Vinkovci Travel Guide
Did you know that the oldest continuously inhabited town in Europe is in eastern Croatia? Vinkovci has been continuously inhabited for over 8000 years. Also, the only Roman emperors born in the area of today’s Croatia, brothers Valentinian and Valens were born in Vinkovci. In the former Yugoslavia, this city had the busiest train station in the country with over 18 million passengers per year. You will find more information by continuing the Vinkovci Travel Guide.
- Vinkovci Travel Guide
Essentials tips
Emergency telephone number
+385 112 – General emergency
+385 192 – Police
+385 194 – Ambulance
+385 193 – Fire brigade
City Pop. – 35k
Metro Pop. –
Area – 94km2
Time zone – UTC+1
Currency – Kuna
The oldest European town and birthplace of Roman emperors Valentinian and Valens
Vinkovci has been continually inhabited since the Neolithic period. Looking at today’s raster of the city, Vinkovci has been continuously inhabited for over 8000 years. The first communities of farmers inhabited this area sometime around 6200 BC bringing pottery, domesticated animals, and plants.
Colonia Aurelia Cibalae was the third-largest city in the province of Pannonia Secunda, which covered the area of the modern-day Slavonija, Syrmia, and Baranya (after the capital Sirmium (S. Mitrovica) and Mursa (Osijek)). During the reign of Hadrian (117-138), the city received the status of a municipality (Municipium Aelium Cibalae).
From the end of the 2nd or the beginning of the 3rd century, the city was elevated to the rank of a colony. The city reached the pinnacle of its development in the 4th century when between 5 and 10 thousand inhabitants lived in the City and its surroundings, and the City covered the surface area of about 550,000 m2. The most important people born in Cibale are Valentinian (364-375) and Valens (364-378), brothers and the only Roman emperors born in today’s Croatia.
Source: http://www.tz-vinkovci.hr/en/city/history/ (19.05.2020.)
Most iconic buildings in the city
The place where you will feel the pulse of the city is the main town square called Trg Bana Josipa Šokčevića. It’s designed with motifs of Orion – the oldest Indo-European calendar. The engraved decorations depict the constellations that dominate the night sky over Vinkovci. Also, it is surrounded by many baroque buildings. One of them is the Gymnasium building which dominates the eastern part of the square. The high two-story building built in 1879 for the centenary of the existence of the gymnasium in Vinkovci. Next to the square is a city park that was built during the Municipal Mayor Adolf Albrecht in 1868. The park is dominated by the Holy Trinity Monument.
Probably the most famous building in Vinkovci is the building of the Brod Property Agency designed in the Art Nouveau style with two facades. Its towers, sloping roofs, and other decorations have become recognizable symbols of the city. The building acquired its final shape around 1916. Above the entrance door, in the central part of the attic, there are relief decorations that symbolize the meaning of forests and forestry in this area.
Source: http://www.tz-vinkovci.hr/en/city/architecture/ (19.05.2020.)
Featured post of Vinkovci Travel Guide
The golden age of Vinkovci railway station was in the 70’s and 80’s of the last century. Daily flow in all trains, both incoming and outgoing, was approximately 50 thousand passengers per day, or more than 18.2 million passengers per year. At that time, about 3000 railway workers were employed at the Vinkovci railway station. It was for this reason that it was called the city of railwaymen. For more information, click on the Vinkovci Travel Guide article below.
Where to eat & drink
Pig slaughter and the production of dried meat products in many Slavonian and Baranja backyards is an indispensable tradition. The pig slaughter was usually held on Republic Day, November 29, while in the last couple of years it has mostly been waiting for colder weather. Along with sausage, blood sausage, and smoked ham, the two most famous Pig slaughter dishes are Čvarci and Kulen. Kulen is made of high-quality pork meat and fat. These pork products were usually left in a cool and airy place for 6 to 9 months. These products were most often eaten after the harvest, the most important agricultural event in that part of Croatia.
In the list below of the Vinkovci Travel Guide, explore some of the most famous traditional dishes.
- KULEN – a type of flavored sausage made of minced pork
- KULENOVA SEKA – made with the same ingredients as Kulen, but it is dried in a thinner casing, so it matures earlier than Kulen
- ČVARCI -they are a kind of pork “crisps”, with fat thermally extracted from the lard
- ŠARAN NA RAŠLJAMA – way of roasting carp with vertically placed branches
- ČOBANAC – Shepherd’s Stew
- FIŠ – a hot, spicy paprika-based river fish soup
- GOULASH – a stew of meat and vegetables usually seasoned with paprika and other spices
- SATARAŠ – a light stew made of bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and condiments
- PERKELT -a meat stew similar to goulash
- BACON (SLANINA) – a type of salt-cured pork
Events
VINKOVAČKE JESENI – one of the major cultural events of the whole of Slavonia. It is a manifestation that shows the Slavonian and Srijem tradition and cultural heritage. It is a manifestation that shows the Slavonian and Srijem tradition and cultural heritage. In the fall of 1966, when the Vinkovačke jeseni began, they marked the beginning of the apple harvest on the Borinci plantation. In general, the apple signified the harvesting of autumn fruits in Slavonia and symbolizes life, joy, and happiness.
