Osijek is a city in eastern Croatia. It is located in the plain
on the right bank of the Drava River between the 16th and 24th
kilometers from the confluence with the Danube.
It is the
largest city in Slavonia, the fourth largest city in Croatia, and is
the industrial, administrative, academic, judicial and cultural
center of Osijek-Baranja County.
Osijek is the city with the
most greenery and green areas in Croatia; in the city area there are
17 parks with a total area of 394,000 m2.
Old century
On the territory of today's city there were
several Illyrian and Andizet settlements, of which the Celtic Mursa
was probably of the greatest importance. Its location on the site of
today's Lower Town is confirmed especially by the findings of a
Celtic shrine from the 2nd century BC. Kr. (Slavica Filipovic). The
Roman military camp from the time of the conquest of Pannonia was
confirmed by the findings of the VII Legion. Double trenches and
preserved earthen embankments of the camp walls were visible on the
surface until the middle of the 18th century, when their position on
the west side was recorded in cartographic representations, and they
disappeared with the expansion of the Lower Town. The standard
rectangular legionary Castrum had a fortified extension towards the
Drava that protected the port and the bridge over the Drava, from
which the basic remains of stone pillars are still visible at low
water levels. On the other side of the Drava, a long embankment or
system of bridges over the swamp continued, probably towards
Kopačevo, a kind of forerunner of the later famous Osijek bridge to
the Darda of Sultan Sulejman.
In the time of Emperor Hadrian,
the Roman Mursa was elevated to the status of a colony of Colonia
Aelia Mursa (124 or 133), and the city developed in great extension
and outside the walls of the former Castrum on its western side. The
central part of this western extension has been explored
continuously since 2001 by very extensive archaeological research
under the leadership of Slavica Filipović, head of the ancient
department of the Museum of Slavonia. Probably a central east-west
street (Decumanus Maximus) was discovered with a carriageway 3 m
wide and deep drainage ditches on both sides of the street (with
which its width increases to 8 m) and wide porches on both sides
(numerous bases of porch pillars, as and capitals found collapsed in
ditches). The street was discovered in a length of about 150 m, and
next to it on both sides behind the porches and numerous buildings
of the former city tissue of which stand out tabernae, a large
shrine of the god Silvanus (with 5 altars and the remains of walls
and porches around them, smoke. 57x34m), one larger building (area
1,600 m2) with a particularly representative facade, etc.
Based on the allegations of the Greek historian Zosimus, the
existence of an amphitheater building outside the southwestern part
of the defensive walls of Roman Mursa is assumed. Also ing.
Franjetić mentions a depression that can be read on a map from the
18th century. near the said corner of Castrum, which in all
probability represents the indicated remnant of the building of the
Roman amphitheater.
In 351, a great battle took place in
front of the walls of Mursa between Emperor Constantius II, son and
heir of Emperor Constantine the Great and usurper Magnentius, a
battle between opposing Roman armies on the east and west of the
Empire, one of the bloodiest Roman clashes in Roman history. After
the victory, which Constantius welcomed in prayer in the Arian
church of St. The martyr in the cemetery outside the walls of Mursa,
Constantius, was erected in Mursa by a triumphal arch (whose remains
have not yet been found). Over 40,000 people were killed in the
battle, and the bodies of those killed were all the way to today's
Trpinja.
The city was finally built in 441 destroyed by the
Huns.
Middle Ages
In Croatian historiography, there is an
interpretation that the name Osijek was given to the settlement by
the Croats because of the somewhat elevated place from the
surrounding waters, a place where there is a "low tide", and it is
dry and suitable for housing. In medieval documents written in Latin
under the influence of the Hungarian language it appears as Eszek or
Ezeek. Later variants, Essegg, German or Essec, Latin, are only
linguistic adaptations to the original Croatian.
The earliest
mention of Osijek in historical sources dates from 1196. It is a
document of King Emeric (1196 - 1204), which confirms the right of
the Cistercian cicadar monastery to collect duties from customs and
trade and scaffolding across the river, since Osijek was a famous
crossing over the river Drava. This document is very important
because it testifies to the fact that Osijek was already in the 12th
century an important trading place on the route of the old Roman
road that connected southeastern Europe with the Pannonian plain.
