Osijek
Osijek [] (
Hungarian:
Eszék or
Osziék;
German:
Esseg) is the fourth largest city in
Croatia with a population of 114,616 in
2001. Croats make up the majority of Osijek's citizens - composing 86.58% of the city's population (2001 census).
It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of
Slavonia (eastern Croatia), as well as the administrative center of the
Osijek-Baranja county.
Osijek is located on the right bank of the
Drava river, 25
km upstream of its
confluence into the
Danube, at an elevation of 94 m. Transportation links include major
railway and
highway junctions, a
river port, and a regional
airport. A full motorway, linking the important city to the rest of the Croatian Motorway network and the major
Pan-European corridor 5c, is well under construction and will reach Osijek by 2008.
Major institutions in the city include the
University Josip Juraj Strossmayer (established in
1975), the
Croatian National Theatre, the
Museum of Slavonia (established in
1877), and the
printing house dating to
1735.
It also has several
gymnasiums, the oldest of which dates to
1729, a drawing school from the 19th century, a , a centre for the promotion of
livestock breeding, and the Institute for
sugar beet farming.
Osijek is a major
industrial centre that manufactures a broad range of goods and products. The
match factory
Drava was established here in
1856 and the factory
Saponia is an important chemical refinery.
Other industries include production of synthetic materials
metal processing (agricultural
machinery, metal
furniture),
wood and
timber,
textile, footwear,
silk,
printing industry. The local agricultural economy is strong, based upon
farming,
livestock breeding and
fishing, with mills,
sugar processing plant,
brewery.
|
St. Michael's Church, in Osijek's Tvrđa |
The beginnings of man's residence in Osijek goes back to neolithic times, and the first known inhabitants belong to the Illyrian tribes. Roman emperor
Hadrian raised the old settlement of Mursa to a colony with special privileges in AD 131. After that, Mursa had a turbulent history, with a lot of decisive battles that took place here, deciding on the destiny of the whole region. After the migration, the Croats made a settlement near the ruins of Mursa, giving it its present name, Osijek. Life was thriving here in the Middle Ages, but only the traces of that life can be found today because the Turks destroyed everything they found and made a town to suit their style.
The earliest mentions of Osijek date to
1196. The town was a feudal property of the
Korog family between
1353 and
1472. The city was sacked and destroyed by the
Ottoman Empire on
August 8,
1526. The Turks rebuilt it in oriental style and it was mentioned in the Turkish
census of
1579. Suleiman I built here his famous, 8 kilometers long wooden bridge, considered to be one of the wonders of the world. The town was officially promoted to a city by the end of the
17th century.
Osijek was restored to western rule when on
September 29,
1687 it was occupied by the
Habsburg Empire. Once again, Osijek was completely devastated. Between 1712 and 1721, new Austrian authorities built a new fortress (authored by the architect Maximilian de Gosseau), known as
Tvrđa. It is a unique urban and military complex that lies in the heart of the town. Its main central Holy Trinity Square is closed on the north by the building of the Military Command, on the west there is the Main Guard building and on the east is the Magistrate building (presently Museum of Slavonia). In the middle there is a monument to the plague, erected in 1729 by general Petras' widow. The Gornji Grad (Upper Town) was founded in
1692 and Donji Grad (Lower Town) followed on
1698. Tvrđa, Gornji and Donji grad continued as separate municipalities until
1786. In late
18th century it took over from
Virovitica as the center of the
Verőce county.
In
1809 Osijek was granted the title of a
Free Royal City and during the early
19th century it was the largest city in Croatia. The city developed along the lines of other central
European cities, with cultural, architectural and socio-economic influences filtering down from
Vienna and
Budapest.
During the
19th century, cultural life mostly revolved around the
theatre, museums (the first
museum was opened in
1877 by private donations), collections and printing houses (the
Franciscans). City society, whose development was accompanied by a prosperous
economy and developed
trade relations, was related to
religious festivals, public events (fairs), entertainment and sports.
The Novi Grad (New Town) section of the city was built in the 19th century, as well as Retfala to the west. The newest additions to the city include Sjenjak, Vijenac, Jug and Jug II, which were built in the 20th century.
The city's geographical riverside location, and noted cultural and historical heritage — particularly the
baroque Tvrđa, one of the most attractive structures in the region — facilitated the development of
tourism.
According to the
1910 census, the city had 31,388 inhabitants, of which 12,625 (40.2%) were
Croats, 11,269 (35.9%)
Germans and 3,729 (11.88%)
Magyars.
[Atlas and Gazetteer of Historic Hungary 1914, Talma Kiadó]The city luckily avoided fighting during the war in Croatia from 1991 to 1995. Thanks to this, the façades of its buildings are in good shape, preserving the charm of its intricate Hungarian Baroque archtiecture in the older quarters of town. A small
tram network runs through the city, effectively transporting the town's inhabitants. The network is currently being completely overhauled and more than doubled in length, and the city's old trams are being modernized.
|
Kino Urania (Urania Cinema), Osijek |
Osijek remains a popular domestic
tourist destination for its
Baroque style, open spaces and ample recreational opportunities. The most important sights in the city include the main square, Trg
Ante Starčevića,
Tvrđa the 18th century Baroque citadel, the promenade along the Drava ("promenada"), and the suspension pedestrian
bridge toward
Baranja.
