The Parish Church of St Nicholas

The Parish Church of St Nicholas, which is the main parish church in the town of Varaždin, has been the centre of a unique town parish for centuries. St Nicolas is also a patron saint of Varaždin. The existence of the Church dates back to the Middle ages and according to a story it was built on a place where a brood of bears lived and for that reason there is a bear statue on a church bell. In the 15^th century, the Church underwent a major renovation as a result of which only the church bell was preserved. Today`s Church was built in the Baroque period. The building started in 1753 and it finished in 1758. The author of the building project was Šimun Ignac Wagner, a builder from Varaždin. A construction manager was Matija Mayerhoffer from Ptuj, and after his death the construction was finished by Ivan Adam Poch. Particularly valuable is the main altar which was built by a carpenter Thomas Huetter and sculptors Ignaz Hohenburger and Friedrich Peter in 1761.