August 1889) was a Croatian historian, politician, and writer, most famous for delivering the first speech in Croatian before Parliament. Considered a renowned patriot, Kukuljević was a proponent ...
, next to the church.
The town is also famous for being a site of a school in 1480 which is considered to be the oldest known school in the
Balkan peninsula
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
. The most recent school building for town's elementary school was opened in 1980 thus commemorating 500 years of education.
Settlements
Nowadays, the town is also the center of a municipality which consists of the town itself and the surrounding villages. In the 2011 census, the population of the municipality was 6,364, composed of the following settlements:
*
Boričevec Toplički, population 40
*
Črnile, population 162
*
Čurilovec, population 131
*
Donja Poljana, population 426
*
Drenovec, population 361
*
Gornja Poljana, population 269
*
Grešćevina, population 140
*
Hrastovec Toplički, population 176
*
Jalševec Svibovečki, population 302
*
Jarki Horvatićevi, population 47
*
Leskovec Toplički, population 487
*
Lovrentovec, population 118
*
Lukačevec Toplički, population 55
*
Martinkovec, population 66
*
Petkovec Toplički, population 265
*
Pišćanovec, population 73
*
Retkovec Svibovečki, population 23
*
Rukljevina, population 17
*
Svibovec, population 302
*
Škarnik, population 84
*
Tuhovec, population 706
* Varaždinske Toplice, population 1,765
*
Vrtlinovec, population 349
Notable people
*
Ana Bešenić, writer
* , journalist and writer
*
Lavoslav Horvat, architect
*
Ruža Pospiš-Baldani, opera singer
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Official website for Varaždinske Toplice
Varaždinske Toplice Tourist Board
Varaždinske Toplice Municipal Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varazdinske Toplice
Cities and towns in Croatia
Spa towns in Croatia
Populated places in Varaždin County