Unfortunately, written sources for the history of Osijek in the 13th
century have not been preserved, only the dimensions of the
Romanesque layer of the foundation, most likely, the parish church
of Sv. The Trinity may testify somewhat to the size and importance
of the city at that time. The foundations were found in the
courtyard of today's Franciscan monastery. Later Gothic additions,
probably in the 15th century, gave Osijek a relatively large
three-nave church in which members of the noble Korogy family were
also buried, in whose possession the guard had been for a long time.
We know that there was an Augustinian monastery in Osijek, which is
an additional confirmation of the urban status of the place.
Throughout the Middle Ages, Osijek was a male city. It is not
known what kind of feudal rights Cikador Abbey had, apart from
collecting the mentioned taxes. However, it is known that in the
14th century the owners of the town were a very influential noble
family Korogy. They are also most responsible for the fact that
Osijek has developed into one of the most important places in the
lower interfluve. In the 14th century, the county fair is mentioned.
Since the landowners often performed the duties of the prefect and
ban of Mačva, Osijek then had the role of an important
administrative center. The tax census of Osijek and its surroundings
from 1469 also testifies to the developed city life, from which the
structure of the city municipality and the economic and demographic
structure of the citizens can be read. It is also the only document
where Osijek is mentioned as a city (civitas), while other sources
mention it as a trading post (oppidum). It should be said that
according to this source, Osijek is a typical medieval town of
merchants and craftsmen, and the Hungarian population predominates.
Some historians think that at the time of the Korođ family, Osijek
was surrounded by ramparts, but there is no agreement in the
literature because the city walls are mentioned only in sources from
the time of the Ottoman rule. It is almost certain that the
Korođskis built a small castle in the city, which was their
residence. After Korođski became extinct in 1472, King Matthias
donated their estates to Ivan Ungor and Nikola Csupor. Osijek is
then mentioned as the property of the Buda Chapter of the Blessed
Virgin Mary. In 1490 it was the property of Petar Gereb, and in 1517
it was again owned by the Buda Chapter.
One interesting fact
is that at the dawn of the Middle Ages, King Louis II. (1516-1526)
authorized the Bosnian bishop Mihovil Keserű and the court
chamberlain Ivan Szerecseny to open a mint in Osijek. Unfortunately,
there is no record that this mint ever came to life.
New era
The conquerors of the Ottoman Empire arrived in the city on August
14, 1526, when Osijek was surrendered without a fight, but they say
that Ibrahim Pasha destroyed it to the ground. Later, Suleiman the
Magnificent completely restored it and built the famous pontoon
bridge over the Drava and nearby wetlands to the town of Darda in a
total length of 8 km. Osijek later became famous again for crafts,
trade and large fairs.
The city remained under the Turks for
more than 160 years. It was part of the Požega Sandžak. The forces
of the Holy League liberated Osijek on Miholjdan, September 29,
1687, but from 1690 Osijek was again under Turkish siege, it was
completely destroyed, but this time not conquered.
From 1687,
Osijek and the eastern part of today's Croatia were part of the
Habsburg Monarchy. Due to the strategic position of the city, the
new authorities built a military fortress on the banks of the Drava,
which makes up today's Fortress (1712-1721). Within the ramparts, a
city of civic houses in the Baroque style was created. Due to
military reasons, the population settled west and east, thus
creating new neighborhoods. In the west, upstream along the Drava
Upper Town and downstream from the Lower Town Fortress.
At
the beginning of the 18th century, separate magistrates were formed
in the Lower and Upper Towns, which means that these two units began
to function as independent city municipalities. The landlord of all
three municipalities was the Court Chamber. The policies of
decameralization in Slavonia, reforms and the policy of Maria
Theresa in general led to the beginning of negotiations between the
three chamber municipalities on unification, apparently with the
intention of granting Osijek, as well as other important centers in
the region, the status of free and royal city. However, due to
disputes over the holding of fairs, the unification took place only
on December 2, 1786, by the decree of Joseph II. During the 18th
century, Osijek developed into the most important political,
economic and cultural center in Slavonia, where many craftsmen,
merchants, libraries, theaters operated, and as early as 1729 a
Jesuit grammar school was opened. In 1735, the Franciscans founded a
printing house, and through their efforts, the study of philosophy
and theology was founded. On August 28, 1809, Osijek was solemnly
proclaimed a free and royal city, and thus began a new era of the
city of Osijek.
