Wine

April 27, 2023 - The City of Osijek, in cooperation with the British Embassy, will celebrate the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday, May 6, in the Osijek Archaeological Museum.

The mayor of Osijek, Ivan Radić, and the ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Republic of Croatia, H.E. Simon Thomas, held a press conference at the city administration in Osijek. As Lokalni writes, Mayor Radić reminded that King Charles III, when he was still the Prince of Wales, was delighted by Osijek during his visit in 2016, which is why the city administration decided to celebrate his coronation.

Vlado Kos / Pixsell

Main Ceremony

"King Charles III visited the Archaeological Museum, socialized with citizens, and tasted the products of local OPGs on the old town's Holy Trinity Square. He also rode the Osijek tram from old town Tvrđa to the co-cathedral and got to know the city from the tram. In commemoration of that visit, the main ceremony will be held in the Archaeological Museum", said the mayor.

He announced that a large screen would be installed on the appropriately decorated Holy Trinity Square in the old town, where citizens could watch the live broadcast of the king's coronation. As it is the first Saturday of the month when the traditional Antiques Fair takes place near the square, all visitors are invited to round off their morning at the event.

"The Tourist Board of the city of Osijek will prepare biscuits and tea for the citizens, and the "royal tram," the same one in which King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla rode, will be circling through the city. The passengers on the tram will have a chance to hear the story of the royal family and the king's great-grandfather, Franz von Teck, who was born in Osijek. They will also see photos of the annual tickets the city transport office made and gifted to the king and queen with a lifetime right to ride Osijek's trams. I hope that the king and queen will have the opportunity to use it once they come to Osijek again", said Mayor Radić and added that on the coronation day, the Osijek pedestrian bridge will light up with the colors of the British flag.

British Ambassador Simon Thomas said that on May 6, dignitaries from all over the world will gather in London to attend the new king's coronation and that celebrations of that moment will be organized worldwide.

Another eastern Croatian city will also celebrate the king's coronation - Ilok will traditionally send their Traminac wine for the festivities.

Photo of Osijek

"When we were thinking about where we would celebrate the coronation in Croatia, we immediately thought of the Christmas card of the then Prince of Wales, and now the King, with a photo of His Majesty and Queen Camilla in Osijek, taken during their visit in 2016. Out of all the photos from different parts of the world that year, the king chose that particular photo, which means that the visit to Osijek left a deep impression on him. Not only because Osijek is a city with a rich history and promising future but also because here he met people who share some of his passions and priorities in life: sustainability and nature conservation, work for the community, respect for heritage, development of new technologies and investment into young people. But also because the great-grandfather of King Charles III was born in 1837 right here, in Osijek. Therefore, here we are not only among friends but also among family. We are looking forward to celebrating the coronation in Osijek, and we hope that King Charles III will visit the beautiful city on the Drava once again", said Ambassador Thomas.

1972. Bozidar Kelemenic / Pixsell

 King Charles III's visit to Osijek wasn't the first royal visit - Queen Elizabeth II visited back in 1972 and had a delightful time herself.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Travel section.

April 25, 2023 - The British Telegraph published a report on Slavonia, which the author Jane Foster presented as "the most wonderful secret region" that is worth visiting and experiencing with regard to its natural, cultural, and eno-gastronomic attractions.

The report titled "The little-known European region that's making wine for the King's Coronation" was created in collaboration with the London representative office of the Croatian Tourist Board and the editorial staff of the Telegraph after the author visited the region in February.

Slavonian cities, nature parks, and numerous well-known wineries that nurture traditional wine production along with the local gastronomic offer are part of the details the Slavonia report highlights, particularly emphasizing places like Iločki Podrumi and the Traminac wine variety.

As they note from the Croatian Tourist Board, that wine has traditionally been consumed at the British Court since the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth II and will be served at the coronation of King Charles III in London, one of the most important events in recent British history. 

Copyright Romulic and Stojcic

"In 1953, Ilocki Podrumi supplied Traminac for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II; in 2011, they sent ice-harvest Traminac for the wedding of William and Kate; and in 2018, berry harvest Traminac for the wedding of Harry and Meghan. 

Tradition being tradition, they will be sending Traminac Principovac (a semi-sweet white wine, produced in a limited edition) as a gift to Charles III and Camilla for their coronation on May 6, 2023".

In her report, Foster praises the local wine tradition, cultural wealth such as the old city center of Osijek and Ilok, as well as the special features of Vukovar and the wealth of flora and fauna of the Kopački rit nature park.

The Croatian Tourist Board adds that "the synergy of rich cultural heritage, numerous events, and natural beauty makes Slavonia a winning destination with a luxurious tourist offer for all markets, including Great Britain." 

Copyright Romulic and Stojcic

They also note that the new direct Ryanair flight on the London-Osijek route, which will operate four times a week from June and contribute to the traffic availability of Slavonian destinations, will contribute to the additional attractiveness of Slavonia on the UK market.

And the data from the Croatian eVisitor system confirms positive trends from the British market, writes Poslovni. "Positive trends from the British market are also confirmed by the data of the eVisitor system, according to which tourists from that market have spent almost 153,000 overnight stays in Croatia so far this year, or 3 percent more than in the same period of record 2019," concludes Croatian Tourist Board.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Travel section.

April 14, 2023 - Osijek is undoubtedly one of those places that keep surprising with their little secrets. Whether that's the number of parks and green areas the city offers, the IT scene that has been slowly but surely developing there, or the little gems of culture and history that pop up now and again, the capital of eastern Croatia never ceases to amaze. Today, we're exploring underground Osijek.

