Church of St Nicholas

Why it is worth your time

The Church of St Nicholas is the oldest parish church of Varazdin and the place where the city's oldest coat of arms is read: at the foot of the bell tower stands a stone relief with a bear, the sign the city carried on its medieval seal before it was replaced by today's arms with a tower. The church was originally Romanesque and is mentioned as early as the 13th century, and its present look was given by the baroque of the 18th century, when after a fire it was rebuilt with a new facade, altars and bell tower.

St Nicholas is the patron of travellers and merchants, which suits a city that lived for centuries off trade on the road to the north. The interior is simpler than the cathedral's, with a high altar and an organ, and the church is open around the masses. It lies two minutes from the main square, toward the Stari grad, and fits easily into a tour. Look for the bear on the stone: it is the oldest preserved city symbol, older than all the baroque facades around it.