Varaždin County (Croatian: Varaždinska županija) is a county in Hrvatsko Zagorje. It is named after its county seat, the city of Varaždin.
County day (Dan županije) is celebrated on 5 September.
Contents
Geography
The county contains the city of Varaždin, the towns of: Ivanec, Ludbreg, Lepoglava, Novi Marof and Varaždinske Toplice, as well as 22 municipalities. It covers an area of 1,262 square kilometres (487 sq mi) and had a population of 175,951 in the 2011 census.
Varaždin County borders Slovenia to the northwest, Međimurje County to the north, Krapina-Zagorje County to the southwest, Zagreb County to the south, and Koprivnica-Križevci County to the southeast, with a small portion of the latter separating it from Hungary.
The Drava flows along the northern border of the county. There are three reservoirs on the river – Lake Ormož, Lake Varaždin and Lake Dubrava. All of them are partially located within the county. Another river flowing through the county is the Bednja, which also confluences with the Drava within the county. There are also the mountains of Ivanščica (also known as Ivančica) and Kalnik.
Transport
The highway A4 (part of Pan-European Corridor Vb and European route E65) passes through the county, connecting the Hungarian border (in the north) with Zagreb (in the south), and which has exits in Varaždin, Varaždinske Toplice and Novi Marof. In the longitudinal (east-west) direction, a magistral road passes along the Drava river, spanning from Maribor (Slovenia) to Osijek. Railways (not yet modernised) passing through the county lead to Zagreb in the south, Čakovec and Budapest (Hungary) in the north and Koprivnica in the east.
Economy
The economy of Varaždin County is focused on the manufacturing industry, particularly on the milk products processing, beverage production, meat-packing industry, clothing and textiles industry, metal manufacturing industry, leather footwear industry, manufacturing of high-quality wood furniture and other lumber products.
Administrative division
Varaždin county is divided into:
City of Varaždin (county seat)
Town of Ludbreg
Town of Lepoglava
Town of Ivanec
Town of Novi Marof
Town of Varaždinske Toplice
Municipality of Bednja
Municipality of Beretinec
Municipality of Breznica
Municipality of Breznički Hum
Municipality of Cestica
Municipality of Donja Voća
Municipality of Gornji Kneginec
Municipality of Jalžabet
Municipality of Klenovnik
Municipality of Ljubešćica
Municipality of Mali Bukovec
Municipality of Martijanec
Municipality of Maruševec
Municipality of Petrijanec
Municipality of Sračinec
Municipality of Sveti Đurđ
Municipality of Sveti Ilija
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Varaždin County has a population of 175,951. Ethnic Croats make up a majority with 97.9% of the population.
Acknowledgements
On September 5, 2025, the President of the Government of the Herzegovina-Neretva County, Marija Buhač, and the County Prefect, Anđelko Stričak, signed an agreement on cooperation between the two counties in the areas of economy, education, agriculture, tourism, culture, sports and youth.
Honorary citizens
Zlatko Dalić (2018)