Bjelovar is the centre of a traditionally agricultural region, an interesting and distinctive cultural and tourist destination in Croatia's Bjelovar-Bilogora County, and a town that boasts a complex and rich history. Bjelovar is defined by three concepts: intersection, centre and the military. Due to its ideal position, being the point of intersection of roads and located at the very border between Ottoman and Austrian conflicts, in the year 1756 Empress Maria Theresa decided to have a military fortification erected in the place where Bjelovar stands now. To this day the centre of Bjelovar remains an intersection of routes running from east to west and north to south. Bjelovar was the military centre of the Varaždin Generalate, Bjelovar County, Bjelovar-Križevci County, and today it is the centre of the Bjelovar-Bilogora County and the Diocese of Bjelovar-Križevci. Through its history Bjelovar was a military fort, military centre and military town. A metaphor for the development of the town of Bjelovar is its main sqare. The present Eugen Kvaternik Square was originally a pasture, was then turned into a military training ground, and finally became a town square. The changes this square has undergone can be applied to the development of the town of Bjelovar, from a military fort to a modern urban settlement.