It sits on the Sotla River, along the Croatian-Slovenian border. The
Kumrovec municipality has 1,593 residents (2011), but the village itself
has only 269 people. The municipality was established on May 6, 1997
after it was split from the municipality of Tuhelj.
Kumrovec's claim
to fame is that it is the birthplace of marshal Josip Broz Tito
(1892�1980), the president of former Yugoslavia. The birth house of Tito
(built in 1860 as the first brickwork house in the village) features
the Memorial Museum of Marshal Tito, opened in 1953. The Museum is also
important for the local folklore. Next to the house is the bronze
standing statue of Marshal Tito (made by Antun Augustin?i?, 1948). The
old part of Kumrovec comprises the Ethnological Museum with 18 village
houses, displaying permanent exhibitions of artifacts related to the
life and work of Zagorje peasants in the 19th/20th century. The village
is small but was of great popularity in the former Yugoslavia.
Today
the major attraction of Kumrovec is the Ethnological Museum Staro Selo
(Old Village) Kumrovec with very well preserved village houses from the
turn of 19th/20th century. The reconstruction and redecoration of these
houses started in 1977. So far 40-odd houses and other farm-stead
facilities have been restored, which makes Staro Selo the most
attractive place of this kind in Croatia. Visitors may see permanent
ethnological exhibitions such as the Zagorje-style Wedding, the Life of
Newly-weds, From Hemp to Linen, Blacksmith's Crafts, Cart-wright's
Craft, Pottery, From Grain to Bread, etc.
On November 24, 1935 the
Brethren of the Croatian Dragon raised a monument to the Croatian anthem
Lijepa na�a domovino to celebrate its one hundredth anniversary.
Kumrovec celebrates this day as its municipal holiday