The middle of the 19th century was the time
of faster development of Osijek, especially the Upper Town. In 1874,
one of the largest and most beautiful hospitals in this part of
Europe was built in the Lower Town. In 1846, a large county palace
was built, and later, in 1866, opposite the county palace and the
Croatian National Theater. Towards the end of the 19th century,
secondary schools were opened - craft, real, teacher and trade. On
the stretch from the Fortress to the Upper Town, villas and other
buildings in the Art Nouveau style were later built.
Twentieth century
At the end of 1918 and the disintegration of Austro-Hungary,
Osijek, with today's eastern Croatia, entered the Kingdom of Serbs,
Croats and Slovenes, which in 1929 changed its name to the Kingdom
of Yugoslavia. In April 1941, with the beginning of the Second World
War in Yugoslavia, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia disintegrated and
Osijek became part of the Independent State of Croatia. From 1941 to
1945, the Croatian part of Baranja belonged to Hungary and Osijek
was a border town. It is important to note that Osijek was a victim
of the Allied bombing of civilian facilities during the war. After
the collapse of fascism, in April 1945, all parts of today's Croatia
and Osijek became part of the Federal People's Republic of
Yugoslavia (later the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). The
city itself was liberated on April 14, 1945. Several faculties and
colleges were founded in Osijek, and in 1975 a university, which
since its foundation has been called the Grand Bishop of the Diocese
of Đakovo or Bosnia and Srijem (1855-1905) and the Croatian patron
of Osijek-born Josip Juraj Strossmayer.
Homeland war
During the Homeland War (1991), especially after the fall of Vukovar
in November 1991, Serbian paramilitary forces and the Yugoslav
People's Army (JNA) penetrated the city. The city had been
threatened by war long before. On July 11, 1991, the Osijek Ministry
of the Interior arrested a group of Serb terrorists after a 10-hour
operation. Under the artillery of the JNA and the Chetniks, Osijek
suffered considerable destruction, but managed to survive. Before
the war in Osijek, a JNA garrison was stationed at several locations
under the name of the 12th Proletarian Mechanized Brigade within the
1st Military District (based in Belgrade) and as part of the
so-called Tuzla Corps. At the head of the garrison (which was
officially called "Milan Stanivuković Barracks - People's Hero") in
Osijek was then Colonel Bora Ivanović aka Konj, who not only during
his stay in Osijek but also after leaving the city actively
participated in the war against Croatia. The Osijek State Attorney's
Office filed an indictment against the now retired JNA and Yugoslav
Army general Bora Ivanovic and three other officers from the then
JNA garrison in Osijek in 2006 for destroying the city of Osijek and
civilian buildings.
After fierce fighting, Greater Serbia
troops occupied Paulin Dvor on December 16, 1991, 11 days after
occupying Antunovac, and almost half a year since Greater Serbia's
terrorist bases were established in the immediate vicinity of
Osijek, in Bijelo Brdo, Tenja and Markušica. extremists, from where
they attacked Osijek (on June 29, 1991 he was severely attacked [by
an infantry attack, they were artillery throughout the war.] from
Tenja) and controlled the Osijek-Vinkovci railway and road (from
Markušica).
Osijek came very early into the anxious
environment of constant shelling and the danger of occupation, which
the JNA and insurgent Serbs successfully carried out in Baranja,
western Srijem and other parts of the Croatian Danube region.
The attacks began on June 29, 1991, from Tenja, which was held by
insurgent Serbs and the JNA. The JNA and insurgent Serbs also
shelled the town from other occupied settlements. On July 5, 1991,
Serbian and JNA officials (Milosevic-Jovic-Kadijevic) agreed on the
deployment of JNA units in Croatia to areas that the Serbs wanted to
separate from Croatia, if they failed to occupy the whole of
Croatia. Osijek found itself on a planned route of attacking Croatia
and cutting off parts of Croatia: "Concentrate the main forces on
the line: Karlovac - Plitvice in the west; Baranja, Osijek, Vinovci
- Sava in the east and Neretva in the south. In this way cover all
territories inhabited by Serbs until the full outcome ". And when in
those days (July 5-6) the Croatian Ministry of the Interior and the
ZNG suppressed the Chetniks from Stara Tenja, the JNA, incomparably
more powerful than the Croats. force, openly sided with the rebel
Serbs, attacking Osijek. On August 19, JNA planes bombed Osijek, two
women were killed, and the Osijek Cathedral and industrial plants
were hit. On August 21, the JNA attacked Osijek and surrounding
villages with heavy artillery, wounding many civilians. Serbian
terrorist leader Zeljko Raznatovic demanded the surrender of the
city within 24 hours. On September 3, Serb forces occupied Bilje. On
the same day, despite the signed ceasefire, Serb forces artillery
attacked Osijek, killing 18 and wounding 28. On September 6, in a
JNA attack, it damaged the church of St. Petra in Osijek. On
September 10, a JNA artillery attack hit a kindergarten and a
Franciscan monastery. On September 15, Serb paramilitary forces
artillery attacked the Osijek hospital, killing four people. On
September 16, Croatian defenders in Osijek destroyed 10 JNA tanks,
which were constantly attacking the Osijek hospital throughout the
day. On that day, the JNA House in Osijek surrendered to Croatian
forces. During September, the JNA accumulated armored mechanized
forces in the Osijek suburbs and in Baranja, so that a comprehensive
attack on Osijek from the north could be expected. In September, the
JNA carried out a coordinated strike to evacuate the 12th PMBR,
which was surrounded in the Osijek barracks. Hrv. the forces tried
to ease the pressure on the city with less offensive action. On
September 16, the JNA demolished the overpass on Tenjska cesta, and
tanks from the "C" firing range fired at Brijest, Reftal and Dinara.
