Orahovica is a town in Slavonia, Croatia. It is situated on the slopes of the mountain Papuk and positioned on the state road D2 Varaždin-Koprivnica-Našice-Osijek.

Orahovica
Grad Orahovica
Town of Orahovica
View of Orahovica
View of Orahovica
Flag of Orahovica
Map
Orahovica is located in Croatia
Orahovica
Orahovica
Location of Orahovica in Croatia
Coordinates: 45°31′58″N 17°52′46″E / 45.532853°N 17.879537°E / 45.532853; 17.879537
Country Croatia
County Virovitica-Podravina County
Government
 • MayorSaša Rister (HDZ)
Area
 • Town124.2 km2 (48.0 sq mi)
 • Urban
34.6 km2 (13.4 sq mi)
Elevation
183 m (600 ft)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Town4,537
 • Density37/km2 (95/sq mi)
 • Urban
3,384
 • Urban density98/km2 (250/sq mi)
Postal Code
33515
Area code+385 33
Vehicle registrationNA, SL
Websiteorahovica.hr

History

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Ružica Grad

The name Orahovica is derived from the word orah, meaning a walnut tree.

Orahovica was first officially mentioned in the year 1228, in a historical document issued by king Andrew II. Ružica fortification, not far from Orahovica, was first mentioned in the year 1357 as a royal estate. In the 15th and the first half of the 16th century the town was a thriving community owned by various patricians (Nikola Kont, Lovro Iločki, Ladislav Iločki, Ladislav More etc.)

Suleiman I, in his 1542 campaign, conquered Orahovica. It was renamed as "Rahoviçe" and initially was kaza centre in Sanjak of Pojega, which initially part of Budin Eyalet (1542-1580), later in Bosna Eyalet (1580-1600) and finally in Kanije Eyalet. It became a notable sanjak centre in Kanije Eyalet in 1601. The Turkish rule lasted till the year 1687. After the liberation, and up until the end of the 19th century many prominent noble families, like the Pejačević family, and the Mihalović family, owned the town.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Orahovica was part of the Virovitica County of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia.

In the 20th century the town was a centre of a large municipality with a well-developed industry, and agriculture.

During the Croatian War of Independence Orahovica suffered from a number of shell attacks that caused certain material damage.

It received the status of a town (grad) in 1997.

Economy

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Orahovica has a developed industry of tile production, panel-parquet, wine production, fruit and vegetables processing, and metal processing. Agriculture plays an important role for the town economy (crop and livestock farming, fresh water fish, fruit and vineyards).

Population

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In the 2011 census, the total population of the administrative area of Orahovica was 5,304, distributed in the following settlements:[3]

Town of Orahovica: Population trends 1857–2021
population
3655
3834
3730
4136
4581
5745
5954
6845
5601
5906
5890
5834
6244
6262
5792
5304
4537
18571869188018901900191019211931194819531961197119811991200120112021

In 2011, 87% of the population were Croats.[4]

Orahovica (settlement), ethnic composition
Year of census 2001 1991 1981 1971 1961
Croats 3,519 (82.56%) 2,999 (69.51%) 2,593 (64.74%) 2,587 (76.26%) 2,453 (80.82%)
Serbs 478 (11.21%) 771 (17.87%) 618 (15.43%) 604 (17.80%) 495 (16.30%)
Yugoslavs 0 218 (5.05%) 649 (16.20%) 118 (3.47%) 19 (0.62%)
others and unknown 265 (6.21%) 326 (7.55%) 145 (3.62%) 83 (2.44%) 68 (2.24%)
total 4,262 4,314 4,005 3,392 3,035
  • Source: CD-rom: "Naselja i stanovništvo RH od 1857-2001. godine", Izdanje Državnog zavoda za statistiku Republike Hrvatske, Zagreb, 2005.

Politics

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Minority councils

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Directly elected minority councils and representatives are tasked with consulting tasks for the local or regional authorities in which they are advocating for minority rights and interests, integration into public life and participation in the management of local affairs.[5] At the 2023 Croatian national minorities councils and representatives elections Serbs of Croatia fulfilled legal requirements to elect 15 members minority councils of the Town of Orahovica but with only 11 representatives being elected in the body in the end.[6]

Notable sights

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Orahovica Monastery
  • Orahovica's Lake - the most popular destination every summer.
  • Locomotive "Ćiro" - in the middle of the town
  • Ružica grad - old ruins of the fortress near the lake
  • Orahovica Monastery - Serbian Orthodox monastery
  • Watermill - in the city park

Education

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  • Kindergarten "Palčić"
  • Primary school "I.B. - Mažuranić"
  • High School "Stjepan Ivšić"

Tourism

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Renaissance festival depicting the Order of the Knights of Ružica Castle

Orahovica became one of the most popular tourist destinations in Virovitica-Podravina County and Slavonia. Its culture, events, beautiful nature, sports and lake attract more and more tourists every year. The Spring of Orahovica, an annual cultural and tourist festival, is held since 1957.

Notable natives and residents

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References

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  1. ^ Register of spatial units of the State Geodetic Administration of the Republic of Croatia. Wikidata Q119585703.
  2. ^ "Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements" (xlsx). Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2022.
  3. ^ "Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements, 2011 Census: Orahovica". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. December 2012.
  4. ^ "Population by Ethnicity, by Towns/Municipalities, 2011 Census: County of Virovitica-Podravina". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. December 2012.
  5. ^ "Manjinski izbori prve nedjelje u svibnju, kreću i edukacije". T-portal. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Informacija o konačnim rezultatima izbora članova vijeća i izbora predstavnika nacionalnih manjina 2023. X. VIROVITIČKO-PODRAVSKA ŽUPANIJA" (PDF) (in Croatian). Državno izborno povjerenstvo Republike Hrvatske. 2023. p. 5. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
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