Cottages on Hill, Zagorje, Croatia

Cottages on Hill offer you experiences from the time of your grandparents but also reveal the joy of rural life in contemporary context. You can stay in a larger house and/or in small cottages that used to be given to young married couples. We offer unique accommodation in recently renovated 19th century traditional houses. All interiors are decorated with works of art and / or ethnographic items. If you are looking for a peaceful oasis in Zagorje region Cottages on Hill are excellent choice for holidays and hanging around with family and friends. Romantic surroundings make them also ideal place for couples. Enjoy in our lovely garden and prepare your own barbecue or learn how to make local specialties like kotlovina or čobanac under the guidance of the host. The main house consists of two 2-bedrooms and a single-room (serves as a living room during the winter). There is a central gas-heating system in the house plus a traditional wood-fuelled stove. Three bathrooms are decorated with hand-made mosaics and each has a shower, toilet and washbasin. It can be rented with the one-room cottage Marica that has no bathroom of its own. All rooms have painted walls with unique patterns and are furnished with contemporary and traditional pieces of furniture. Paintings, graphics, art and craft objects give creative ambiance to the place. Guests can prepare their own meals in the kitchen. There is a TV and a good selection of books in our library. A large porch in front of the house serves as a fantastic living room during summertime with a dining area or place for playing social games. It can be also transformed into an atelier with – we have a painter's stand waiting for you take a brush in the hand. Check-in checkout policy: Check in: from 14.00 Check out: until 11.00 Winter time prices valid from 1 October – 31 April. Summer time prices valid from 1 May – 30 September. Special prices apply for Christmas/ New Year holidays We are situated in the Nature Park Medvednica and recommend arrival by car, motorbike or bike. Distance from Zagreb is about 50 kilometers (via highway). From the highway Maribor – Zagreb take exist Zabok and then follow the direction Donja Stubica. After passing the center of Donja Stubica (but before reaching Gornja Stubica) take the right turn at Golubovec where you will see the sign for Hižakovec. In Donja Stubica, only a 5-minute drive from the cottages, there is a well-known spa center with several swimming pools and variety of wellness programs. A 20-minute walk will take you to the Gubec Lime Tree and on the next hill you will find the Museum of Peasant Uprisings. Information about exhibitions, concerts and events is available on the venue. Our region is rich in gastronomic delights, which you can try in different local restaurants. Our village is the birth place of Croatian national hero Matija Gubec – the leader of Great Peasant Revolt in 1573. You can visit his memory house, Gubec lime-tree nursery and the vineyard with traditional sorts of grapes. Since medieval times Hižakovec has been famous for wine production and today many producers offer wine-tasting gatherings. Did you know that the near-by hamlet Slani Potok (Salt Creek) was named after a salty spring? An open-air museum Dišeća starina is in a walking distance from our cottages. The pond Krvava mlaka in Hižakovec is related to many folk tales while the whole Stubica area offers a lot of living history events related to the turbulent 16th century. Your host, Tomislav Horjan, is an artist who can show you many creative solutions in interior decoration, especially mosaics. His studio can be a visited and art workshops can be arranged. Host is familiar with many interesting sights in the vicinity and can give excellent recommendation according to your interests In historical documents the village Hižakovec is mentioned in the 16th century mainly in connection to turbulent events of the Great Peasant Revolt in 1573. The peasant leader „King Matija“ was dwelling in the village and his tragic destiny has been deeply rooted in Croatian collective memory. Numerous works of art have been devoted to the event, books and poems, theatre plays and a film. A little wooden cottage has been erected by villagers in order to encourage memory on Matija Gubec. Our guests can also enjoy tracking, hiking, paintball and other outdoor activities in the Medvednica Nature park, 15 minute drive from the house or fly over Zagorje in a hot air balloon. If you are more of a museum type, you can visit Peasants' Revolt Museum in Gornja Stubica or Krapina Neanderthal Museum. One of the recent attractions is an open-air museum in Slani Potok Marija Bistrica - national Croatian srine is 14 km away and beside interesting architecture you may visit many traditional crafts there - two have been listed on the UNESCO list of intangible heritage. Distance from Zagreb is about 50 kilometres if the you are on the highway Maribor – Zagreb take exist Zabok and then follow the direction Donja Stubica. After passing the centre of Donja Stubica but before reaching Gornja Stubica take the right turn at manor Golubovec where you will see the mark for village Hižakovec. There is a brown panel saying Hižakovec – rodno mjesto Matije Gupca. Donja Stubica has bus and train stations. The bus station Stubički Golubovec is 20 minutes walking distance from the cottages uphill. Train station in Donja Stubica is about 50 minutes walking and the train station in Gornja Stubica about 30 minutes walking. Your host has won several national and regional awards for the traditional household and garden. Colourful flowers frame green patches of grass on which you can walk barefoot. Have a rest in hanging nets or deck chairs under the shadow of trees. In summer and spring traditional vegetable garden and orchard with fruit trees stretching their branches almost to the porch will win your heart. Wonderful smell of plants and fresh air will fuel you with new energy. Lovely benches to sit down, an open-fire and cosy atmosphere will enrich your experience. Autumn and winter have also their spells with fire-snapping, rustling of colourful leaves on the walking paths or snow blanket that urges you to go for sliding. The barn offers a fireplace where you can prepare chestnuts and taste young wine. Besides thermal springs Stubica area is also famous for traditional crafts like basket making and wooden children toys which have been inscribed on the UNESCO list as masterpieces of intangible heritage.