Archaeological remains found in Kamenica (6 km north of Lepoglava[4]) show that this place was occupied in prehistorical times.

[5] Višnjica (about 12 km north of Lepoglava[6]) was also occupied during the Paleolithic Stone Age, and the earliest known written mention is from 1244.

[5] In 1503 it opened the first gymnasium in Continental Croatia, with the creation of a seminary for Pauline novices and the lay-youth; but this ceased to operate after the Battle of Mohács in 1526.

Higher education started in 1656 with the creation of courses in philosophy and theology, and the establishment gained the status of university in 1674 - the first one in Croatia.

[5] Four priors of the Lepoglava monastery became bishops of Zagreb : Vuk Gyula (1548-1550), Šimun Bratulić (1603-1611), Martin Borković (1668–1687) and Mirko (Emerik) Esterhazy (1709-1727).

Having subsequently held several positions of authority in the order, he retired to Lepoglava monastery in 1663 and worked there on his most important work: the ‘Gazophylacium’, a two-volume Latin-Croatian dictionary that also includes three Croatian dialects and a proposition for a new script making a significant improvement on the Latin script previously used within Croatia.

After the First World War, her work was most successfully pursued by Danica Brossler, who used official institutions to encourage manufacturing and started lace-making lessons, workshops and schools.

Bringing a more reliable income complement to its makers, the lace was sold at markets, exhibits - including the Zagreb Trade Fair -, and throughout Western Europe.

Lepoglava lace won a gold medal at Paris' 1937 World Fair and a bronze one in 1939 in Berlin.

Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, France, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary planned to participate; it was held in the Pauline monastery.