Lake Varaždin is a reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 on the Drava

Drava

Drava or Drave is a river in southern Central Europe, a tributary of the Danube. It sources in Toblach/Dobbiaco, Italy, and flows east through East Tirol and Carinthia in Austria, into Slovenia , and then southeast, passing through Croatia and forming most of the border between Croatia and...

 in northern Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

. It is administratively divided between Međimurje County and Varaždin County

Varaždin County

Varaždin County is a county in northern Croatia. It is named after its county seat, the city of Varaždin.-Geography:In addition to the city of Varaždin, the county includes the towns of Ivanec, Ludbreg, Lepoglava, Novi Marof and Varaždinske Toplice, as well as 22 municipalities...

, bordered by the municipalities of Varaždin

Varaždin

Varaždin is a city in north Croatia, north of Zagreb on the highway A4. The total population is 47,055, with 38,746 on of the city settlement itself . The centre of Varaždin county is located near the Drava river, at...

, Trnovec Bartolovečki

Trnovec Bartolovecki

Trnovec Bartolovečki is a municipality in Varaždin County, Croatia.The municipality consists of 6 villages – Bartolovec, Trnovec, Šemovec, Štefanec, Zamlaka and Žabnik. The population of the municipality in the 2011 census was 6,889. The village of Trnovec had a population of 4,190 in the same census...

 and Čakovec

Cakovec

Čakovec is a city in northern Croatia, located around 90 kilometres north of Zagreb, the Croatian capital. Čakovec is both the county seat and largest city of Međimurje County, the northernmost, smallest and most densely populated Croatian county.-Population:...

. The Drava flows into the reservoir near the city of Varaždin, while the dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

 is located near the village of Šemovec

Šemovec

Šemovec is a village in Varaždin County, Croatia.The village is located near the Drava, around 10 kilometres east of Varaždin, and belongs to the Trnovec Bartolovečki municipality. Its population in the 2001 census was 920....

.

Lake Varaždin is one of three reservoirs built on the Drava in Croatia, the other two being the smaller Lake Ormož (which is located on the border with Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

) and the bigger Lake Dubrava

Lake Dubrava

Lake Dubrava is a reservoir on the Drava in northern Croatia. It is administratively divided between Međimurje County and Varaždin County, and is bordered by the municipalities of Prelog, Sveti Đurđ and Veliki Bukovec...

. The three reservoirs and the power plants they serve form the Hydro North group of hydro power plants run by the HEP Group

Hrvatska elektroprivreda

Hrvatska elektroprivreda is a national power company in Croatia which has been engaged in electricity production, transmission and distribution for more than one century, and with heat supply and gas distribution for the past few decades...

. It serves the Čakovec Hydro Power Plant

Cakovec Hydroelectric Power Plant

Čakovec Hydroelectric Power Plant is a large hydroelectric power plant in Croatia that has four turbines with a nominal capacity of 21 MW each having a total capacity of 84 MW....

, since the Varaždin Hydro Power Plant

Varaždin Hydroelectric Power Plant

Varaždin Hydroelectric Power Plant is a hydroelectric power plant on river Drava, near the city of Varaždin located in the Varaždin County, in the northwest part of Croatia....

 is served by Lake Ormož. The power plant was built in 1982.

Tourism

Lake Varaždin is also a popular angling

Angling

Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...

, leisure

Leisure

Leisure, or free time, is time spent away from business, work, and domestic chores. It is also the periods of time before or after necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and, where it is compulsory, education....

 and water sports destination for many people from the region, especially during the summer. There are many log cabin

Log cabin

A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...

s built on the shores of the lake near Varaždin and Gornji Kuršanec

Gornji Kuršanec

Gornji Kuršanec is a village in Međimurje County, Croatia. It is part of the municipality of Nedelišće and had a population of 755 in the 2001 census....

.