The Municipal Park of
King Petar Krešimir IV and the
Tomislav Park date from the beginning of the
20th century, and are protected national landmarks. Osijek is also home to one of the few Croatian zoological gardens, along the Drava river.
Numerous events take place in the city throughout the year. The most important of them are the Croatian
Tambura Music Festival (in May), attended by tambura
orchestras from all over Croatia, the
Osijek Summer Nights (during June, July and August), a series of cultural and entertainment programs in the open, accompanied by excellent food and fairs. The Day of the City of Osijek is celebrated with a cultural and artistic activities and exhibitions.
The recreational and sports centre
Copacabana, located on the left bank of the Drava river, provides opportunities for various water sports (outdoor
swimming pools, a sand beach with various facilities) during the summer months. The city offers various playgrounds:
football,
handball,
basketball,
tennis courts, etc.
The surroundings of Osijek provide excellent opportunities for
hunting and
angling on the Drava river and its backwaters. Hunting in the area known as
Kopački Rit (in
Baranja) is famous beyond the borders of Croatia.
The abundance of game and agriculture has made Osijek the country's semi-official gastronomical capital. Local dishes include traditional Slavonian-style specialities (
kulen, paprika-flavoured sausage, other kinds of sausages,
ham, bacon,
dairy products), as well as
venison and
fish dishes such as the famous
riblji paprikaš (fish stew made with
paprika).
The Osijek
beer (Eseker) and Baranja
wines are offered in restaurants in the town and its surroundings.
*
Matija Petar Katančić (18th century Croatian writer, university professor for archaeology, translator of the Bible in the Croatian, author of the first paper over the archaeology in Croatia)
*
Josip Juraj Strossmayer (great Croatian Maecenas bishop)
*
Adolf Waldinger (19th century painter)
*
Izidor Jung (19th century painter)
*
Hugo Conrad von Hötzendorf (19th century painter)
*
Bela Čikoš Sesija (painter, one among the first representatives of symbolism (secesija, art nouveau) in Croatia)
*
Franjo Krežma (famous violonist)
*
Dobriša Cesarić (poet)
*
Jagoda Truhelka (Croatian novelist)
*
Ferdo Šišić (historian)
*
Julije Knifer (painter)
*
Lavoslav (Leopold) Ružička (chemist, Nobel prize winner - born in nearby
Vukovar and attended
famous Osijek high school/gymnasium)
*
Vladimir Prelog (chemist,
Nobel prize winner, born in
Sarajevo,
Bosnia and Herzegovina)
*
Andrija Mohorovičić (Croatian meteorologist and seismologist born in Volosco, Istria)
*
Franjo Šeper (Archbishop of Zagreb from 1960-1968, and Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1968-1981)
*
Ludwig Adamovich sen. (Austrian Minister of Justice - 1938, University profesor in Prag, Graz and Vienna)
*
Vladimir Herzog (Brazilian TV journalist, university professor and theater author)
*
Davor Šuker (football player)
*
Robert Špehar (football player)
*
Igor Cvitanović (football player)
*
Vladimir Šeks (President (Speaker) of the Croatian Parliament)
*
Branimir Glavaš (controversial right-wing politician)
*
Zlatko Kramarić (liberal politician and former mayor)
*
Oliver Mlakar (Croatian TV anchor)
*
Miroslav Škoro (Croatian singer and composer)
*
Krunoslav Slabinac (popular Croatian singer)
*
Dado Topić (Croatian singer)
*
Branko Lustig (Hollywood producer and winner of two Oscars)
*
Marko Babić (football player)
*
Jurica Vranješ (football player)
*
Zlatko Burić (famous Danish actor)
*
Jelena Dokić (Serbian tennis player)
*
Vesna Škare Ožbolt (leader of the
Democratic Centre political party)
|
Sign showing Osijek's twin towns |
Osijek is twinned with:
*
Pécs,
Hungary*
Pforzheim,
Germany*
Maribor,
Slovenia*
Tuzla,
Bosnia and Herzegovina*
Ploieşti,
Romania*
Lausanne,
Switzerland*
Nitra,
Slovakia*
Official web site*
Osijek031.com city portal*
Osijek main square webcam*
City map with street index Osijek - CroMaps navigator*
Weather information for Osijek*
News & events*
Osijek tourist information*
Glas Slavonije - local daily newspaper*
City radio*
Croatian Radio, Osijek*
Osijek's Fortress Restoration Agency*
Museum of Slavonia, Osijek*
Croatian National Theatre, Osijek*
Children's Theatre, Osijek*
Port of the City of Osijek*
Greens Osijek ecological society*
Centre for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights, Osijek*
NK Osijek football club*
Osijek Airport*
History of Osijek
