The city of Osijek in eastern Croatia is not one of Croatia's tourism hotspots, which is a pity, as it has a history and heritage to match most destinations. A lovely video introduction from Udruga Novi Film.
The more I speak to people in Slavonia, the more I get intrigued.
Most of them I meet in the tourism industry on the Adriatic coast, far from their homes in north-eastern Croatia, a region which is suffering from chronic depopulation, as the region's youth are searching for economic opportunity elsewhere. My experience has been that these people are all - without exception - the hardest working employees in Croatian tourism, and Slavonian workers have a great reputation for reliability and diligence.
And as they talk about their homeland, I am constantly amazed by how many fascinating things there are to see and do in a region which many Croats know little about, apart from the emigration, recent war devastation, and regional culinary specialities such as kulen. It was perhaps one reason why Senka's excellent 25 Things to Know about Eastern Slavonia was so successful.
We will try to bring you more from this great region in the coming months, starting with this wonderful history of the main city, Osijek.
