One day in Virovitica

Virovitica is a small town in the northeast of Croatia. This is a place that does not have a spectacular beach or a well-known monumental building, but it is a quiet and small place where everyone is welcome. Virovitica is located two hours by car from the capital of Zagreb. This is the city that has the exact year of its creation, a place which is the seat of the Virovitica-Podravina County and is the westernmost city of the historical region of Slavonia. Let's see how to spend one day in Virovitica.

General information

Virovitica is particularly proud of gaining the title of the royal city before the capital of Zagreb. It happened in 1234, a year of an interesting combination of numbers today used for marketing purposes and also as a city logo. So, the city that is seven centuries old has much to offer to its visitors. As I mentioned, Virovitica is the seat of Virovitica-Podravina County and has about 20,000 inhabitants (with surrounding towns up to 50,000). In the immediate vicinity of the city, there is the Papuk Nature Park as well as the river Drava, which is a natural border with neighboring Hungary. You can reach Virovitica if you go from Osijek to Zagreb or from the very north of Croatia heading towards south or east. I recommend the Osijek-Virovitica tour through the Slavonian villages and next to the lovely Drava River.

What to see?

Virovitica may not have a lot of accommodation facilities, but it's definitely worth a visit, at least for a day. This hidden town, which is timidly acquiring the attention of tourists, has recently appeared in the tourist maps of Europe. Its historical and geographical center is the Pejačević / Schaumburg-Lippe castle. Around the castle, there is a beautiful park with a forest 200 years old. Castle Pejačević / Schaumburg-Lippe is the most important monument of the city, and I mentioned it in the story of seven castles in seven days. The castle was built from 1800 to 1804, and from that time until now, many owners have changed. Today, the city is the owner, and the city museum is located there. The castle represents a combination of classicism and baroque styles, which makes it similar to many other Slavonian castles. It is possible to visit it and get to know the history of the city and region.

In addition to the Pejačević / Schaumburg-Lippe castle, there is also the city church of St. Rok, who is the patron saint of the city. In the town, there is a building which was the seat of the first Croatian saving bank. Additionally, Virovitica Theater is the seat of the city's cultural life. After the walk, you will be able to rest in the city park or some of the restaurants with always tasty Slavonian food. As a singer Đorđe Balašević once said, Virovitica really is a place without pressure and where everyone lives peacefully. This is a place you can visit in only one day, but you will want to return again.