Return to childhood
Veliki Grđevac, the birthplace of the literary classic written by Mato Lovrak, attracts thousands of students and adults from all parts of Croatia every year. The Lovrak Culture Days are held here, and visitors can enjoy the memorial room of Mato Lovrak as well as cultural events that bring his works to life.
One of the main attractions is the mill from Pero the Lump’s Gang, identical to the one from the famous novel, located in the place where Pero and his group restored it. As part of the Mato Lovrak Center, there is also a railway track with an authentic steam locomotive and three wagons, representing Lovrak’s work Train in the Snow. Visitors can also explore the traditional miller’s house, children’s playground and numerous ethnographic facilities.
Lovrak’s center attracts a large number of schools from all over Croatia, which organize school trips so that students can get to know Lovrak’s work better. Lovrak Culture Days are held every year in late May or early June, and they include the Creativity Fair, which further emphasizes the importance and beauty of Lovrak’s works.
In addition to the Center, visitors can take a 2 km long informative Nature Friends Trail. There are information stations on the trail that reveal to visitors the rich flora and fauna of this region. Special attractions are otters, which adorn the municipal coat of arms, and a small colony of beavers that lives near the mill of the Pero the Lump’s Gang.
The Lovrak Center not only preserves cultural heritage, but is also a unique place that brings to life stories from favorite children’s books and creates unforgettable memories for visitors of all generations.
