Bordered by the Drava and the Danube and divided by the Croatian-Hungarian state border, in the east enchanted by a swamp, in the south and southwest protected by river arms, and in the north and northwest open for connection by wine roads and paths – today Baranja is still very closed, almost isolated and more mystical than ever before. Despite the renovation of old bridges and the construction of completely new ones, regardless of the fact that it is dotted with several internationally important traffic routes and that it is an increasingly interesting tourist destination – Baranja today manages to be special because people there jealously guard their own existential secrets.
They most directly and concretely remember stories older than their families, secrets about life and survival, about love and dying, wines, hot peppers, specific fishing, weddings, bushes, powder rooms, brush houses, peacocks, straw houses and lamps. Thanks to this still existing ethnographic magic, which can be read on the faces of the locals in the settlements off the main roads, Baranja manages to attract, but never fully reveals itself.
Kopački rit
The Kopački rit Nature Park is the largest floodplain in the central part of Europe, bordered by the Drava and Danube rivers. It has been a Ramsar site since 1993, and later became part of the Natura2000 ecological network. It has a rich biological diversity, and the most important part of the Park is the Special Zoological Reserve and the marginal area where the greatest part of the diversity can be observed in one place. In addition to waterfowl, other types of animals live here, such as beaver, deer, wild boar, mink, badger, otter, etc. There are few areas in Europe where one can experience unique nature as he can in the Kopački rit Nature Park.
White Monastery
Beli Manastir is the only town in Baranja and the administrative center of Baranja. It grew on the southwestern slopes of the Baranjska mountain, almost halfway between Osijek in the south and the Hungarian city of Mohács in the north. The name of the town traces its roots back to the Middle Ages, when the Hungarian palatine Moys de Daro built a monastery on his estate in Pél in 1227.
Plants
A visit to Baranja, an unknown destination for many, begins by entering the Municipality of Bilje, which is located only 5 km from the city of Osijek, along the left bank of the Drava River, with the settlements: Bilje, Kopačevo, Vardarac, Lug, Podunavlje, Kozjak, Tikveš and Zlatna. Beam.
Ceminac
The settlement is located along the main road that leads from Osijek, through Beli Manastir to the border with Hungary. Čeminac is the seat of the municipality that extends in the central part of Baranja, and also includes the towns of Kozarac, Grabovac, Novi Čeminac and the workers’ settlement of Mitrovac.
Darda
Darda is ten kilometers from Osijek. It was mentioned for the first time in the time of the Roman Empire, under the name Tarda. Due to its position near the former Mursa (Osijek), it was a gateway for many merchants who came from the area of today’s Russia, Central and Northern Europe. In the center of today’s Darda is the castle of the old Hungarian Esterhazi family, which had a small church of St. John the Baptist. The object of tourist interest during the summer are three lakes that are located practically inside the town. The central one is called Đola and there is a bathing and recreation center on it.
Charm
What the municipality of Draž can certainly be proud of is its unsullied and unpolluted nature, which is the ideal starting point for eco-tourism. The surroundings of the settlements located in the Municipality of Draž are natural, clean and unpolluted, given that there are no industrial plants in the immediate and distant surroundings, and therefore enables the habitat of numerous plant and animal species.
Strawberry tree
A settlement in the western part of Baranja, the municipal center (Bolman, Novi Bolman and Majške Međe), 25 kilometers northwest of Osijek. Jagodnjak is also called by the folk names Kačvala or Kačvola, and it is located in the middle of a large and fertile land.
Caran
The place widely known as an “ethnic village” has become a magnet for numerous foreign and domestic tourists in recent years who enjoy the rich gastronomic and tourist offer. Here you can eat well, you can take a ride in an original country cart and sleep in authentically decorated rooms with a view of the chicken coops. In colorful country taverns, the offer is based exclusively on local food production, and snacks are regularly accompanied by live gypsy music.
Kneževi Vinogradi
During the time of the Romans, there was a colony in this place called Donatium, so Suljoš (that’s what the people call Kneževe Vinograde) is actually one of the oldest places in Baranja. At the same time, it is also a favorite summer destination for swimmers and recreationists from the entire region who traditionally enjoy the offer of the sports and recreation center “Pools”.
Petlovac
A settlement in the triangle between the Drava, the Danube and the Hungarian border. The municipality of Petlovac is part of a wider lowland, fertile area
Popovac
In the municipality of Popovac (Branjina and Kneževo), almost two and a half thousand people live in slightly more than 900 households. The settlements are located in the fertile area between the state border with Hungary and Baranja mountain, from whose northern slopes on clear days you can see the Hungarian part of Baranja. Popovac has a strong fishing lobby (Karašica), in September every year they organize the Fish Festival, which is specific in that women compete in the preparation of fish paprikash.
Tear
The place was mentioned for the first time in 1252 in the grant document of King Bela IV as Chuza. In the period from 1698 to 1734, the village was owned by Eugene of Savoy, and during the revolution of 1848/49. the locals were freed from serfdom. Today it is an agricultural village. The inhabitants grow wheat, barley, corn, sunflower, vines and fruit.
Dragon tree
Today, the place is known for its wine roads and a whole colony of wine cellars dug into the southern side of the Baranja mountain. The vineyards are right above, in a position that guarantees the highest quality prerequisites for the production of the widely known Baranja wines.
