Krapina

Krapina
Town
Top: Krapina Rectory; Bottom left: Town center; Bottom right: Chestnut tree alley
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Krapina Show map of Krapina-Zagorje County Krapina Show map of Croatia Location of Krapina in Croatia
Coordinates: 46°10′N 15°52′E / 46.16°N 15.87°E / 46.16; 15.87Coordinates: 46°10′N 15°52′E / 46.16°N 15.87°E / 46.16; 15.87
Country	Croatia
County	Krapina-Zagorje
Government
• Mayor	Zoran Gregurović (HDZ)
Area
• Town	47.53 km2 (18.35 sq mi)
Elevation	203 m (666 ft)
Population (2011)
• Town	12,479
• Density	260/km2 (680/sq mi)
• Urban	4,482
Time zone	Central European Time (UTC+1)
Postal code	49 000
Area code(s)	049
Vehicle registration	KR
Website	http://www.krapina.hr/

Krapina (pronounced [krâpina]) is a town in northern Croatia and the administrative centre of Krapina-Zagorje County with a population of 4,482 (2011) and a total municipality population of 12,480 (2011). Krapina is located in the hilly Zagorje region of Croatia, approximately 55 km (34 mi) away from both Zagreb and Varaždin.

The following settlements comprise the Krapina municipality:

Krapina has been known since 1193. It has always been a favorite site for castles and country houses of Croatian and Hungarian rulers.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, Krapina was a district capital in the Varaždin County of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia.

In 1899, on a hill called Hušnjakovo near modern Krapina, the archaeologist and paleontologist Dragutin Gorjanović-Kramberger found over eight hundred fossil remains belonging to Neanderthals.

The half-cave in Krapina was soon listed among the world"s science localities as a rich fossil finding site, where the largest and richest collection of the Neanderthal man had ever been found. In the sandy deposits of the cave about nine hundred remains of fossilised human bones were found - the fossil remains belonged to several dozen different individuals, of different sex, from 2 to 40 years of age.

Krapina is a home to yearly Festival kajkavske popevke (The festival of kajkavian song) sung in the local Kajkavian dialect.

At the site where the Neanderthals remains were discovered there is now a state-of-the-art Neanderthal museum which also includes an extensive segment on evolution, making it one of the most interesting evolutionary museums in Europe. It is surrounded by a park with many statues of Neanderthals and their game, a bear, a moose and a beaver set in the actual locations. There is also a nearby municipality of Krapinske Toplice (Krapina spa) with numerous thermal springs and spa tourist infrastructure. Krapina is also the birthplace of the linguist and language reformer Ljudevit Gaj. His home is now a museum where visitors can learn about his life and work.