An unavoidable part of the event is the famous Šokačko kolo – a traditional dance that is included in the list of the intangible cultural heritage of the Republic of Croatia. To see the most interesting moments of 2019, click on the Vinkovci Travel Guide video above.
Cost & Living
Very similar to Osijek. Prices per square meter of new apartments in Osijek are much lower than in other large Croatian cities. If you want to buy an older apartment the prices are between 800 to 1100 euros. For a new apartment, the price is between 1,200 and 1,500 euros. However, one of the biggest problems in this part of Croatia is emigration to the western countries of the European Union. Because of this, a lot of real estate is for sale, especially houses. The situation is even worse when we go to any village or a small town in Slavonia, Baranja, or Srijem.
Traveling around Vinkovci
The entire public transportation system consists of buses. Vinkovci public transport is managed by the company Polet d.o.o. They started their business back in 1964 with 5 buses. Today, they are a significant bus carrier in city, county, inter-county, and free traffic. Most of their activities are in Vukovar-Srijem County. At the beginning of 2020, they bought new buses for public city transport in Vinkovci. The total value of the project is HRK 15 million, of which EUR 12 million has been funded by the European Union.
Paper tickets can be purchased at Polet d.o.o. ticket offices or from drivers in vehicles. Prices were last updated during 2020. Find more information on the official website – Polet d.o.o. Also, within the county, I recommend traveling by train. You can buy train tickets here.
- Single fare ticket: 5 kuna
- Polet- Bus from Vinkovci to Vukovar: one-way ticket – 28 kuna, return ticket – 39 kuna
- Polet- Bus from Vinkovci to Županja: one-way ticket – 30 kuna, return ticket – 42 kuna
- Polet- Bus from Vinkovci to Zagreb: one-way ticket – 150 kuna, return ticket – 210 kuna
- Polet- Bus from Vinkovci to Osijek: one-way ticket – 41 kuna, return ticket – 57 kuna
- Polet- Bus from Vinkovci to Đakovo: one-way ticket – 33 kuna, return ticket – 46 kuna
Vinkovci Weather
Vinkovci has a warm-summer humid continental climate and over 1850 hours of sunshine annually. Summers are warm with average temperatures between 22-27 degrees Celsius. However, depending on the year, it sometimes happens that temperatures are around 35 degrees in the hottest part of summer. During the summer are frequent afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Also, spring and autumn are relatively warm (expect daily temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius).
During winter, prepare for the fog. Temperatures are usually between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius from December to February. Annual precipitation is 650 millimeters. Most precipitation expects during the summer. Due to climate change, the probability of snow falling is much smaller. Before, while I was still living in that part of Croatia, there was snow every winter and in large quantities.
- The hottest month is July, with an average high of 30.0°C (86.0°F)
- The coldest month is January, with an average high of 10.4°C (50.7°F)
The data was taken from the meteorological station Osijek and therefore the data for Vinkovci may be little different.
Day Trips from Vinkovci
Although tourism in Slavonia is developing tourism much more slowly than in the rest of Croatia, it has a lot of potentials. Kopački rit is an attraction that will always attract a large number of guests and I definitely recommend you visit. The most important center of the entire region is Osijek, so it is at the top of the list. Because of this, if you’re coming to this city I’m sure you’ll want to take some one day trip. In the list below of the Vinkovci Travel Guide, find the most popular one-day trips.
- KOPAČKI RIT – one of Europe’s largest preserved natural wetlands
- OSIJEK – the economic, traffic, and cultural center of Slavonia
- VUKOVAR – the Hero city of the Croatian Homeland War
- ILOK – guardians of Croatian wine tradition
- ZMAJEVAC – a settlement in the region of Baranja, wine destination
- ĐAKOVO – a city known for its Cathedral basilica of St. Peter
- NOVI SAD (SERBIA) –the second-largest city in Serbia
- ŽUPANJA – the cradle of football and tennis in Croatia
Recommended Experiences
Discover the most beautiful and interesting sights around Vinkovci with Vinkovci Travel Guide Experiences. Find, compare, and book sightseeing tours, attractions, excursions, things to do, and fun activities. Find the best selling excursions from Vinkovci below in the Vinkovci Travel Guide.
With this part, I finish the Vinkovci Travel Guide. Clicking on the Instagram hashtags below will open up the most popular photos on this social network for this city. I hope you enjoyed reading and exploring Vinkovci Travel Guide. Also, explore other interesting places on page Destinations.
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