5 must-visit places in Croatia’s Požega-Slavonia County

by croatiaweek
August 10, 2023
in Travel

Five must-visit places in Croatia’s Požega-Slavonia County

Trg bećarca in Pleternica (Photo credit: Borna Subota/TZ PSŽ)

If Slavonia is your next destination, these five places in Požega-Slavonia County are a must-visit. Each of them has its own unique story connected to the enchanting World of Graševina, which brings together tradition, customs, people, wine tourism, rich cultural and natural heritage across the entire county.

1. Bećarac Museum in Pleternica

As part of the World of Graševina project, the Interpretation Center – Bećarac Museum in Pleternica is an attractive place that, along with a souvenir shop and the modern Bećarac Square, creates a new urban center in this Slavonian town. Here, you’ll discover the heartwarming story of “bećarac,” a cheerful and sarcastic song that UNESCO recognized as intangible cultural heritage back in 2011.

Bećarac Museum in Pleternica (Photo credit: Damir Fabijanić/TZ PSŽ)

This story also reflects life in Slavonia, the winemaking tradition, and the importance of graševina, which runs like a thread through the history and daily life of the region.

Bećarac Museum in Pleternica (Photo credit: Domagoj Katić/TZ PSŽ)

2. Pakrac City Museum

The former estate of the Janković family has transformed into the attractive city center with its baroque residential and commercial buildings, now a protected cultural heritage. Within the former administrative building – Small Palace, you’ll find the City Museum. Here, you’ll learn, among other things, how one of the most widespread and stable medieval currencies was minted within the walls of the Old Town of Pakrac from 1256 to 1260. This coin, known today as the “Slavonski Banovac,” was a “Banski Denar.”

Slavonski Banovac (Photo credit: Josip Novosel/ TZ PSŽ)

3. Lipik State Stud Farm

With around seventy magnificent horses, the Lipik State Stud Farm is one of the biggest attractions in this part of Europe. The tradition of breeding Lipizzaner horses in Lipik was established by Count Izidor pl. Janković in 1843, and the status of a state stud farm was granted to this town as far back as 1938.

Carriage ride through Lipik (Photo credit: TZ PSZ)

Take a ride in a carriage through the green avenues of the protected century-old park in the town center. This park conceals the Marble and Stone Baths of Toplica Lipik, the source of well-known therapeutic thermal water, remnants of Kursalon and Wandelbahn, a bench, and a hill where Countess Jelka Janković used to rest.

4. Papuk Nature Park

Declared a nature park in 1999 and a UNESCO global geopark in 2007, Papuk Nature Park features magnificent medieval castle ruins on its periphery, ambient locations and fertile vineyards on its slopes, and dense forests, making it a perfect place for relaxation, meditation, inspiration, and outdoor activities. If you’re a camping enthusiast, you’ll choose the Duboka Campsite in the Velika Valley, and there’s also an Adrenaline Park for adventurers of all ages.

Papuk Nature Park (Photo credit: Borna Subota/TZ PSŽ)

Papuk Nature Park (Photo credit: Matija Pospiihalj/TZ PSŽ)

5. Kutjevo Vineyards

In the World of Graševina, visit its capital, the picturesque town of Kutjevo, the most renowned among the three vineyards in Požega-Slavonia County. With the oldest wine cellar in this part of Europe, dating back to 1232, and over thirty wineries, some of the most famous in Croatia, this is a true little hedonistic paradise.

Kutjevo (Photo credit: Borna Subota/TZ PSŽ)

And for a fascinating fact to conclude the story – did you know that Kutjevo lies on the same latitude 45.3 as some of the most significant wine regions in the world: Piemonte, Rhône Valley, Bordeaux, and Oregon?