If you mention the name of Marija Bistrica everybody will first think on the pilgrimages to the miraculous Mother of God in Bistrica. About 800 000  pilgrims come to Marija Bistrica evey year. They all come to seek a spiritual guidance, to make their vows to the Mother of God, to thank her for their granted prayers or just to pay their respects to the Queen of Croats. The sanctuary of the Mother of God in Bistrica has have an important central place in the religious life of  the Croatian people through all the periods.
The place Bistrica was first mentioned as an estate in 1209 which a Croatian-Hungarian king Andrew II gave to the parishioner Vratislav and the name Marija Bistrica first appeared in the 18th century related to the revelation of the miraculous statue of the Mother of God. The parish church, which had been the church of St Peter and Paul until then, was devoted the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary after the revelation in the same century.
According the legend, the statue of  Mary with baby Jesus was first placed in the Mary's Chapel in Vinski Vrh, not far from Bistrica. When the Turks came all the way to Konjščina ( 3 km from Vinski Vrh ), the parishioner of Bistrica brought the Mary's statue in the Bistrica's parish church of St Peter and Paul and buried it under the choir to save it from the desecration. The statue was found 15th July 1684 on the request of the Zagreb's bishop Martin Borković, and it was placed on the main altar of the Bistrica's church between the statues of  St Peter and Paul and from that day the pilgrimages to Bistrica last continuously. A great number of miraculous events has been recorded which were recognised only after the precise research and reliable witnesses.
In 1715 Croatian Parliament built an altar of vows and in 1731 bishop Branjug blessed the new church and changed the name of the place into Marija Bistrica. Today's look church complex got in 1883 after a great reconstruction by the projects of an architect Herman Bolle. Some of the prominent Croatian artists worked on that reconstruction. The Pope Pio XI gave it in 1923 the title of a small basilica (basilica minor). The golden crowns are the donations of the archbishops Bauer and Stepinac who gave them in the name of the Croatian people. Because of the religious and national importance, Marija Bistrica was proclaimed the Croatian National Sanctuary of the Mother of God in Bistrica on the Croatian Bishop's Conference in 1971 and 13th June is proclaimed to be the holiday of the Mother of God in Bistrica. On the 300th anniversary of the sanctuary and the 1300th anniversary of  the baptism of Croats, on the 9th September 1984, about 400 000 believers  gathered on the National Eucharist Congress.
In the time of feudalism, a feudal estate of Bistrica had a lot of owners, but here are some of the important: Governor of Slavonija Dionizije, Nikola of Ludbreg, Governor Ivan Čus, the Bradač brothers, Ivan Horvat, Mihael Konjski, Family Kerčenjs, Juraj pl. Malenić, Count Petar Keglević, Count Baltazar Patačić, Counts Drašković, Count Petar Sermage and last owner was  Baron Lazar Hellenbach.
The first data about the existence of the school in Marija Bistrica one can find in the church documents from 1590. Until 1862 the school was situated in some private houses, and thanks to  the efforts of the parishioner Mirko Trumpić and some district council members, the foundations for the building of a new school were provided.
Related to the education, musical art had developed and the most important for the musical progress was a teacher Lovro Ježek who in 1852 established a folk ensemble which exists even today. In honor of its founder, Bistrica's folk ensemble carrries Ježek's name.
Bistrica's church and parish court were a place of gathering of the Croatian patriots and among them were the intellectuals from "Ilirski preporod" ("Illyrian revival") . The parish court was a place where a decision about the foundation of "Matica ilirska" ("Illyrain matrix") was brought, which later became "Matica hrvatska" ("Matrix Croatica"). In Marija Bistrica Vatroslav Lisinski composed first Croatian opera "Ljubav i zloba" ("Love and venom"), and here was also written a revolutionary song "Prosto zrakom ptica leti" ("Bird flies free in the air").
Next to the church-basilica with the miraculous statue is a hill "Kalvarija" with the Stations of  the Cross which are, each for itself, a valuable artistic works of the well-known artists. A pilgrimage of the Way of the Cross with candlelight is a special event for each visitor.
Behind the hill "Kalvarija" in an oasis of peace is situated Carmelite Monastery . The pillar stone of the monastery was blessed by the Pope on the 900th anniversary of Zagreb's Archdiocese on 11th September 1994 and it was layed by Cardinal Franjo Kuharić on 11th September 1995 in the foundations of the future monastery in Marija Bistrica.
The idea about the monastery came from the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac in 1941. The Barefoot Carmelite Sisters have been living in Marija Bistrica since his beatification on 3rd October 1998.
The most important day in the history of Marija Bistrica, after the finding of the miraculous statue in 1684, is 3rd October 1998 when Pope John Paul II visited Marija Bistrica and proclaimed the late Zagreb's archbishop and Bistrica's pilgrim Alojzije Stepinac blessed.
At the beginning of the mass the Holy Father said: "I have came to you here today in this beloved sanctuary of our Heavenly Mother- the Mother of God of Bistrica. You and your ancestors have been saying so many times in front of her black statue your prayers to God. I am here with you to give a sacrifice of thanks to God and to proclaim a servant of God, Alojzije Stepinac blessed. We pray our Lord to forgive us our trespasses so that we can in a clean conscience be the witnesses of the Word; we pray Him that His mercy preserves our persistence in faith, in the Word, in service and in humiliation of the heart."

A specific economic development of Marija Bistrica is influenced by religious tourism. The organised pilgrimages start every year on White Sunday (the first Sunday after Easter) and last
till the Thanksgiving Sunday (last Sunday in October). During last years there has been an increase of the family visits, especially on weekends which prolongs the pilgrimage season.
The increase of the pilgrimages influenced the trade, so that the arrival of a great number of the pilgrims attracted the merchants of the different souvenirs who sell their goods on the stalls. Candles, lamps, gingerbread hearts, pottery and wooden toys make a colourful sight and a diversity of the offer for all generations. One can also find traditional cookies made of honey and mead. With the sudden industrial development  and with the production of the plastic, the stalls became a place of bad taste.
Thanks to the persistence of the masters, the old trades are coming back and take a significant place in the economy of Marija Bistrica. The tradition becomes even more important, so today Marija Bistrica holds the biggest number of the registered trades in Krapina – Zagorje County. Among them is the only blacksmith in the county, few mead makers, potters and the producers of  wooden products.
A tradition that lasts for centuries in these parts is related to the products made of honey,                              
clay and wood.
A traditional gingerbread heart was always a symbol of love and respect, especially symbol of love between a young man and a girl. Even today this heart symbolizes an invisible bond and a love bond between people and it is recognised as a Croatian souvenir. The mead is a drink made of honey and has 2-3% of alcohol. If the process is prolonged, the result is a stronger drink with 10-12% of alcohol. These drinks are served with ice and are refreshing.                                 
Products made of  baked clay are used in the households and the meals made in them have a special natural taste. Different homemade food is kept in the traditional pots: "štruce, puranjke, sirenjke, tronozi"  and vine, cider, vinegar and milk are kept in "štuce, lonci, pehari".
Wooden toys from Laz attract even more children's eyes with their diversity of colours and with the different offer from miniature wardrobes, beds, cradles, tables with chairs to the different pipes and butterflies and other toys that make noise.
Tugonica is  well-known for makers of wooden children's chairs, wheelbarrows and some instruments like the guitars and other string instruments.