Hrvatsko Zagorje

Hrvatsko zagorje (pronounced [xř̩ʋatskɔ zǎːɡɔrjɛ]; zagorje is Croatian for "backland" or "behind the hills") is a cultural region in northern Croatia, traditionally separated from the country's capital Zagreb by the Medvednica Mountain. It comprises the whole area north of Mount Medvednica up to Slovenia in the north and west, and up to the regions of Međimurje and Podravina in the north and east.[1] The population of Zagorje is not recorded as such, as it is administratively divided among Krapina-Zagorje County (total population 142,432), and western and central part of Varaždin County (total population 183,730). The population of Zagorje can be reasonably estimated to exceed 300,000 people.

Typical Zagorje panorama

Veliki Tabor Castle

Scene of Hrvatsko Zagorje in a village near Marija Bistrica

In Croatia, the area is usually referred to simply as Zagorje (Croatian for "backland" or "behind the hills"; with respect to Medvednica). However, to avoid confusion with the nearby municipality of Zagorje ob Savi in Slovenia, the Croatian part is called Hrvatsko zagorje, meaning "Croatian Zagorje".

The town of Krapina is often referred to as the cultural capital of Kajkavian dialect, the South Slavic regiolect spoken in north-western Croatia. Every year, the Festival of Kajkavian Song (Croatian: Festival kajkavske popevke) takes place in Krapina.[2]