Jastrebarsko (; ), colloquially known as Jaska, is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia.
History
Antiquity
In 1865, remnants of a Roman settlement were uncovered in Repišće, Klinča Sela, a village in Jastrebarsko metropolitan area. Further archeological investigation in the late 20th century classified them as a villa rustica and a necropolis consisting of six tumuli, both dating to the early Roman Empire period. The remnants are deemed to be the westernmost group of Noric-Pannonian tumuli and they make a very rare occasion of tombstones located directly on top of tumuli, which is in the rest of Croatia recorded only in Donji Čehi. The location of this archeological site on the fluvial terraces of the local Konjava stream is attributed to the peaceful state of the central Roman Empire, which in turn led to formation of settlements in river valleys.
Sveta Marija pod Okićem () (locally nicknamed Grič), an archeological site located some north of Repišće dating to 4th century, shows a migration from easily accessible locations to steeper hills and creation of isolated walled refugia. This is attributed to the loss of stability in the Pannonian region and in the Empire overall. A necropolis belonging to Sveta Marija was found on the small valley of Popov Dol and small items were excavated therefrom. Those were mostly bronze bracelets and glass chalices, items that Romans buried with their deceased. Two similar sites were found in the vicinity: Pavlovčani and Plešivica pass.
Modern settlement
The name Jastrebarsko is derived from , the Croatian word for 'hawk' or 'falcon'. This can be attributed to the practicers of falconry (, pl. ), who were active in the area of southwest Zagreb County. A remnant of falconry can also be found in the Jastrebarsko coat of arms, which features a yellow goshawk on a blue blackground. The first mention of this name is found in a 1249 document of the Croatian ban Stjepan Gutkeled as "lands of Jastraburcza" (). The town is therein described as a trade and judicial center. In 1257 Croato-Hungarian King Bela IV awarded Jastrebarsko the status of a "free royal trading center" () by the means of a golden bull. This status helped Jastrebarsko combat the interests of local feudal lords until the abolishment of the feudal system by ban Josip Jelačić in 1848.
From 1518 to 1848 Jastrebarsko is heavily influenced by the Croato-Hungarian noble family Erdödy. The bans Petar II and Toma II Erdödy were known for their victories against the spreading Ottoman Empire. Toma, son of Petar, won the 1593 Battle of Sisak, a major and decisive battle in the Ottomans' centuries-long occupation of Balkans. Later, in 1809 during the expansion of Napoleon's First French Empire, Jastrebarsko was for a short time incorporated in the Illyrian Provinces. This lasted until Summer 1813, when the French retreated from Croatia.
Jastrebarsko started to rapidly develop following the 1848 abolishment of feudalism. The Zagreb–Karlovac railway was built in 1865, providing the town with a major source of employment. The local elementary school, founded in the 17th century, was augmented by a number of other cultural, social and sports organization, including a library, the singing society "Javor", association of tamburica players, a volunteer fire brigade and a theater and others.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, Jastrebarsko was a district capital in the Zagreb County of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia.
The town was the site of a concentration camp for Serb children operated by the authorities of the Independent State of Croatia during World War II.
Geography
Jastrebarsko is located in the Prigorje region of Central Croatia, built around the Reka Creek (; reka is Kajkavian dialect word for river). On the west, Jastrebarsko is bordered by the Žumberak Mountain (), a mountain range spreading through southeast Slovenia and southwest Prigorje, specifically Žumberak municipality and City of Samobor. The average altitude of the city is and the highest elevation in the Jastrebarsko metropolitan area is recorded on the Sveta Gera summit of the Žumberak mountain, also claimed by Slovenia.