Municipality of Hlebine: Naive Art and Podravina Traditions

Naive Art in the Gallery and the Hlebine School

The Galerija naivne umjetnosti Hlebine was established in 1968 as a branch of the Muzej grada Koprivnice, in a purpose-built museum and gallery building. The gallery’s sculpture park was established in 1974; in 1985, the gallery received the Ivan Generalić Museum Collection. Today, the naive art collection comprises just over 500 museum objects: paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints. The collection was granted the status of a cultural asset of the Republic of Croatia in 2016.

A particular focus is on glass paintings by the first and second generations of the Hlebine School. Artists represented include Ivan Generalić, Franjo Mraz, Mirko Virius, Franjo Filipović, Dragan Gaži, Josip Generalić, Francina Dolenec, Mijo Kovačić and Ivan Večenaj. Naive painting from Podravina depicts scenes from rural life and tranquil landscapes, uses vivid local colours and is distinguished in particular by painting on glass. One individual work also stands out: Ivan Generalić’s “Rogati konj” is considered one of his outstanding works from the 1960s in terms of quality. The Galerija also has a permanent museum exhibition of paintings donated by the artist.

The history of the Hlebine School dates back to the early 1930s. Krsto Hegedušić set it in motion after becoming acquainted with works by Ivan Generalić and Franjo Mraz. Today, the School of Painting and Sculpture includes more than two hundred names from different generations. The Hlebine School is also a cultural tourism programme featuring artistic gatherings, workshops, art colonies, a naive art fair and naive art courses.

Church Art and Other Places of Remembrance

The Church of St. Catherine was built in 1834 on the site of an older wooden church. It stands in the centre of the village, at the crossroads of routes to Koprivnica and Molve, and features late Baroque and Neoclassical elements. Inside the church is a Stations of the Cross decorated with works by naive artists. The organ also has its own history: it was built in 1837 by Ignatz Petter, an organ builder from Varaždin. The church thus brings together architecture, music and naive art in one place.

Other places of remembrance highlight different aspects of local history. Stara kuća Ivana Generalića is a memorial museum that opened to the public in 1992. The gallery and studio of Josip Generalić were established in 1995. The ethnographic house Janičina hiža was established in 1999. The House of the Hegedušić Brothers is associated with Krsto Hegedušić’s membership of the Zemlja group from 1929 to 1936, and with Željko Hegedušić’s surrealist works. Together, these places trace different facets of local art and cultural history.

Podravina Cuisine, Crafts and Time Outdoors

The Stari Zanati estate is also about crafts and food. Designed in an ethnographic style, the estate welcomes groups and individuals of up to 30 people by prior arrangement. Guests are served traditional Podravina dishes, prepared according to old recipes with ingredients from the estate and the surrounding area. Visitors can also make bread or lepinja and learn about traditional crafts: from Davor the potter, Zlatko the painter and Ervin the blacksmith. Stari Zanati’s seasonal events include the Čvarkijada and Rakija Days.

The artificial lakes in the Municipality of Hlebine are also among the leisure activities described here; anglers from Podravina use them for fishing. Thus, art and culture, as well as crafts, regional cuisine and fishing, are all possible travel interests within the municipality, although they do not form a single circular route.

When searching for a holiday rental, you can use your preferred focus as a guide: if the Galerija and art history are your main interests, Hlebine is a suitable place to search. If you would also like to consider Stari Zanati and the artificial lakes, you can search across the Municipality of Hlebine. The main question, then, is whether you would rather plan your trip around the art in the village or around different interests across the municipality.

Other municipality destinations: Municipality of Kalnik, Municipality of Rasinja, Municipality of Drnje, Municipality of Molve, Municipality of Sveti Petar Orehovec, Municipality of Legrad, Municipality of Sveti Ivan Žabno.

For the broader travel overview: Koprivnica-Križevci County.