Municipality of Gola: Nature and Culture on the Drava

The Municipality of Gola combines landscapes along the Drava with protected natural areas, cultural sites and options for active days. You can choose your destination based on your interests: nature watching and easy walks, galleries and history, or cycling and canoe tours. The various places and activities give these interests a tangible focus within the municipality.

Nature on the Drava

The area of the Municipality of Gola is part of the Natura 2000 site “Gornji tok Drave”. The river and wetland ecosystems along the Drava are particularly significant. One striking landscape site is Čambina in Ždala: this protected landscape area covers 50 hectares and was formed from a former meander of the Drava. Birdwatching, easy walks, photography and educational visits are possible there. Depending on your interests, a visit to nature can focus on observation, exercise or capturing the landscape.

Ždala is also home to a group of pedunculate oaks, protected as a natural monument since 1998. Only two of the trees originally protected remain. Unlike the extensive Čambina landscape area, the focus here is on a specific group of trees: a second, much more narrowly defined point of interest in the municipality’s protected nature.

Cultural Sites and History

Protected cultural heritage is also tied to specific places. The Church of the Holy Trinity in Ždala is protected as immovable cultural property in Croatia. The Jewish cemetery in the Municipality of Gola is among Croatia’s protected cultural heritage sites. The two places represent different aspects of cultural heritage, and offer different kinds of visits.

The Stara Škola Gola Gallery is housed in a former primary school building dating from 1897. In Gola, the Etno Kuća Večenaj contains a collection of 700 ethnographic objects. Another place connected with nature is the Bolenov dravski put Interpretation Centre, with eight themed exhibition rooms devoted to the natural heritage of the Municipality of Gola. The range thus extends from a historic school building, through an ethnographic collection, to the interpretation of natural heritage.

Art and Workshops

The Art Centar Ješkovo is located beside an old branch of the Drava. A sculpture collection lines its walking path. The centre runs ceramics and camera obscura workshops for children, young people and adults. If you plan to attend a workshop, arrange the date in advance.

In Ždala, the Kolarić Studio and Gallery displays more than 350 works by Mihael Kolarić, as well as monumental sculptures by Petar Kolarić. Creative workshops for children, young people and adults are also offered; if you plan to take part in a workshop, confirm the date in advance. The Ivan Večenaj Gallery contains more than 100 works. Visitors can view paintings on glass and canvas, drawings and watercolours there, with knowledgeable, personal guidance from the Večenaj family. It is advisable to arrange a visit to the private collection in advance.

By Bike and on the Water

The international EuroVelo 13 cycling route, also known as the Iron Curtain Trail, runs through Gola and the Drava region. Regional cycling routes connect the Croatian and Hungarian Podravina regions. As well as the international route, regional connections provide alternative ways to plan cycling tours. Route conditions can change, so check them before setting off.

A municipal project report dated 2 July 2026 states that 20 electric bicycles and charging stations were purchased for the Bolenov dravski put project, and an app for billing and rentals was set up. Canoe trips on the Drava in the Municipality of Gola range from short, leisurely outings to routes of 30 kilometres. Cycling and canoeing thus offer different scales for an active stay: a named cycling route through Gola and the Drava region, or a water route that can be up to 30 kilometres long.

Discover more destinations: Gola, Municipality of Sveti Ivan Žabno, Municipality of Sveti Petar Orehovec, Municipality of Rasinja, Municipality of Legrad, Municipality of Molve, Municipality of Kalnik, Municipality of Križevci.

For the broader travel overview: Koprivnica-Križevci County.