September the 24th, 2022 - There are promotional prices on offer for those wanting to pay a visit to various Virovitica-Podravina County attractions next week, with entrance fees for all sorts of historical and cultural sites totalling a mere 20 percent of their usual costs.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the gorgeous Jankovic Castle in Suhopolje is worth paying a visit for not only the beautiful architecture but all of the stories this location boasts, such as the story of the noble family which once lived there. Historical gossip such as why Ilka Jankovic refused to allow her husband, Count Elemir, into the matrimonial bedroom for a while might also be of interest.

You may also be interested in the Drava story (Dravska prica) in Noskovci, where, among other things, there is a rehabilitation and recovery centre for white storks, and you can also get to see what the beautiful Papuk Nature Park looked like back during the age of the Carboniferous swamps.

The Croatian coast might get all the attention, and Zagreb is now getting a lot too, but the rest of the continental part of the country, including Virovitica-Podravina County, is often overlooked. It's perhaps best to say that it is very wrongly overlooked as this part of the country is just as full of history and culture as the coast. In the period from September the 26th to October the 2nd, tickets for all attractions of cultural, historical and natural heritage in the county will come at a cost of just 20 percent of their usual entry/ticket prices.

"On the occasion of celebrating World Tourism Day on September the 27th, the Virovitica-Podravina County Tourist Board is providing all visitors with an 80 percent discount on tickets for museums and visitor centres  in the county's wider area," said Martina Jakelic, the director of the Virovitica-Podravina County Tourist Board.

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

August 19, 2022 - Croatia's natural heritage is vast, and you will find something to soothe your soul on every step. From the Adriatic Sea in the west, to the Danube in the east, don't miss what is in between. Drava is the second longest river in Croatia. Witness its beauty and discover the Dravska Priča Visitor Centre where you can learn some of its many secrets.

As Glas Slavonije writes, the visitor centre of the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Areas of Nature and the Ecological Network of the Virovitica-Podravina County, Dravska Priča in Noskovci, has become one of the most attractive visitor destinations in Slavonia in recent years.

Photos: Dravska Priča

This Sunday, members of the Gudovac Women's Association visited the centre. In addition to seeing all the contents of the Visitor Centre, the visit was also an opportunity to agree on further cooperation in the implementation of the activities planned by the association. During the previous two months in Noskovci, the visitors included the employees and users of the Borova Care Home, the teachers of Antun Gustav Matoš Elementary School from Čačinci, the students and their teachers from the elementary schools Petar Preradović in Pitomača, Matija Petar Katančić from Valpovo, Ivana Brlić - Mažuranić from Virovitica, August Cesarec from Špišić Bukovica and primary schools Suhopolje and Ferdinandovac. With the expert guidance of the employees of the Institution, all visitors were presented with the contents of the Dravska Priča Visitor Centre.

As part of the study trip "Teci Dravo, teci...", organized by the Tourist Board of VPŽ and the Tourist Board of Dravski Peski from Kloštar Podravski, a group of journalists and bloggers from Croatia also visited Dravska Priča in Noskovci. Field teaching was also held there for students of the 1^st year of the undergraduate studies of Hunting and Nature Protection of the Polytechnic in Karlovac, who got to know the ecosystem of floodplain and lowland forests along the Drava River through part of the program from the courses General Ecology and Zooecology, Applied Zoology, Geobotany, and Forestry. In addition, students investigated the presence of medium-sized and large mammals (otter, beaver, jackal, badger, fox, wild boar, deer...), the biology and ecology of bats, the ecology of grasslands, the presence of birds, etc. All this points to the different possibilities of the Centre, which also offers accommodation. Visitors can also prepare their own food, or have catering arranged.

In the first six months of 2022, the centre had 351 overnight stays, a total of 1,633 visitors, and approximately 500 more people participated in various activities, either as public institutions or as partners in various projects.

Given that many educational institutions, as well as other nature lovers and conservationists, have recognized the significance of Dravska Priča and its role in preserving the natural values ​​of the area, GS asked the director of the public institution, Tatjana Arnold Sabo, what Dravska Priča offers and why the destination should definitely be visited.

“The Dravska Priča visitor centre offers a different view of nature, understanding nature, and simply experiencing nature. The contents of the Visitor Centre and its thematic decoration have been adapted for this. Each room has its own little story of our complete story, nature is not presented to visitors in a classic, museum way, looking at thigns and having someone talk about them. There are also different sounds, the possibility of smelling, interactive participation, discovering what our multimedia display offers. There is also the scientific aspect where visitors, especially those who stay with us for several days, after collecting samples in nature have the opportunity to analyse them in our bioresearch station. In addition, we have had a recovery facility for storks in the park of the centre for six years, and since last autumn we have had aviaries for birds of prey and a shelter for invasive species of red-eared turtles, and a month ago we got hawksbill turtles, which have also become our residents”.

Director Arnold Sabo says that the Dravska Priča Visitor Centre is currently implementing six different projects, while in the recent past there were periods when twice as many would be implemented at the same time. “But we are also preparing new projects”, says the director.

How good is your knowledge of eastern Croatia? Take the CROMADS test above - how many places do you recognise?

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December 19, 2021 - The interactive multimedia center, 3D halls, projections, and presentations on screens are just a part of what the new Geo-information center in Voćin on Papuk offers.

From the first day of the new year in Virovitica-Podravina County, visitors at the new Geo-information center will be able to discover how our planet came to be, experience the Papuk underground, feel the atmosphere of caves and pits, meet rhinos, Miocene saber cats, or Miocene sharks in the former Pannonian Sea and find out all about the historical and geological development of the most famous Slavonian mountains, reports HrTurizam.

Models, sculptures and photographs of interesting living beings and stories about seven historical periods in biology and archeology will introduce you to life on Papuk, which is mostly a nature park, and due to its exceptional geological importance and a UNESCO geopark.

Photo: Kristijan Toplak/Virovitica-Podravina County Official Website

"Papuk, along the Drava River, is one of our strongest assets, and both areas are under the protection of UNESCO. Voćin is annually visited by about 100 thousand guests whose main motive for coming is the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Voćin. The opening of this new Geo-information center in Voćin with all its facilities will be the reason for the arrival of many new visitors, which will ultimately have a positive impact on the development of tourism entrepreneurship," says Martina Jakelić, director of Virovitica-Podravina County.

The director of the Papuk Nature Park, Alen Jurenac, points out that the construction of the Geo-information center worth around 40 million kuna is part of the "UNESCO Geoparks Geopark" project.

Photo: Kristijan Toplak/Virovitica-Podravina County Official Website

"The geo-stories of the UNESCO Geopark have so far been the largest project proposal approved in this part of Croatia. The investment is worth more than 90 million kuna with 85 percent support from the Ministry of Regional Development and EU funds, while the rest of the funds were invested by the Papuk Nature Park. The Geo-information center in Voćin, which is one of the two official entrances to the Nature Park, is an excellent starting point for getting to know the geological, biological and cultural heritage of Papuk", says Jurenac.

Papuk Nature Park is the first UNESCO geopark in the Republic of Croatia, a place that is very popular among mountaineers and recreationists, and from year to year it is surrounded by modern houses with swimming pools and camp Duboka, an adrenaline park, and Aquapark Shhhuma in Velika. Also, Papuk is surrounded by Kutjevo and its famous wine road, Požega, Slavonski Brod, Našice with various additional tourist facilities, which makes the whole area extremely attractive for tourism. By the end of September this year, PP Papuk was visited by about 50,000 visitors.

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