The Municipality of Mikleuš consists of five settlements: Balinci, Borik, Četekovac, Čojlug, and Mikleuš. The settlement of Mikleuš is the seat of the Municipality of Mikleuš.
According to the 2001 Population Census, there were 1,701 inhabitants in the Municipality of Mikleuš, which accounts for 1.82% of the total population of the Virovitica-Podravina County.
Under the Law on Areas of Special State Concern, areas that require special attention and measures for their restoration and development are defined. In the case of the Municipality of Mikleuš, this applies to all of its settlements.
TWIN TOWN
The Municipality of Mikleuš established cooperation with the town of Donja Stubica by a decision of the then Municipal Council on September 1, 1995. The cooperation was established to promote common interests in the economic, cultural, and sports fields. Delegations from the City of Donja Stubica and the Municipality of Mikleuš meet at least twice a year, on the occasion of Donja Stubica Day and the Municipality of Mikleuš Day, which is celebrated in October on the Feast Day of St. Teresa of Avila, the patron saint of the Municipality of Mikleuš.
Delegations from the City of Donja Stubica also visit the memorial dedicated to the fallen Croatian defenders and civilians in Četekovac.
History of the Municipality of Mikleuš
The oldest records of Mikleuš date back to 1334, when the church “ecclesia sancti Nicola” is mentioned as part of the archdeaconry of Vaška. Mikleuš got its name from the patron saint of its first church. This claim is also supported by Juraj Butorac, who mentions that between 1507 and 1513, the settlement Zenth Myklos was recorded in the area. A long-standing story suggests that Mikleuš or Mikloš is a Slavicized name for the village, originating from the name of N.Š. Zrinski, as legend has it that Mikleuš was the first defense line against the Turks, and Zrinski had his base there. Maps from the 16th and 17th centuries mention the settlement as S. Nicolo, S. Niclos, S. Nicole, or S. Nicolaus.
Alongside the place name, a symbol of a fort is marked. It seems to be a castle, mentioned in descriptions of the settlement before the arrival of the Turks. T. Smičiklas writes that it was inhabited by the old Ugric people known as the Gauri. When the Turks arrived in Mikleuš in 1537, they found an intact fort. After their departure, it was left in such a state of disrepair that it was never repaired. According to historical sources, there was a water-filled moat around the fort. The settlement is first mentioned in a written document in 1345. According to Dr. Čankia’s map, Mikleuš was a town in the 15th century and fell under the Orahovo estate. The area was owned by noble families, but frequent purchases led to it changing hands between different families. Historical records show that the owners of Mikleuš in the 14th century were the Gorjan family, who controlled a wider area around Drenovac. Mikleuš fell into Turkish hands at the same time as Orahovica in 1542, and Murad-beg occupied Mikleuš, as well as Slatina. During the Turkish rule, Mikleuš and its surroundings were administratively part of the Orahovo district.
After the Turks left, the administration of Slavonia was taken over by the Court Chamber in Vienna. In 1722, Emperor Charles VI granted Orahovica, along with several surrounding villages, including Mikleuš, to General Count Caspar de Cordua et Alagon. In 1730, Count Cordua sold the estate to the Pejačević family (Barons Antun, Nikola, and Marko). In 1742, the Pejačević family sold Orahovica and the Mikleuš area to the Mihalović family.
The Mihalović family is recorded as landowners in the 19th century, although cadastral maps also list the Schaumburg Lippe family as owners of certain areas in Mikleuš. At the beginning of the 20th century, the estate was owned by Count Ivan Drašković. On cadastral maps from the late 19th century, a larger area is marked with the name “Dvorac” (Castle), or Grad, as the people of Mikleuš refer to it. After Drašković, the castle was owned by Ivan pl. Sakač, who moved away in 1939 and sold it to Kohek and Rupčić.
In the 18th century, an Orthodox church was built in Mikleuš. A new Roman Catholic church was built in 1967 and consecrated in 1968.
Not far from Mikleuš, the village of Četekovac was settled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1971, a church dedicated to St. Nikola Tavelić was built in the village.