On September 17, the ZNG seized Polygon C and its barracks, but the
JNA extracted complete weapons from all these facilities, which it
later used in the attack on Vukovar. The ZNG left its positions in
Sarvas. The danger of an infantry-tank attack hung over Osijek like
a sword over its head for a long time. After a long siege, Vukovar
fell on November 18, news of the fall of Croatian settlements came
from everywhere, and the enemy was approaching the city. On December
5, Antunovac fell. On the same day, JNA forces and Chetniks, after
terrible artillery preparations, finally set out to conquer the city
of Osijek with a general armored infantry attack, and Croatian
forces with heavy casualties in the battle of the Rosinjača forest
on the southern approach to the city stopped small units. The JNA
and insurgent Serbs occupied Paulin Dvor on December 16, 1991. In
December, Croatian forces managed to ease the pressure on Osijek
from the north, freeing 30 km2 in Baranja to build a bridgehead for
future military liberation actions.
During the Homeland War,
1,260 Croatian soldiers and civilians were killed and more than
5,000 wounded in the defense of Osijek from Serbian paramilitary
forces and the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA). One of the fiercest
attacks was on April 3, 1992, when 20 (twenty) people were killed
and 100 (wounded) in an attack by Greater Serbia forces.
The
twentieth century in popular culture
Osijek became famous in punk
circles in the 1990s. Unlike the first decades when punk in Osijek
was poorly represented compared to the rest of the punk scene in
Croatia, it would be worth mentioning the band Vibra Yunkers, in the
mid-1990s the picture changed completely and the feeling of punk
scene became strongest in Croatia. Bands such as Debeli Precjednik,
COG and others stand out.
Tvrđa/ fortress
It is the harder historical core of Osijek,
the remnant of the former Osijek fortress that gradually grew into
an urban area. It was built by the Austrian military authorities
after the liberation from the Turks in 1687, as the seat of the
generals and an important defensive point of the southeastern part
of the empire.
The central square in the Fortress is Trg sv.
Trinity on which baroque buildings stand out. The most important is
the palace of the Slavonian General Command, a building erected for
the seat of the generals and the Provincial Administration of
Slavonia. The architect of this building is not known, but it is
known that it was built by order of Prince Eugene of Savoy from 1724
to 1726. The building originally had arcades with Tuscan pillars in
the courtyard, and stands out with a magnificent façade with a
portal carried by the Atlanteans, a monumental vestibule and
staircases modeled on Vienna’s Baroque palaces. Interestingly, the
second floor of the building was upgraded later in 1765, but the
design was repeated as on the lower floors.
To the left of
the square is the building of the Main Guard (today the Museum of
Slavonia), built for the fortress guard, and characterized by a bell
tower with a terrace overlooking the entire area. On the other side
of the square is the corner building of the City Magistrate from
1702, ie the former town hall, and today the Museum of Slavonia. In
addition to the above, the entire Fortress is dominated by simple
Baroque buildings of the 18th century, with rows of windows and
arcades towards the courtyard, which served as barracks and military
depots. Of the smaller buildings, we find several Baroque houses
from the 18th century, among which the Plemić house (Franjevačka 5)
stands out, with a facade in the motifs of rock shells, in the
Rococo spirit.
