The Bjelovar-Bilogora Tourist Board includes the city of Bjelovar and the five municipalities of the Bilogora region that surround it. Each of them hides its own beauty and sights, and you can find out more about each below.
Municipality of Velika Pisanica
Area: 83,67 km²
Number of inhabitants: 1323
Website: Velika-pisanica.hr
Velika Pisanica municipality is located on the southern slopes of Bilogora. It consists of eight settlements, namely Velika Pisanica, Polum, Čađavac, Nova Pisanica, Babinac, Ribnjačka, Bedenička and Bedenička. In the center of Velika Pisanica are the church of St. Lazarus from 1724 and the Parish Church of the Heart of Jesus with the Parish Hall from 1908, which are, among other things, the reason why the center of the town has the status of a protected cultural monument of category III. The day of the municipality of Velika Pisanica is celebrated on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The municipality boasts of preserved nature, ecological agriculture and recreational tourism. There is also the Pisanička eco-ethnic trail, which connects all the important tourist destinations of the municipality, and is 52 kilometers long. This convenient tourist trail will teach you everything you need to know about the local population and lifestyle in the municipality of Velika Pisanica. In Velika Pisanica there is also the birthplace of Edo Murtić, and the Days of Edo Murtić are held here every year.
Municipality of Nova Rača
Area: 92,73 km²
Number of inhabitants: 2788
Website: Nova-raca.hr
Nova Rača municipality is located 18 kilometers southeast of Bjelovar with its 13 settlements, including Bedenik, Bulinac, Dautan, Drljanovac, Kozarevac Račanski, Međurača, Nevinac, Nova Rača, Orlovac, Sasovac, Slovinska Kovačica, Stara Rača and Tociljevac. Nova Rača was the seat of the parish and the Frontier captaincy back in the days of the Military Frontier, and because of this, it is still known today for the great feast that is organized on the Nativity of Mary and Assumption of Mary.
The Day of the Municipality of Nova Rača is celebrated on April 20, when various events are held in the town of the same name, and during the rest of the year you can enjoy folklore performances, art colonies and motorcycle races there.
Municipality of Severin
Area: 25,91 km²
Number of inhabitants: 713
Website: Severin.hr
Severin municipality, located east of Bjelovar, separated from Nova Rača municipality in 1997 into an independent municipality that includes Orovac and Severin settlements. In the territory of this smallest municipality in the region, there are various associations of hunters, fishermen, Croatian volunteers of the Homeland War and national protection, pensioners, fruit growers and winegrowers.
There are also two volunteer fire brigades, Severin and Orovac, and the Severin municipality fire brigade, and the Palična cultural and artistic association and the Slavija municipal football club are also worth mentioning.
Municipality of Šandrovac
Area: 62,78 km²
Number of inhabitants: 1415
Website: Sandrovac.hr
Šandrovac municipality was formed as a local self-government unit in 1997. It consists of seven settlements, namely Šandrovac, Lasovac, Lasovac Brdo, Ravneš, Kašljavac, Jasenik and Pupelica. It was mentioned for the first time in 1245 in the grant of King Bela IV. under the name of Mušinja. After the transfer to the ownership of the nobleman Šandor in 1491, the old name was lost and it began to be called Šandri-grad, Šandrovec and, finally, Šandrovac as it is still known today.
A number of events are held in Šandrovac municipality throughout the year. Among others, they are the celebration of St. Vitus on June 15, when it is the Šandrovac Municipality Day, harvest festivities, meetings of folklore and associations from the area of the municipality, mini-football tournaments, equestrian races and marathons, and motorcycle races. The municipality also has the recently renovated Gradina pool, which contains an Olympic pool surrounded by other sports fields, such as a mini golf course, a beach volleyball court, a tennis court, a basketball court, and a soccer field.
Municipality of Veliko Trojstvo
Area: 65,6 km²
Number of inhabitants: 2378
Website: Veliko-trojstvo.hr
Veliko Trojstvo municipality includes the settlements of Veliko Trojstvo, Ćurlovac, Dominkovica, Grginac, Kegljevac, Maglenča, Martinac, Paulovac, Malo Trojstvo, Višnjevac and Vrbica. It was mentioned in historical records for the first time in 1272. In the 14th century, there was already a monastery and the Holy Trinity abbey around which the settlement was located. Today’s municipality was founded in 1997, and is adorned with a wealth of forests, fields, vineyards and orchards.
