| |
|
Bjelovar-Bilogora county - Bjelovarsko-bilogorska županija
The central town of Bjelovar is one of the younger towns of Central Croatia, as it was first mentioned in 1413, and it only gained importance when a new fort was built in 1756 to defend against the Ottoman invasions. The town had to wait until the end of the wars to be pronounced a free royal town by ban Ivan Mažuranić in 1874.
The other part of the county name is for the picturesque hill of Bilogora that stretches along the northern edge of the county.