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Osijek () is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja County. It is also the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. Osijek lies on the right bank of the Drava River, upstream of its confluence with the Danube, at an elevation of . Osijek is 16 km (10 mi) west of the border with Serbia.
After the conquest of Pannonia, Osijek, known at the time as Mursa, was under the administration and protection of the Roman 7th legion, which maintained a military castrum at the colony and a bridge over the river Drava. There is evidence that the Roman emperor Hadrian established the settlement from scratch; regardless, he raised Mursa to the status of a Roman colony with special privileges in 133. After that, Mursa had a turbulent history, with several decisive battles took place in its immediate vicinity, which had long-term consequences for the colony and the region, which was already under ever-increasing pressure from the invading Goths and other invading tribes. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the destruction of local tribes by the Avar Khaganate in the sixth century, this area was resettled by Slavic tribes.
The earliest recorded mention of Osijek dates back to 1196. The town was a feudal property of the Kórógyi family between 1353 and 1472. After the death of the last Kórógyi, King Matthias Corvinus granted it to the Rozgonyi family. The city was almost destroyed by the Ottoman Empire army on 8 August 1526, just before the Battle of Mohács. A Turkish garrison was installed there in 1529. The Turks rebuilt it in Ottoman oriental style and it was mentioned in the Ottoman Empire census of 1579. In 1566, Suleiman the Magnificent built a famous, 8-km-long wooden bridge of boats in Osijek, considered at that time to be one of the wonders of the world. In the Ottoman Empire, Osijek was part of the Sanjak of Pojega, Budin Eyalet, and became a commercial center as an important conduit for East-West trade.
Following the Second Battle of Mohács in 1687, Osijek was captured by the Habsburg monarchy on 29 September 1687, after more than 150 years of Ottoman rule.
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The Gornji Grad ("Upper Town") was founded in 1692 and Donji Grad ("Lower Town") followed in 1698 settled mostly by the inhabitants from swampy area of Baranja. Tvrđa, Gornji Grad, and Donji Grad continued as separate municipalities until 1786, when they were united into a single entity.Osijek-history In the late 18th century, it took over from Virovitica as the centre of the Virovitica County. The Habsburg empire also facilitated the migration and settlement of German immigrants into the town and region during this period. A particular German city dialect, Essekerisch, formed.Hans Gehl: Die deutschen Stadtsprachen in Temeswar und Esseg. In: Velimir Petrović (Hrsg.): Essekerisch: Das Osijeker Deutsch. Edition Praesens, Wien 2001, S. 127–144.
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 socioeconomic influences filtering down from Vienna and Buda. At the beginning of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the town was held by the Hungarians, but on 4 February 1849, it was taken by the Austrians under General Baron Trebersberg.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Osijek was the seat of the Virovitica County of the autonomous territory Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia in Austria-Hungary.
During the 19th century, cultural life mostly revolved around the theatre, museums (the first museum, Museum of Slavonia, 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.
After the war, the local German-speaking populace was expelled. The daily newspaper Glas Slavonije was relocated to Osijek and has been printed there ever since. A history archive was established in the city in 1947 and GISKO (city library) in 1949. A children's theatre and an art gallery were opened, and the volunteer fire department DVD "Hrvatska Elektroprivreda" founded, in 1950 (separate from the DVD "Vodovod" founded in 1947). As a continuation of the tradition of promoting national heritage, especially in music, society of culture and art, "Pajo Kolarić" was established on 21 March 1954.
Osijek has been connected with the Croatian republic's capital Zagreb and the previous federal capital Belgrade by a modern paved road since 1958. The new Drava bridge to the north was built in 1962.
The first faculty opened in Osijek was Faculty of Economy (in 1959 as Centre for economic studies of the Faculty of Economy in Zagreb), followed immediately by a high school of agriculture, later renamed as Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Philosophy. The Faculty of Law was established in 1975. This became the first member of the newly established University of Osijek.
As part of further development as a regional food industry and agricultural centre, a major (working) collective for agriculture and industry was established in 1962. During the 1980s, a new pedestrian suspension bridge over the Drava was built. A regional centre of National Television JRT was also opened.
Since records began in 1981, the highest temperature recorded at the airport at an elevation of was , on 24 July 2007. The coldest temperature was , on 9 February 2012. The highest temperature recorded in Osijek itself, where records began in 1899, was , on both 1 July 1950 and 24 August 2012. The coldest temperature was , on 31 January 1987. From 1981 to 1991, the lowest temperature at the RC Čepin station was , on 31 January 1987. Since records began in 2011, the coldest temperature at the Tvrđavica station was , on 9 February 2012.
According to the 1981 census, the total population of the city had reached 104,775, including 63,373 (60.48%) Croats, 13,716 (13.09%) Serbs and 1,521 (1.45%) Hungarians.Stanovništvo prema nacionalnom sastavu i tipu naselja, popis 1981.
