Daruvár is a city and municipality in the Belovar-Bilogora County of Croatia. It serves as the political and cultural center for the Czech national minority in Croatia and has a history of over two thousand years with balneological and winemaking traditions. It is located approximately 50 kilometers southwest of Verőce. The present-day Daruvár developed as part of the Janković Counts' estate, and during this period, the Baroque Daruvár Castle was constructed, surrounded by a vast park. According to the 2011 census, there is a Hungarian minority population of 114 people, which represents roughly 1% of the city's population.
Economy:
The most significant agricultural and food processing companies operating in the area include:
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The Daruvar Brewery was founded in 1840 by Izidor Janković. Beer production followed an old Czech recipe, reflected in the name of the beer, "Staročeško pivo." The brewery currently supplies the Croatian market with 255,000 hectoliters of Daruvar beer annually, which amounts to 51 million bottles of half-liter beer.
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Daruvar vineyards are also prominent in the area.
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"IRIDA" stands for "Industrija ribe Daruvar" and represents a fish processing factory established in 1978. It was the first such facility in the continental part of Croatia. Initially focused on processing freshwater fish, it has expanded to include processing of sea fish. Its main activities involve the processing, packaging, and storage of frozen seafood products.
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Badel 1862 is a winemaking company specializing in producing quality wines. They cultivate approximately 200 hectares of land that they own and an additional 80 hectares of privately-owned land. Their best-quality wines include Daruvarska graševina (Riesling), white Pinot, red Pinot, white Chardonnay, white Sauvignon, and white Riesling.
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Poljodar Tim d.o.o. is a traditional agricultural company specializing in the production of cereals, corn, rapeseed oil, soybeans, and seeds using modern technology.
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Majdak Promet d.o.o. is engaged in cattle breeding and meat processing.
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Biogal d.o.o. is a dairy plant.
Other notable companies include Vesna, a textile factory producing upper garments for the domestic market for over 40 years, employing approximately 220 people, mostly women.
Culture:
The public library was established in 1946, and in 1961, the People's College (Népfőiskola) was opened, which has undergone changes in its organizational structure over time. It encompasses the driving school, city radio, library, and music school. Since 1999, it operates under the name Népi nyílt tanintézet (POU) and oversees the Croatian House as well. POU organizes cultural activities such as music, theater, and movie performances, concerts, lectures, amateur festivals, and exhibitions. It also offers educational activities, including foreign language instruction, computer training, vocational courses, workshops, and hobby activities. POU supports amateur cultural groups and has been providing hospitality services since 1999. It also supports minority cultures. The cultural life of the local Czech community is directed by the Češka beseda (formerly Čehoslovačka beseda) association. It houses the Frano Burian Library, which has a significant collection of Czech-language books. The Czech community has two local magazines: the weekly "Jednota" and the monthly publication for children called "Naš koutek." For some time after 1945, Daruvár residents had their own newspaper. From 1955 until 1978, the local newspaper called Vjesnik komuna was published. The most important information for locals is obtained from Radio Daruvar, which has been broadcasting since 1968.
The official website of the city is: https://daruvar.hr/
