Čakovec

Čakovec (tʃâkoʋets; Csáktornya; Aquama; Tschakathurn) is a city in Northern Croatia, located around north of Zagreb, the Croatian capital. Čakovec is both the county seat and the largest city of Međimurje County, the northernmost, smallest and most densely populated Croatian county. The city administrative area of Čakovec includes the following settlements: Čakovec, population 15,147 Ivanovec, population 2,093 Krištanovec, population 626 Kuršanec, population 1,584 Mačkovec, population 1,326 Mihovljan, population 1,380 Novo Selo na Dravi, population 634 Novo Selo Rok, population 1,441 Savska Ves, population 1,217 Slemenice, population 244 Šandorovec, population 335 Totovec, population 534 Žiškovec, population 543 The adjacent villages of Belica, Nedelišće, Pribislavec, Strahoninec and Šenkovec are seats of separate municipalities, although they are all located within of the city's centre. The total population of the city's metropolitan area, with all of the aforementioned villages is approximately 45,000. At the 2001 census, the city of Čakovec had a population of 15,790 within its limits, which was a slight decrease from the 1991 census, when it was 15,999. With its surrounding suburbs included it had a population of 30,455 at the 2001 census. The city's present day population primarily consists of ethnic Croats at 93.8%, with the largest minority being Romani at 3.8% of the municipality. Other ethnic groups are Serbs, Hungarians, Slovenes and Albanians. According to the geographer Strabo's reports in the 1st century, today's location of the city of Čakovec was the site of Aquama (wet town) in Roman times and at the time a marshland, a military post and a legionnaire camp. The name Čakovec (Csáktornya, Csakathurn or Tschakathurn) comes from the first name of the ispán Csák Hahót. With the beginning of the 13th century he erected the timber fortification which was later named Csák's tower (Čakov toranj). It was mentioned for the first time in 1328 and the place appeared in the official books in 1333.