Prior to the Croatian War of Independence, the 1991 census recorded a total population of 165,253, composed of 110,934 (67.1%) Croats, 33,146 (20.0%) Serbs, 3,156 (1.9%) Hungarians, 276 (0.16%) Germans, and 17,741 (10.7%) people categorised as Yugoslavs or 'others'.Popis stanovništva 1991, Republički zavod za statistiku – Zagreb
According to the census of 2001, the total population of Osijek dropped to 114,616. Croats made up the majority of Osijek's citizens, comprising 86.58 per cent of the city's population. Other ethnicities include 8,767 (7.65%) Serbs, 1,154 (1.01%) Hungarians, 480 (0.42%) Albanians, 211 (0.18%) Bosniaks, 175 (0.15%) Montenegrins, 178 (0.16%) ethnic Macedonians, 124 (0.11%) Romani people, and others including 24 Jews.
Osijek's population in 2001 included 96,600 (84.28%) Roman Catholics, 78 (0.07%) Eastern-rite Catholics, 8,619 (7.52%) Eastern Orthodox, and 966 (0.84%) Muslims and others.
In the census of 2011, the following settlements were recorded:
The city's population is divided into the following units of local administration:
The Saponia chemical factory is the largest factory in the Osijek area. It is a major producer of detergents, soap and cosmetics whose products are recognized throughout the region as being of quality. It is by far the largest exporter in the city area. Other industries include a regional brewery, the Pivovara Osijek (first Croatian beer), a sugar processing plant, as well as a candy factory Kandit. The Niveta brush factory founded as Siva in 1922 still operates.
The Osijek area used to be much more industrialised and a broad range of goods and products were being manufactured there. One of the earliest factories was the Drava match factory, established in 1856, which no longer exists.
Other industries included production of synthetic materials, agricultural machinery, metal furniture, wood and timber, textiles, footwear, and silk, as well as metal processing and printing. However, the 1990s saw most of these industries decline and in some cases close completely. However, the city remains at the centre of an important agricultural region.
At the elections held on 25 November 2007, the HSP and the HDSSB gained 7 seats each, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) 6 seats, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) 4, and the Croatian People's Party – Liberal Democrats (HNS) 1. Osijek: Pokušaj riješavanja krize, Hrvatska radiotelevizija, 26 December 2007; accessed 13 January 2008
A possible coalition between HDSSB and SDP provoked criticism of the Social Democrats for lack of principle such as from Damir Kajin, who called it a 'sellotape coalition', alluding to the charges of war crimes that the HDSSB leader Branimir Glavaš is facing. IDS osuđuje trgovinu Vlade i Osijeka, Hrvatska radiotelevizija, 21 December 2007; accessed 13 January 2008 After the parties failed to agree on a coalition, the Croatian government called new elections for the city. These elections took place on 9 March 2008 and gave the HSP 9 councilors, the HDSSB 6, HDZ, 5, SDP, 3 and a coalition of HNS and two smaller parties 2. Anto Đapić has expressed his hope for a coalition with the HDZ. HSP najjači u Osijeku , vijesti.hrt.hr; accessed 20 January 2016.
The surroundings of Osijek provide opportunities for hunting and angling on the Drava river and its backwaters. Hunting in the area known as Kopački Rit (in Baranja region) is famous beyond the borders of Croatia.
The recreational and sports centre Copacabana, opened in 1980, on the left bank of the Drava river, provides opportunities for various water sports (outdoor swimming pools and a sand beach with various facilities) during the summer months. The city offers various playgrounds: football, team handball, basketball, tennis courts, etc. NK Osijek are the city's main football team, which are followed by their supporters group called Kohorta Osijek, playing in the Prva HNL at Gradski vrt stadium. The city is also home to a number of smaller teams including NK Grafičar Vodovod and NK Metalac. Before the Second World War, the city's most successful club was Slavija Osijek, which collapsed in 1941.
A motorcycle speedway stadium existed in City Garden, immediately adjacent to the Gradski vrt, on the north side. The Gradski stadion opened in October 1953 and closed in September 1987, and staged a qualifying round of the Speedway World Championship in 1955, 1979 and 1982 and a round of the 1977 World Cup.
A new sports hall (Dvorana Gradski vrt) was built as the 2009 World Men's Handball Championship venue. Osijek hosts an extreme sports contest called the "Pannonian challenge", which features competitions in skateboarding, inline skating, freestyle BMX and MTB dirt racing.
Osijek hosted the 2017 Davis Cup World Group between Croatia and Spain at the Gradski vrt Hall in February 2017.
The new Opus Arena stadium, with a capacity of 13,005 spectators, was opened on 22 July 2023 with the official match of the first round of the Croatian First League between the NK Osijek and NK Slaven Belupo.