As SiB writes, there are many things we don't know about the places we pass by every day, and so much we don't know about the places we even walk over every day. 

Following this thought, the FB group Tajanstvena Hrvatska (Secret Croatia) received a treat from Roko Poljak, a local photographer who published his photos of the crypt under the church of St. Michael, built during the 18^th century in Osijek's historic core, known as Tvrđa. Judging by the records, this crypt was in operation even before the completion of the construction of the church itself. The crypt was primarily used for Jesuit burials, as well as for other citizens who could pay for a burial, as the space was extremely limited.

The crypt occupies an area equivalent to almost three-quarters of the church and consists of a staircase, several corridors, and rooms with burial places. Unfortunately, the names of most of the deceased are not known because the inscriptions on the grave sites have long since faded, and many names were not mentioned in the list of those buried. Although today crypts under churches are a rarity, Osijek has got quite a few of them, including the church of St. Cross in Tvrđa, the Capuchin Church of St. Jakov, the church of the Most Holy Name of Mary in Donji Grad, the Chapel of St. Anna at the cemetery.

Burials in crypts were gradually banned in 1788 after the decree of Emperor Francis Joseph II, and the last recorded burial in the crypt was on August 27, 1829, although burials most likely took place until the middle of the 19^th century.

The Croatian government in Zagreb had the final say on burials in crypts in 1867, which decreed that no more new tombs may be built in churches, and existing crypts must be closed if they do not have an entrance from the outside of the church. Then the door of the crypt was walled up, and the crypt remained intact until 1928 when the entrance to the crypt was accidentally discovered during work on the church. Because of the extremely thick walls, the crypt served as a bomb shelter during World War II.

Special thanks to Roko for letting us use his pictures!

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Travel section.

February 9, 2023 - The world's leading online travel company, Booking.com, declared Osijek-Baranja county the most welcoming tourist region in Croatia, the county administration reported on Wednesday.

As Poslovni writes, traditionally, Booking.com hands out the "Traveller Review Awards" at the beginning of the year. Even though it found itself among the most prestigious destinations for the first time, the users of the online platform have declared Osijek-Baranja County the most welcoming region in Croatia, according to the office of Prefect Ivan Anušić.

They emphasize that this is a confirmation of the hospitality of Slavonia and Baranja and that the county contributes to the development of the continental tourist destination through a series of development grants and the organization of numerous events, which raise the level of the offer.

The director of the Osijek-Baranja county tourist board, Ivana Jurić, said that she sees the recognition of one of the largest platforms for booking tourist services, Booking.com, as praise for the efforts made so far in the development of continental tourism.

The most important thing in tourism is people, and tourism is made up of those who create products and provide services and thus testify to the authenticity of the places they live in and their products, Jurić assessed.

She reminds that last year the county achieved 2.6 percent more overnight stays compared to the record year 2019, which is an indicator of the tourist offer of the Croatian east becoming more recognizable.

She reported that at the recent tourist fair "Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show," which took place from February 2 to 5, 2023, in London, the offer of destinations from the tourist boards of five Slavonian counties was jointly presented.

We presented the offer of Slavonia to the British market. With culture and enogastronomy as the main motives of the trip, information was sought on the offer related to natural heritage, walking, cycling, and accommodation, said Jurić.

Deputy Mayor Mato Lukić said that it is known that tourists who come to Slavonia and Baranja often emphasize warmth and hospitality and that the recognition of the Booking.com platform is another confirmation that local tourism workers are doing a good job.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.

September 15, 2022 - From September 19 to October 12, Osijek's Pampas will be the centre of the World Championship Shotgun Shooting. 630 competitors from 77 countries will arrive in Osijek, including Olympians and the world's best shooters.

This was announced on Wednesday in Osijek's main square, where a press conference was held. The conference was attended by the mayor of Osijek Ivan Radić, the director of the competition organisation Zoran Ćelić, the president of the City Shooting Association - Osijek 1784 Zvonimir Kovačević, the president of the Croatian Shooting Association Hubert Kišpal, and the general secretary of the Osijek-Baranja County Sports Association Dubravko Ižaković.
Mayor Radić reminded that Osijek has a long history of shooting, dating back to 1774, when the first sports association in Croatia was founded.

Photo: Grad Osijek

"The first shooting range was put up at the beginning of the 19^th century in the Gradski Vrt hall, while Pampas was built in 1985. Two Olympians come from Osijek, 160 registered competitors and seven clubs, and this is a great opportunity to support this type of sport", said Radić. He pointed out that this summer in terms of tourism was a "complete success" for the city of Osijek.

"We achieved 12 percent more overnight stays than in the same month of the pre-pandemic year 2019, but also in the first eight months of this year. In terms of arrivals, we are better by as much as 55 percent compared to last year 2021. These figures certainly send a beautiful postcard of our city to the world and we have no doubt that this Championship will show that we are always good hosts", said the mayor of Osijek.

Director Ćelić believes that Croatia is one of the favourites this year, considering the medals won so far. He said that this competition is extremely important for achieving quotas for going to the Olympic Games in Paris, with 16 spots left in total.

Kovačević reported that competitors from 77 countries will perform in Osijek, including Olympians, while Kišpal added that there will be around 700 competitors, including 12 shooters from Croatia.

Ižaković pointed out that this is only one of the competitions that take place in the city and the county, and that the county and the city are happy to support the organisation of large sports events, and the shooters raise the level of tourism purely by being there.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.