The wide plains of Koprivnica-Križevci stretch out before you. You are on the **Podravina art trail**. Visit the village of **Hlebine**. It is famous for a special style of painting on glass. Local farmers paint scenes of village life with very bright colors. They use a technique where they paint the details first and the background last. You can see paintings of giant roosters and snowy fields in the local gallery. These artists find beauty in simple things like the harvest or the winter frost. It is a unique form of art that you won't find anywhere else in the world. The roads follow the Drava river. You will see golden sand dunes that look like a small desert. These dunes were formed by the wind and the river over thousands of years. You can find **traditional puszta farms** painted bright blue. Large herds of cattle graze in the wide meadows nearby. The sky feels huge here because the land is so flat. In the **Repaš forest** you can walk under giant oak trees. These trees provide a cool canopy even on the hottest days. It is a place of massive horizons and bold colors that change as the sun moves. Go to the **"Đurđevački pijesci"** nature reserve to see the dunes also known as the "Croatian Sahara." For a local bite visit Koprivnica and try the "podravka" stews at the **Beer House Kraluš** on the central square. If you head to **Križevci** look for the Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Trinity to see its massive iconostasis painted by Croatian masters. Don't miss the **Starigrad fort** ruins if you enjoy forest hiking. If you are driving near the Drava in summer the Ješkovo art estate provides a perfect riverside stop for photography.

Koprivnica Križevci highlights

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The Scenic Route

The Heritage Drive

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History of Koprivnica Križevci

Križevci is the **City of Eight Towers** and the site of the infamous **Bloody Assembly** of 1397. It was a Game of Thrones style betrayal where a king summoned his rivals for a meeting and then had them executed in the town square. This violent event led to a long-standing local tradition of autonomy, as the townspeople sought to distance themselves from royal meddling. This dark history created a city of fierce independence and high church spires that dominate the horizon. On the flat riverbanks, the **Croatian Sahara** is a geological freak show. These are real sand dunes formed by the wind at the end of the ice age, now home to rare plants and a herd of camels. Scientists believe these sands originated from the prehistoric Bednja river, which deposited massive amounts of sediment as it slowed down across the plains. It is a strange, sandy island surrounded by thick oak forests and the fast-moving waters of the Drava river. The artistic heart of the county beats in Hlebine, the birthplace of **Naive Art**. Farmers who spent their days in the fields began painting their dreams on the back of glass panels using vivid, impossible colors. By painting on the reverse side of the glass, they achieved a luminous quality that captured the shifting light of the rural landscape. It turned a quiet village into a world-famous art hub. Proving that the local soil grows more than just corn and wheat.

Koprivnica Križevci