MUNICIPALITY OF BREZNICKI HUM
At the foot of the southeastern slopes of Ivanscica and southwestern slopes of Kalnik hills, 25 km away from the city of Varazdin, lies the settlement of Breznicki Hum. The eponymous Municipality was founded on 16 April 1993 as a separate territorial and local government unit with the villages of Butkovec, Krscenovec, Radesic and Scepanje.
Municipality of Breznicki Hum is one of the 28 local government units in the Varazdin County. By surface area it is one of the smaller municipalities in the Varazdin County, covering an area of about 26 km2 of agricultural surface, barren areas and other land. Municipality is located in the basin of the river Lonja, with Lonja and its right tributaries the most important watercourses in the Municipality.
Remains of shells and crystals in stone clusters visible at the entrance of the village reveal evidence that this area was once seabed of the Pannonian Sea. Local residents call said stone cluster ”The Cave”. Municipality has a mild warm – rainy climate. On average, the warmest month is July with the mean monthly temperature of 19.5° to 19.8°C, and the coldest month is January with -1.0° to -1.3°C.
Through the center of the Municipality of Breznicki Hum passes the traffic route Budapest-Varazdin-Zagreb-Rijeka of international importance. Traffic position of the Municipality was improved further by construction of the highway Zagreb-Varazdin-Gorican and the connection to it through junction in Breznicki Hum. One part of the said route originates from the Roman times, who, while building this section, left here several fragments of their rich ancient artwork as well.
According to the last census (from 2011.) the Municipality has 1,356 inhabitants, indicating the population density of about 59 inhabitants / km2. With the mild climate and fertile soil most of the local population works in agriculture, mostly farming, but also cattle and poultry farming, fruit growing, winegrowing and wood manufacturing. Metalworking industry is also considerably developed, as several export-oriented companies engaged in metal processing operate in the Municipality.
HISTORY
Name of the municipal and parish center Breznicki Hum changed through the course of history. As the main feature the local residents mention the Lonja river, which flows through the town. In the first half of the 14th century archdeacon Ivan mentions the parish church ”Sancti Martini de Lona” and the parish is from its beginnings under the protection of St. Martin.
A hundred years later the diminutive of original name ”Lonjica” replaces the existing name ”Lona”, and the parish is addressed as ”Sancti Martini in Lonyza”. In the second half of 17th and during the 18th century settlement is named after the church of St. Martin, who is considered the patron saint of winegrowers and passengers.
Humski family emblem, 17th c.
In the middle of the 18th c. the name Polonija appears – ”in Polojni”. In the last decade of the same century the village is named ”Hum” after the estate of the Humski noble family. In the 19th c. the estate owners are baron Jelacic Buzimski and his family, and in the 1880s the estate ”Hum” becomes the property of Tito pl. Ozegovic-Barlabasevacki.
The name Hum St. Martin appears at the start of the 20th century. From then till today the parish is placed under the protection of St. Martin the Bishop. Current name of the settlement is used as of late 1920s, although it is mentioned earlier.
Baron Eduard Jelacic-Buzimski
EDUCATION
Primary school education in the Municipality is conducted in the Primary school Breznicki Hum and the Regional primary school in the village of Scepanje. The beginnings of public education in Hum date from the beginning of the second half of the 19th c. The noticed need for an establishment of a public learning institution was addressed on 16 June 1852. In 1860, local residents have built a new school building. The current school building is used as of 1 January 1965. The primary school in Scepanje was founded on November 9, 1958. In early 1960, until then an independent Primary school Scepanje became a regional department of the central school in Breznicki Hum.
PARISH OF ST. MARTIN THE BISHOP
The parish of St. Martin the Bishop in Breznicki Hum covers the villages of Breznicki Hum, Breznica, Butkovec, Paka, and parts of Radesic and Scepanje. The main patron of the church of St. Martin is celebrated on November 11. During the devastations of Ottoman wars in the 16th and 17th c., the parish church was devastated and the parish merged with the parish of Hrascina. This is finally changed in 1789 with the founding of the parish of Hum. The present church is a protected cultural monument. In November 2006. a self-taught painter Josip Marencic repainted the interior of the church mostly following the pattern of the 1936 painter Ivan Cmerekar. A large number of smaller religious buildings such as chapels, shrines and crucifixes can also be found in the Municipality.
The parish of St. Martin the Bishop
NGOs
Several NGOs operate in the Municipality and their work and efforts help the development of the Municipality of Breznicki Hum. 3 volunteer fire brigades (DVD Breznicki Hum, DVD Radesic, DVD Šcepanje) operate in the Municipality, all with long tradition and experience. Also operating in the Municipality is the Brass band St. Martin, whose work helps in the preservation of the cultural heritage of the region.
SIGHTS:
PAN’S SPRING
Near the entrance to the village of Breznicki Hum is a preserved ancient trough or watering site. On the front of the object is a man’s head with ram horns. This is the so-called Pan’s spring. According to ancient Greek mythology Pan was the god of forests, patron of the flocks and the shepherds that caused fear with his sudden appearance with wind and roar.
Pan’s Spring
STONE BRIDGE ON LONJA
The stone bridge on the Lonja
The stone bridge over the river Lonja on the road Varazdin – Zagreb is classified by the Conservation Department as an architectural heritage. Precise time of the building of the bridge is not know and it was likely build sometime between 16th and 19th century. The bridge has a total length of 22 m and three arches.
Church Tavern
While on pilgrimage to Marija Bistrica, many travelers used to rest and recover in the ”Church tavern”. Local pastor Ivan Kotarski in 1889 gave the church grounds along the today’s state road for construction of a building that would serve this purpose. Today demolished, the two former buildings along the state road made the complex locals called the ”Church tavern”. The object that housed the tavern and a store was also known as a postal station to Vienna and Budapest, and the building opposite it was used for lodging and rest. Because of this historical background, Municipality of Breznicki Hum has placed in its distinctive coat of arms the motifs of a pump and a postal trumpet.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS
An archaeological site in Breznicki Hum was found in an accidental discovery of two stone axes in the river Lonja, probably from the Eneolithic or Copper Age. Axes were found in the 19th century, and are now housed in the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb. The village of Breznicki Hum is also the location of the archaeological site on the hill Humscak. The local name of the site is the “Old Town”, and is located near a small pond. The site is undergoing active exploration, and so far items from the Eneolithic, late Bronze and / or early Iron Age, Antiquity and the early modern period have been found there.
CONTACT
Address: Breznicki Hum 4, 42225 Breznicki Hum
Phone: 042 618 127
Fax: 042 209 828
E-mail: info@breznicki-hum.hr
Web: http://www.breznicki-hum.hr
Information Clerk:
Senior Clerk Jasminka Pazur Franjcic
UNIFIED ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENT
Senior Clerk Jasminka Pazur Franjcic
Phone: 042 618 127
Fax: 042 209 828
E-mail: opcina.breznicki.hum@vz.htnet.hr
Working hours: 7:30 – 15:00 every day from Monday to
Friday
MAYOR OF THE MUNICIPALITY
Zoran Hegedic
Mob: 091 618 1277
E-mail: nacelnik@breznicki-hum.hr
Office hours for clients: Tuesday and Thursday from 9 to 12 hours
DEPUTY MAYOR
Alenko Vnucec
Mob: 098 868 102
E-mail: zamjenik@breznicki-hum.hr
PRESIDENT OF THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
Zeljko Sremec
Mob: 099 860 2823
E-mail: predsjednik@breznicki-hum.hr