In the middle of Trg sv. The Plague Pillar
rises, ie the monument of the Holy Trinity, erected as a sign of
vows against the plague that used to often affect Slavonia. She had
it made in 1729-1730. Marija Ana Petraš, the wife of the commander
of the Osijek fortress, as evidenced by the inscription on the
pedestal. The monument consists of a central part with statues of
saints protectors against the plague, St. Sebastian, St. Francis
Xavier, St. Charles Borromeo and St. Rosalie, while at the top of
the pillar is the Most Holy Trinity with statues of God the Father
and Christ and the Holy Spirit depicted in the form of a dove. The
pillar was restored in 1784, when four external statues (St.
Catherine, St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, St. John of
Nepomuk and St. Joseph) were added, which are believed to have
originally stood on some of the city gates. The monument is a
quality sculptural work of the Baroque period, and is attributed to
the Osijek sculptor Josip Gerup. There are also two important sacral
buildings in the Fortress. Parish Church of St. Mihovila (1725-1748)
is a baroque church with two bell towers built for the Jesuits of
Osijek. In it are rich altars and altarpieces of the Austrian
painter Franz Xaver Wagenschön. The second is the Franciscan church
next to which there was a monastery, later turned into a barracks.
The monastery is notable for the study of philosophy and
theology (1709-1735), after which the first high school in Slavonia
was founded there - the Faculty of Theology, as well as the first
printing house.
Upper Town
The upper town is the urban
center of Osijek. There is the main triangular city square - Ante
Starčević Square. The upper town was built for the most part in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries, so it is characterized by
historicist architecture. The most prominent building is the parish
church of St. Peter and Paul, built from 1894 to 1899 in the
neo-Gothic style, according to the project of the German architect
Franz Langenberg, and at the instigation of Bishop Josip Juraj
Strossmayer. Nearby is the Neoclassical County Palace (1834-1846,
architect N. Hild), and the Croatian National Theater with elements
of pseudo-Moorish architecture. Of the Baroque buildings, the
Capuchin monastery (1706-10) with the church of St. Jakov (1723-27),
and the smaller church of St. Roka, to which the front bell tower
was later added at the beginning of the 19th century.
Osijek's Upper Town is proud of its superb Art Nouveau architecture.
In this respect, the European Avenue is significant, a
representative avenue with lavish Art Nouveau palaces erected for
Osijek industrialists and prominent citizens in the early 20th
century. Of the buildings nearby, the most original Art Nouveau
achievement is the Urania Cinema, the work of architect Viktor
Axmann from 1912, and the Main Post Office Palace from the same
year. European Avenue has the longest Art Nouveau row in Southeast
Europe.
Lower town
The lower town covers a large eastern part of
Osijek. Although conceived earlier, it was marked by 19th century
architecture. A significant baroque church of the Glorious Name of
Mary was built between 1758 and 1775, which with its tower is a
unique work of architecture of the second half of the 18th century
in Croatia. There is also the house of the boilermaker Kragujević, a
beautiful example of a small-town ground floor house with arcades
from the 18th century. On the same square is the chapel of St. Roca
(1742-44) and a baroque statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1757).
The Baroque Orthodox parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin (1743-1750), which housed a representative high iconostasis,
was destroyed in World War II, and a smaller and more modest
Byzantine building was erected in its place (1966-1979). The
Catholic Chapel of the Holy Cross (1869-1870) and the Orthodox
Chapel of St. Nicholas (1894) were erected in the cemetery in Donji
Grad, and the Neo-Gothic Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows was built
on Ban Jelačić Square, designed by Franz Langenberg, the same
architect he also designed the Upper Town Parish Church. In the
Lower Town there is the only fully preserved historicist synagogue
in Croatia, built in 1901-1903 according to the project of the
Osijek architect Wilhelm Carl Hofbauer.
Retfala
The
westernmost district in the city of Osijek. It has about 14,000
inhabitants and more than 5,000 households. City District Day is
September 14th. There is also the famous classicist castle of the
Pejačević family.
Osijek promenade
One of the longest
promenades in Croatia, and according to Time Out (the world's
leading tourism media) in June 2018, the most beautiful. Extremely
popular among the citizens of Osijek as well as among tourists who
come to the city. Not infrequently on weekends up to 10,000 walkers.
It is located on both sides of the river Drava. It is 3,650 m long
on the right bank of the Drava. From Moto-nautical club Neptun to
KBC Osijek. The length of the promenade on the left bank is 4,300 m.