The Municipal Park of King Petar Krešimir IV and the King 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. The city is home to a monument to Ante Starčević.
The Co-cathedral of St. Peter and Paul is a Neo-Gothic structure with the second highest tower in Croatia after the Zagreb Cathedral. The tower measures and can be seen from throughout Osijek. Because of its size most locals refer to it as the cathedral but it is only a parish church. The Church of St Peter and St Paul was designed by Franz Langenberg and contains 40 stained glass windows, although they are not all intact after the bombing in the 1990s. The church also contains sculptures by Eduard Hauser.
A small tram network runs through the city, which has been in continuous operation since 1884 and is the only tram network still in operation in Croatia outside of Zagreb. The network is currently being completely overhauled and more than doubled in length, and the city's old trams have been thoroughly modernized.
Minority councils
Directly elected minority councils and representatives are tasked with consulting tasks for the local or regional authorities in which they are advocating for minority rights and interests, integration into public life and participation in the management of local affairs. At the 2023 Croatian national minorities councils and representatives elections Albanians, Hungarians, Germans, Slovaks and Serbs of Croatia each fulfilled legal requirements to elect 15 members minority councils of the City of Osijek while Bosniaks, Macedonians, Montenegrins of Croatia elected individual representatives.
Society and culture
Cultural events
Numerous events take place in the city throughout the year. The most important of them are the Croatian Tamburica Music Festival (in May), attended by tambura orchestras from all over Croatia and the Osijek Summer Nights (during June, July and August), a series of cultural and entertainment programs in the open, accompanied by food and fairs. The Day of the City of Osijek is celebrated with a cultural and artistic activities and exhibitions.
Cuisine
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 boiled dumplings, venison, slavonski čobanac and fish dishes such as the famous Fish soup (fish stew made with paprika). The two brands of beer brewed in Osijek are Osječko and Esseker.
Sport and recreation
The local chapter of the HPS is HPD "Jankovac", founded in 1926, had 245 members in 1936 under the Zlatko Springer presidency, being one of the strongest chapters in the society despite its distance from the nearest mountains. At the time, it had a skiing section, a kayaking section and a photography section. Membership fell to 241 in 1937, and further to 213 in 1938. In 1938, the kayak section canoed from Linz to Osijek.
Tourism, sights and attractions
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, Ante Starčević Square, Tvrđa the 18th century Baroque citadel, the promenade along the Drava ("promenada"), and the suspension pedestrian bridge toward Baranja region.
Festivals and Events
Osijek has become home to several large festivals and events.
Transport
Transport links to and from Osijek include major railway and highway junctions, a river port, and Osijek Airport. International flights from the airport to Cologne/Bonn Airport in Germany commenced in March 2008. A four-lane highway, part of the Pan-European Corridor Vc, linking Osijek to the rest of the Croatian modern highway network, was completed and opened in April 2009. From Osijek, it is possible to take the train and bus to numerous destinations including Zagreb, Rijeka, Požega, Virovitica, Našice, Slavonski Brod, Erdut, Vrpolje, Dalj and Đakovo.
Notable people
Notable people who were born or have lived in Osijek include Matija Petar Katančić, an 18th-century Croatian writer, professor of archaeology, translator of the Bible into Croatian, and author of the first paper on archaeology in Croatia, Josip Juraj Strossmayer, a Croatian Maecenas bishop, Franjo Šeper, Archbishop of Zagreb from 1960 to 1968, and Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1968 to 1981, Francis, Duke of Teck, a German prince, sculptor Oscar Nemon, painters Adolf Waldinger and Bela Čikoš Sesija, musicologist Franjo Kuhač, violinist Franjo Krežma, musicians Miroslav Škoro, Branko Mihaljević and Krunoslav Slabinac, historian Ferdo Šišić, linguist Snježana Kordić, TV journalist Vladimir Herzog, Hollywood producer Branko Lustig, footballers Davor Šuker, Franjo Glaser and Borna Barišić, sport shooter Jasna Šekarić and tennis players Jelena Dokić and Donna Vekić. Nobel Prize winners Lavoslav (Leopold) Ružička and Vladimir Prelog also lived in the city, as did meteorologist and seismologist Andrija Mohorovičić, mathematician and climatologist Milutin Milanković, and , famous Croatian mineralogist and petrologist, first doctor of science (Ph.D.) in the field of at the University of Zagreb. Pedagogue and university professor Ante Vukasović. The Croatian singer Mia Dimšić also comes from Osijek.
Acknowledgements
Honorary citizens
Source
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Osijek is Sister city with:
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Partner cities
Bibliography
(2006). 9781904978701, Time Out Group Ltd & Ebury Publishing, Random House 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SV1V 2SA. . ISBN 9781904978701
Notes
External links
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