10 simple reasons to visit Croatia’s southern Slavonia area

by croatiaweek
February 25, 2021
in Travel

10 reasons to visit southern slavonia in Croatia

Brod fortress (Photo credit: TZ Brod-Posavina County)

Once the guardians of the border, today they are the guardians of taste, nature and heritage

In search of authentic, rural and undiscovered destinations, where wealth is still measured by the heart, then a visit to Brod-Posavina County, the southern Slavonian county in Croatia, is a must.

It is not far, less than two hours drive from Zagreb, and there are at least ten simple reasons why a spring visit is worthwhile.

Stupnica wines

Stupnica vineyards (Photo credit: Alen Vrlazić)

Staying in a hotel in Stupnički dvori is the right choice for wine lovers. Walking or cycling surrounded by vineyards, enjoying a glass of Graševina, Rhine Riesling, Chardonnay, Gray Drink, Frankovka… will relax you. Visit some of the family wineries above Cernik, Oriovac, Sibinj or Brodski Stupnik.

Stupnica vineyards (Photo credit: TZ Brod-Posavina County)

Ranches and farms

Ethno-village Stara Kapela (Photo credit: TZ Brod-Posavina County)

Village life is back in fashion. Visit one of the Ethno-eco villages like Stara Kapela, Ramarin Ranch, Dida Tunje House, Savus Farm, Kereković Estate, Opođe Rural Household, Villa Čop, Paljevina… to find out why.

Stara Kapela (Photo credit: Saša Pjanić/HTZ)

Sikirevac lace

Sikirevac lace (Photo credit: TZ Brod-Posavina County)

The handmade bed cover from 1928 is one of the most beautiful examples of Sikirevac sun lace. Sikirevac lace is an intangible cultural asset of Croatia, it is an integral part of luxurious Brod-Posavina costumes, and unique specimens can be seen in the exhibition space in the building of the Municipality of Sikirevci.

Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić promenade

Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić (Photo credit: Nina Djurdjevic/HTZ)

The promenade named after the famous Croatian writer features a monument to her and the house where she lived she got married. On the promenade along the Sava, there are monuments to Relja in the fight with the dragon, Potjeha and the apprentice Hlapić, famous characters from Ivana’s stories, and on the slopes of Dilj-gora one of the forests is named after her fairy tale Šuma Striborova.

Fortress in Brod

Brod fortress (Photo credit: TZ Brod-Posavina County)

It has been worked on day and night for 60 years. This exceptionally well-preserved and restored 18th-century fortress, built at the time at the border crossing between Turkey and Austria, is today one of the biggest attractions in Slavonia.

0 reasons to visit southern slavonia in Croatia

Fortress (Photo credit: Filip Beusan/HTZ)

Slavonian musical fairy tale

(Photo credit: TZ Brod-Posavina County)

Pearls, brač, bulgaria and berde – you don’t know the difference? Visit the Tamburitza Museum – Slavonian Music Fairy Tale in the Brod Fortress with more than 60 handmade instruments, old notes and the workshop of master Mladen Jurković. There is no such museum in the world.

There is freedom outside

Lake Petnja (Photo credit: TZ Brod-Posavina County)

Black Slavonian pigs, Posavina horses and Podolian cattle on the pastures of Gajna and Iva, ornithological reserves Bara Dvorina and Jelas fishponds, erosive canyon Pljuskare, special reserves of forest vegetation Muški bunar and Prašnik, artificial lake Petnja on the southern slopes of Dilja … There is freedom outside. By bike or on foot, you will enjoy.

Gajna reserve (Photo credit: Alen Vrlazić)

Cernički ćupteti

Cernički ćupteti (Photo credit: Borna Subota)

Slavonian finger food, salty dough cookies filled with stuffing that normally goes into sausages, are a real discovery for gourmets. They are baked only in Cernik, a place near Nova Gradiška known for its Baroque Franciscan monastery and Kulmerov castle.

Cernik (Photo credit: Igor Seler/HTZ)

Cernički ćupteti (Photo credit: Borna Subota)

Craft gin from Sičice

Craft gin (Photo credit: Ena Kokanović Nagy)

It contains seven types of herbs and has two distillations. To obtain one litre of MB72 gin, ten to 15 liters of high-quality beer, rich in the aroma of quality hops, are needed. It is produced by the pioneers of Croatian craft brewing, the Bošnjak family in Sičice.

Slavonian shop

Slavonian shop (Photo credit: Archive Nova Gradiška)

Delicatessen čvarci, top sausages and cured meat products, fine ajvars, great wines, the most beautiful handicrafts… – did you know that you can buy the finest Slavonian products and souvenirs in an authentic Slavonian shop in the heart of baroque Nova Gradiška? Great address for the end of your spring trip.