* As all the smaller places Mali Bukovec hasn't got written history, but it has very much to be written about.Mali Bukovec's history was written with hard work and bloody sweat of our parents which were vassals.Many centuries ago they pioneered unpassable forests to make productive terrain, and enable life full of suffer and pain for themselves and their offspring.Near Mali Bukovec is Veliki Bukovec (Mali=small; Veliki=large) but the number of inhabitans in Veliki Bukovec is minor than in Mali Bukovec. In about 700 years ago the terrain of Mali Bukovec was possession of crusaders which were officialy called Ivanovci or Hospitalci (eng. hospital).

* They were bringed in Croatia by Croatian-Hungarian king Andrija II. They also had terrains around Ludbreg. According to the national presentation their monastery was settled on the place called "Molove", also known as "Mlinice". In the nearer past on that place were discovered old owerturned walls, but nobody performed any extra research. Old Legrad's pastor Franjo Brdaric founded old document from 1244. in which were mentioned knights crusaders also called "Kriznici" whose terrains were on the east bank of Bednja river.

* So this document and national presentation matches in that there was domination of very strong spiritual order. Major assignment of the crusaders was supporting kings in fight with rebellious nobleman. They were also keeping inns for travellers and shelters for ill. People called their buildings "hospitalci" or "spitalj". "Hospitalci" were wearing long black cloaks with quilted white cross. The first crusaders which came in Croatia were moslty from Italy and France. Domestic people joined later, but they were accepting only noblemans and free people, because in those times weapons were forbidden for vassals. For better preparation for fight, kings gave them many big properties. Today we still use name "Krizancija" (forest between Zupanec and Lunjkovec), "Kriznicki brijeg" (mound near Segovina), and "Kriznica" near Ludbreg. We don't know for sure when they did left our territories, but it's noted that they were disposing their possession part by part. Around 1600. our territory was possession of many famous noblemans. In the year 1644. Croatian noble Ivan Draskovic bought Mali Bukovec, Veliki Bukovec, Novo Selo and Sveti Petar, and the forest "Krizancija" from Barbara Cremblova for his offspring.

* Since those times noblemans were at least partly masters of those lordship. Life was flowing easily, it was hard but it was still bearable. Concision and hate among the master and vassals was always bearable and it never proceeded into the open rebellion. In 1848. Mali Bukovec gets peaceful salvation, the vassals were wondering because they didn't have to go to the opression on the earl Draskovic's land. The older people still remember of old granny Sofija Kokotec who lived 100 years and 2 months. She was living book of our village. As the young vassal girl she was working on the Draskovic's land. She told that her grandmother said to her that creek Crnec was flowing trough the present Vladimira Nazora street. When Katarina Vojkovic came in Mali Bukovec she ordered the digging of the channel trough which Crnec flows today. According to the stories of Sofija Kokotec the most numerous families were Golec, Friscic and Povijac. Those families migrated to this territory in the 18th century, in the time when Katarina Vojkovic was still dominating in one part of Mali Bukovec. This national presentation was given to us by the grandson of Sofija Kokotec - Rudolf Golec. From those feudal times we still have one beautiful monument - our old St. Catherine's chapel. It's familiar that the first chapel was builted in 1647. It was made of oak, and builted by local people as the sign of rememberance to Katarina Vojkovic, and her husband Franjo Dolaski. The chapel endured only for 110 years, and then it was taken down.

* One month after that they mounted bedrock for the new chapel which is still standing in the center of Mali Bukovec. The leading bricklayer was Joseph Hofer from Germany. Major investment gave the inhabitans of Mali Bukovec and lordship of earl Draskovic. All around the chapel was cemetery (1776. - 1813.). In the 1813. the new cemetery was opened on the location called "Porednje". But it is more important to write about the life in Mali Bukovec than it's cemetery. As we all know very well Mali Bukovec was the biggest place in the Ludbreg's department, and there was no difference in the number of inhabitans in those two places.

* Since 1888. Mali Bukovec is constantly in the structure of Varazdin's department. In 1864. the new elementary school was opened. One of the first teachers was Marzic, which acquired high reputation with his orchard and he was removed in Zagreb. During the World War I and before Mile Bakaric was the teacher in school, and he left us lots of valuable notes, especially from those times. We are still using his annotations which told us that at the beginning of the 20th century lots of our people was working in the North America.

* In 1918. the state of Serbs, Croatians and Slovenians the government placed in Mali Bukovec marginal watch, with the commander Lazo Nikolic. He was the real vigilante. If the peasant wasn't abiding he would beated him to death. He was fear to all the pea.