Discover Bizovac: Kurija Normann and the Lakes

In Bizovac, historic architecture meets a lake landscape formed by former clay pits. Two different visiting conditions are relevant to your planning: the traditional costume exhibition can be visited on weekdays by prior arrangement, while swimming is a summer-season activity.

Kurija Normann and Bizovac Traditional Costumes

In the centre of Bizovac stands Kurija Normann, also known as Dvorac Normann Prandau-Ehrenfels. The manor house dates from the 19th century and retains features of its original period and style. Kurija houses the permanent exhibition “Bizovačko blago,” featuring original men’s and women’s traditional costumes from Bizovac. You can visit the exhibition on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. by prior arrangement. Confirm your appointment before travelling, as visiting arrangements may change.

A visit brings together two distinct aspects of the place: the manor house’s architecture and the traditional garments on display there. If you plan to see both, arrange your visit around the agreed exhibition time.

Bizovački bajer: Lakes and the Summer Season

Bizovački bajer consists of several former clay-mining lakes and covers a total area of about 15 hectares. Visitors can fish and swim there; swimming is available during the summer season. The waters are managed by the local Bandar fishing association. Check local swimming and fishing conditions before your visit.

The timing of a visit to the water differs from a visit to Kurija: swimming is seasonal, while the exhibition is open on weekdays by prior arrangement. This lets you plan each activity around its relevant season or appointment, without treating both as activities available on the same terms.

In the wider destination of Općina Bizovac

In Bizovac, within the wider destination of Općina Bizovac, stands the parish church of St Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist. Built in 1802, it has a simple Baroque-Classical style. The church therefore offers an earlier point of reference than the 19th-century Kurija Normann.

Brođanci is also part of the wider destination of Općina Bizovac. There, the “Olimpijada starih sportova” was founded on 25 February 1973 as a sports and cultural event to preserve local heritage and regional folk traditions. It takes place every year on the last Sunday in August. Check the exact date for your travel year. Traditional events include Kandžijanje, Tokač, tug-of-war, stone putting, horseshoe throwing and sack racing; individual events may vary. The “Bizovačke ljetne večeri” also include a traditional international Fišijada, where cooks prepare Fiš paprikash. Check participation details before your visit.

Općina Bizovac is mostly flat and low-lying. The Danube, Drava, Sava and their tributaries shape its present-day relief; the elevation ranges from 90 to 100 metres. This regional landscape context complements the local picture of the former clay-pit lakes, without equating the two geographical levels.

Getting around the wider destination

State road D2 runs through the settlements of Bizovac, Cret Bizovački and Samatovci, which belong to Općina Bizovac. Općina Bizovac is also served by the R202 regional railway line (Varaždin–Koprivnica–Virovitica–Osijek–Dalj) and the L207 local railway line (Bizovac–Belišće). There is a railway station in the centre of Bizovac. Before travelling, check train connections and timetables, as well as current road conditions.

For the wider travel overview: Općina Bizovac.