From the entrance to the zoo to the end of the Podravlje settlement.
The promenade is connected to the right and left banks of the Drava
by bridges, and in summer by a computer. So that the people of
Osijek can walk continuously for a total of 7,950 m. Part of the
promenade in the Lower Town is an additional 1,040 m long. The two
parts on the right bank of the Drava are not yet connected. 700 m is
missing next to the Osijek Clinical Hospital. The promenade is
currently 8,990 m long in the Lower Town, and when completed the
total length will be 9,690 m. The promenade is illuminated, with
greenery and benches. The plantations are planted in over 570
planters containing 212 plant species. The entire length of the
promenade is followed by a bicycle path. Therefore, in addition to
walkers, it is very popular among cyclists, citizens who
recreationally run, rollerblade or walk pets. People from Osijek
walk along the promenade all 365 days of the year, and the largest
number of walkers is during the warm summer afternoons and evenings.
From the left bank of the Drava there is a view of the panorama of
the city, which is especially attractive at night with the
illuminated concathedral, Hotel Osijek, pedestrian bridge and the
Fortress.
Osijek cemetery
There are 11 city cemeteries in
the city:
-Saint Anne
The most significant and with the
largest number of grave sites is the cemetery of St. Anne. There are
more than 10,000 graves and many times as many dead. The cemetery
was founded in 1748 due to the increased number of deaths due to the
Plague that ravaged Osijek in those years. There are two chapels in
the cemetery. Catholic and Orthodox. The cemetery, and especially
this one, is a real treasure trove of the history and city culture
of Osijek, so it is not unusual to meet tourist groups led by guides
through the cemetery. Many famous people from Osijek are buried
here: Adolf Waldinger (painter), Ante Slaviček (architect), Pajo
Kolarić (composer), Mato Strossmayer, Danica Pinterović, Ivan
Adamović (composer), Franjo Sedlaković (founder of the Museum of
Slavonia), Countess Adele Deszaty of the city of Osijek), Count
Lorenz Jäger (Osijek benefactor) ... Along with many other important
citizens, a robber, Jovan Stanisavljević Čaruga, who is always
interesting to visitors to the cemetery, was buried in this
cemetery. St. Anne's Cemetery also offers a whole gallery of
sculptures, the most significant being the work of memory, faith and
hope of Antun Augustinčić on the tomb of the Zorman family and the
sculpture of Christ on the Gilming-Hengl tomb, the work of Frane
Kršinić. This cemetery is also recognized as a significant cemetery
in Europe and as such is a member of the international organization
ASCE (Association of significant cemeteries in Europe).
-Central
The newest cemetery. Infrastructurally completely solved and the
only one built in the last century. This is the largest cemetery in
Osijek. It was opened in 1984, and is planned to meet the needs of
the city of Osijek for the next 50 years (until 2034). The Central
Cemetery is the only night-lit cemetery in the city. The only one
that has an urn field with an accompanying rose garden for spilling
ashes. At the end of the 1980s, the cemetery was declared the second
most beautiful in the country, right after Varaždin. The destruction
of the war did not spare this cemetery either, and in 2015 the plant
species Thuja occidentalis Smaragd was attacked by the insect Thuja
bark beetle, and the cemetery administration was forced to cut down
about 10,000 trees. The cemetery then irretrievably loses its former
imposingness.
-Novogradsko
The oldest existing cemetery in
the city of Osijek was founded in 1712. Once significantly larger,
now surrounded by residential buildings built on the cemetery
itself. [Source missing] In the middle of the cemetery is a votive
chapel from 1872. Severely damaged in the Homeland War, later
rebuilt. The tomb of Hugo Conrad Hötzendorf (founder of the Osijek
School of Painting) is located in this cemetery along with other
important citizens. The stone obelisk on four cannonballs from 1899
is a monument to all fallen soldiers because the soldiers were the
first to be buried in this now civilian cemetery.
-Lower town
The cemetery in the Lower Town was founded in 1783. On it, as well
as on the cemetery of St. Anne finds two chapels. Catholic, built in
1870 and Orthodox built in 1892. Among the many monumental
monuments, one that stands out is the work of Ante Slaviček.
-Retfala
The mausoleum of the Pejačević family is located in this
cemetery. Although there are Croatian veterans buried in all Osijek
cemeteries, next to the Central Cemetery, Retfala has the largest
number of veterans' graves. During the Homeland War, for a time,
this cemetery was even called the Guards Cemetery.