Samobor

Samobor is a city in Zagreb county, Croatia, population 36,206 (2001). It is located to the west of Zagreb, between the eastern slopes of Samoborsko gorje (Samobor hills, the eastern part of the Žumberak Mountains), in the Sava river valley. It is part of the Zagreb metropolitan area, and the County of Zagreb (Zagrebačka županija). Samobor has existed as a free royal town since 1242 according to a document of endowment by King Bela IV. Its history and culture are rich and various. It is one of the earliest tourist resorts in the region, with the first tourist facilities dating back to 1810, oriented towards anglers, hunters and hikers. The town's beautiful surroundings and vicinity to the capital have been supporting this tourist tradition to the present day. Many famous Croats were born or lived in Samobor. Such notable personalities are: Ferdo Livadić Wiesner, piano composer and the writer of the most famous Croatian patriotic song (budnica), 'Još Hrvatska ni propala' ('Croatia hasn't perished yet'); A.G. Matoš, poet and writer, who abode in Samobor for only four years; and Milan Lang, reformer of education in Croatia and teacher in the Samobor school. In 1846, Samobor was paid a visit by the composer Franz Liszt, who at that time was visiting Zagreb during one of his numerous concert-tours. Liszt came to Samobor to see his friend, previously mentioned Ferdo Livadić. One of the chief industries in Samobor is crystal cutting. Some of the best crystal in Europe comes from Samobor and is highly prized all over the world.