Lepoglava is a town in Varaždin County, northern Croatia, It is located 32 km southwest of Varaždin, 7 km west of Ivanec, and 22 km northeast of Krapina.

A total of 8,283 residents in the municipality (2011 census) live in the following settlements:

Lepoglava is probably best known for hosting the main Croatian prison, the Lepoglava prison. In 1854, a monastery of the Pauline Fathers was transformed by the authorities into a prison. In the twentieth century, the prison was used to intern political prisoners by the authorities of Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Independent State of Croatia, and SFR Yugoslavia.

During WWII, the Lepoglava concentration camp was built by the Ustashe; around 2,000 prisoners were murdered there.

Archaeological remains found in Kamenica (6 km north of Lepoglava) show that this place was occupied in prehistorical times. A fortified residence was built there, atop a steep hill, during the second half of the 13th century.

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

The first mention of Lepoglava dates back to 1399. Hermann II, Count of Celje, founded the monastery of Saint Paul the Hermit in 1400. Pauline monks from Hungary soon arrived. Although it was not the first Pauline monastery in Croatia, it was destined to become the most important one.

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. In 1582 it founded the first public grammar school of Croatia. 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. Some 75 doctorate dissertations were obtained there. The associated library grew to become the largest and richest library in Croatia.