Medvednica

Medvednica (, ) is a mountain in central Croatia, just north of Zagreb, and marking the southern border of the historic region of Zagorje. Most of it is encompassed by the Medvednica Nature Park. The highest peak, at is Sljeme. Most of the area of Medvednica is a nature park (park prirode), a type of preservation lesser than a national park. During the Miocene and the Pliocene, the mountain was an island within the Pannonian Sea. Together with the surrounding hills, it is known as Zagrebačka gora or the "Zagreb Mountains", as well as Bistranjska gora, Markuševačka gora, Stubička gora and Vrabečka gora.

==Etymology== The name Medvednica could be translated as "bear mountain". There are several other toponyms on the mountain using the Kajkavian dialect term medved 'bear' (compare Standard ), most notably Medvedgrad, a medieval castle on its southwestern edges.