SLAVONIA, BARANJA AND SRIJEM

AREA

Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem is a geographical and historical region in the east of Croatia consisting of five counties – Osijek-Baranja County, Vukovar-Srijem County, Brod-Posavina County, Virovitica-Podravina County and Požega-Slavonia County.

The five counties cover the territory of 12,482 square kilometers (4,819 square miles) and have 805,998 residents. The biggest city in the region is Osijek, followed by Slavonski Brod, Vinkovci, Vukovar, Požega and Virovitica.

The region of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem is located in the Pannonian basin, largely bordered by the rivers Danube, Drava and Sava. The western part of the area consists of the valleys of the rivers Sava and Drava, and the mountains and hills surrounding the Požega Valley. The highest mountain is Psunj, with 984 meters. The eastern part of the area consists mostly of plains.

Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem is in the humid continental climate region, with sunny and hot summers, and cold and snowy winters.

ECONOMY

The economy of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem is largely based on the manufacturing industry (metal, wood, food, wood processing), as well as agriculture, trade and the construction sector.  

Agriculture, as one of the cornerstones of the economy in Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem, covers 45% of Croatian agricultural land, with mostly grains (wheat and corn), industrial plants, and, to a lesser extent, fruits, cultivated on the agricultural areas. Animal husbandry is a significant part of the agriculture, and cattle and pig breeding predominate, along with well-developed fish farming.

Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem abounds with forests, which are an important source of wood construction material (especially high-quality European oak) and large water resources.

Continental tourism offer is starting to develop in the area.

The gross domestic product – GDP (2015) of the five counties of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem amounts to 5,338 million EUR or 6,623 EUR per capita – 37.2% below Croatian national average.

GDP of the five counties represents 12.02% of Croatian GDP.

POPULATION

According to the 2011 census, the total population of the five Slavonia counties is 805,998. The majority of the total population live in Osijek-Baranja County, followed by Vukovar-Srijem County.

The population density of the region ranges from 77.6 to 41.9 people per square kilometer. Požega-Slavonia County is the least populated county of the area of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem, with total population density of 42.9 people per square kilometer. The highest density was recorded in Brod-Posavina County, and the lowest in Virovitica-Podravina County. Osijek is the biggest city in the region, followed by Slavonski Brod, Vinkovci, Vukovar, Đakovo, Požega and Virovitica. Other towns in Slavonia have fewer than 20,000 residents.

According to the 2011 census, Croats make up 87.25 percent of the population in Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem, and the most significant ethnic minorities are Serbs and Hungarians, who make up 8.1 percent and 1.3 percent of the population, respectively. The largest share of the Serb ethnic minority is in Vukovar-Srijem County (15.5 percent), while the largest Hungarian ethnic minority, both in relative and absolute terms, is recorded in Osijek-Baranja County.

TOURISM

 The destination of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem, with its attractive, year-round continental tourism offer, is renowned for the cordiality and hospitality of the hosts, and attractions that the destination offers include:

- the excellent wine regions of Podunavlje and Slavonia with vineyards: Baranja, Erdut and Srijem, as well as Đakovo, Slavonski Brod, Nova Gradiška, Požega-Pleternica, Kutjevo, Daruvar, Pakrac, Feričanci, Orahovica-Slatina and Virovitica, and three oldest wine cellars in Croatia: Kutjevo Winery, Ilok Cellars, Belje Wine Cellar

- nature parks as destinations for active holidays, Kopački Rit Nature Park and Papuk Nature Park

- towns: Osijek with its Baroque fortress Tvrđa, the Pannonian Challenge event and Baranja, Đakovo as the center of the archdiocese and Đakovo stud farm, Vinkovci as the oldest urban settlement, Vukovar with Eltz Manor and Vučedol Culture Museum, Slavonski Brod with its Fortress, Virovitica and its surroundings with the castles, and Požega, the pearl of the Golden Valley.

- rural tourism, the manors of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem, bicycling routes, thermal springs (Bizovac and Lipik), authentic wine and food offer, and hunting tourism.

 CULTURE

The cultural heritage of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem is a combination of historical influences, especially those from the end of the 17th century, and the traditional culture. The Baroque in the 18th century was especially influential, when Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem began developing after the stability was restored following the end of the Ottoman wars. Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem has contributed to the culture of Croatia as a whole by works of its artists, especially writers and poets, and with the patrons of the arts as well.

Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem is an area of Croatia known for traditional music, and the traditional culture is preserved through the folklore festivals, where tambura music and “bećarac” have a special place, being the forms of traditional song recognized by the UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. The cuisine of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem mirrors the culture of the region through the variety of the culinary influences that represent the combination of traditional and foreign elements.

The Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem region is among the first winemaking areas.

 HISTORY

The area of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem was initially a part of the Roman province of Pannonia, and after the fall of the Roman Empire, it was inhabited by Slavs. The local tribes created their first state here and entered into an alliance with the Avars. In 1091, the area was conquered by the Hungarians. Following the defeat of the Croatian-Hungarian army in the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the region came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. 

With the peace treaty of Srijemski Karlovci in 1699, the region came under the rule of the Habsburg Monarchy, along with the rest of Croatia. After the revolution in 1848, Croatia and Slavonia formed an autonomous Croatian-Slavonian region, which in 1867 went under the Hungarian part of the monarchy. In 1881, the Croatian Military Frontier finally reunited with the civilian Croatia, thus bringing the entire region back under Croatian rule.

After the disintegration of Austria-Hungary, Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem became a part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During World War II, the area belonged to the German occupation zone of the Independent State of Croatia, and following the end of the war, it became a part of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, within SFR Yugoslavia.

After the democratic election in 1990, in 1991, the Republic of Croatia declared independence, like most Yugoslavia member states. Using the former federal army and local rebels, Serbia and Montenegro attacked Croatia in 1991 with the aim of retaining the conquered territories in the truncated Yugoslavia. The war ended in 1995 with the victory of Croatia and liberation of the occupied areas, while the simultaneous allied Croatian-Bosniak successes led to the peace process in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2000, the European integration process begun. The Stabilisation and Association Agreement was signed, Croatia joined the Partnership for Peace and World Trade Organization. The positive processes of social and political stabilization of the country have gradually strengthened. Croatia became a full member of NATO on 1 April 2009 and of the European Union on 1 July 2013.