Daruvar

Daruvar (Daruvar, Daruwar, Daruvár, Дарувар, Aquae Balissae) is a spa town and municipality in Slavonia, northeastern Croatia with a population of 8,567. The area including the surrounding villages (Dar. Vinogradi, Doljani, Donji Daruvar, Gornji Daruvar, Lipovac Majur, Ljudevit Selo, Markovac, and Vrbovac) has a population of 11,633 as of 2011. It is located on the foothills of Papuk mountain and along the Toplica River. The main political and cultural centre of the Czech national minority in Croatia, it has a winemaking tradition reportedly dating back more than 2,000 years. Coordinates: Area: 64 km2 Altitude: 190 m Daruvar is located 125 km from Zagreb, the national capital, and 130 km from Osijek, the main city of Slavonia to the east. The closest cities are Pakrac, Lipik, Novska, Križevci, Bjelovar, and Virovitica. Daruvar is located in the Bjelovar-Bilogora County. The list of settlements within the city limits is: Daruvar, population 8,567 Daruvarski Vinogradi, population 164 Doljani, population 759 Donji Daruvar, population 731 Gornji Daruvar, population 436 Lipovac Majur, population 83 Ljudevit Selo, population 252 Markovac, population 80 Vrbovac, population 561 Its name is a conjunction of the Hungarian words daru (crane) and vár (castle). Archaeological findings here, (stone axes), could be traced back to the Stone Age. The history of Daruvar could be traced to the 4th century BC, when the first organized habitation emerged near the warm geothermal spas in today's Daruvar valley. Celtic - Pannonian tribes living here and familiar with water treatments benefiting health, were Iassi, (meaning healers), so called by both Greek and Roman writers. As allies of the Roman Empire, the tribes provided support to Emperor Augustus during the siege of Siscia, (today's Sisak), and in the year 35, Iassi were granted local autonomy known as Res Publica Iasorum. The center of it was Aquae Balissae, meaning very strong springs. In the year 124, during the reign of Hadrian, the area gained additional autonomy as Municipium Iassorum.