In the municipality there is the Veliko Trojstvo Ethno Park, which exhibits a unique display of traditional architecture and life in the area of Bjelovar and Bilogora. From the Kamenitovac mountain lodge in Maglenča towards the village of Šandrovac within the municipality of Veliko Trojstvo stretch the Svijetle pruge, a wonderful outdoor gallery of wooden sculptures, the only one of its kind in this part of Europe. There is also the Roma House, the ethnic house of the indigenous Croatian Roma Lovari, the first of its kind in the whole of Europe, where you can get an insight into their way of life, culture and customs.
Municipality of Zrinski Topolovac
Area: 104 km²
Number of inhabitants: 754
Website: Zrtopolovac.hr
The hilly Zrinski Topolovac municipality is located at the beginning of the southern side of Bilogora. It covers three places, namely Zrinski Topolovac, Jakopovac and Križ Gornji. In the town of Zrinski Topolovac itself, a number of events are held, among which the Days of Zrinski and Frankopan stand out, during which the anniversary of the death of Zrinski and Frankopan is commemorated at the statue of Katarina Zrinski in the center of Zrinski Topolovac, and the Babotučka Vojna, one of the youngest events in the Bjelovar region, which is got its name from a legend that has been passed down from generation to generation for 500 years in the area of the municipality of Zrinski Topolovac.
At the Babotučka Vojna event, this legend is reenacted on stage with more than a hundred characters in the costumes of Ottoman soldiers and mythological creatures, among whom the loud Vedi giants who, according to legend, once lived in the forests of Bilogora, stand out. In addition, the municipality has a number of monuments to anti-fascists who died in the Second World War, a memorial plaque to a veteran who died in the Homeland War, and an ethnic house where you can see what life in the area once looked like.
Municipality of Rovišće
Area: 103,23 km²
Number of inhabitants: 4179
Website: Opcina-rovisce.hr
Rovišće municipality is the most populous municipality of the Bjelovar-Bilogora County, and consists of 12 settlements. These are Domankuš, Gornje Rovišće, Kakinac, Kovačevac, Kraljevac, Lipovčani, Podgorci, Predavac, Prekobrdo, Rovišće, Tuk and Žabjak. The largest settlements are Predavac and Rovišće, which were first mentioned in a document in 1232. Rovišće was already a fortress-city, and its inhabitants were in the military service of the king.
In 1279, 1341 and 1475, several councils of the Slavonian nobility were held in Rovišće, which tells us how important it once was due to its geographical location. In the later Middle Ages, crafts and trade developed and large annual fairs were held. And then, from 1532 to 1538, the Turks ravaged these regions. The fortress in Rovišće was then rebuilt in 1579, and after 1699 it lost its importance as a fortress in Krajina. Today, according to the 2021 census, 4,179 people live in the municipality of Rovišće.
Municipality of Kapela
Area: 110 km²
Number of inhabitants: 2374
Website: Opcina-kapela.hr
Kapela municipality, founded in 1994, gathers 26 hilly settlements, namely Babotok, Botinac, Donji Mosti, Gornje Zdelice, Gornji Mosti, Jabučeta, Kapela, Kobasičari, Lalići, Lipovo Brdo, Nova Diklenica, Novi Skucani, Pavlin Kloštar, Poljančani , Prnjavor, Reškovci, Sredice Gornje, Srednja Diklenica, Srednji Mosti, Stanići, Stara Diklenica, Starčevljani, Stari Skucani, Šiptari, Tvrda Reka and Visovi.
The population of these settlements is mainly engaged in the production of agricultural crops and animal livestock breeding. There is no developed industry or craftsmanship in the municipality, which is why it has a modest budget and belongs to local self-government units with a low level of development. The municipality, however, has great potential, and raising the level of the road network and other infrastructure could increase its opportunities for economic development.