Slavonia Feature

Strolling around Osijek

Set in its somewhat sleepy splendor on the south bank of the Drava river, Slavonia's economic, administrative, and cultural capital is especially pleasant to explore on foot. The magnificent, neo-Gothic Zupna Crkva Sv. Petra i Pavla is the main attraction in Gornji Grad, and a 15-minute walk or short tram ride away—past a lovely, spacious park, Perivoj Krajla Tomislava—is the historic, baroque district of Trvda.

Bird-Watching

Embracing more than 74,100 acres just north of the Drava, where that fast river flows eastward into the Danube, this vast natural area is covered with immense reed beds as well as willow, poplar, and oak forests and crisscrossed by ridges, ponds, shallow lakes, and marshes. More than 285 bird species can be spotted here. The park plays host to several endangered species, including the white-tailed sea eagle, the black stork, and the European otter.

Vukovar Renewal

Though more of an experience than a pleasure, perhaps, this once lovely baroque town on the Danube offers the chance to see for yourself—rather than just on TV—the destruction wrought by war. More of a pleasure, actually, is noticing how Vukovar has begun to make itself lovely again. In the years since 1991—when the city came under siege and thousands of its inhabitants died or went missing—great headway has been made to rebuild the city as faithfully as possible. At the same time, vital new public spaces are beginning to blossom.

Dakovo Cathedral

Dakovo's influential 19th-century bishop, Josip Juraj Strossmayer, commissioned this magnificent structure, which was designed by architect Frederick Schmidt. The structure towers outside and is beautifully decorated inside. If you're a fan of churches, this is one you won't want to miss.

Small-Town Charm

Once known as the "Athens of Slovenia" for its cultural dynamism, Pozega today may resemble a frontier town as you approach its outskirts—but you'll soon discover a charming historic center marked by the Trg Sv. Trojstva (Holy Trinity Square). The town has several notable churches, including the main attraction, the Gothic, 14th-century Crkva Sv. Lovre (Church of St. Lawrence). If Pozega seems too far out of the way to fit your itinerary, small-town charm can also be had in Bjelovar, whose capacious, parklike main square in particular is something to behold.