Osijek is the largest and most important town of Slavonia and Barania (eastern Croatia). It is situated on the Drava river that slowly flows beside the Roman settlement of Mursa. Osijek is more than 800 years old. At almost every step you can see remains of the past, old buildings and monuments. Things you can't see on first sight, you may find in the Museum of Slavonia, the Fine Arts Gallery and the History Archive. We shouldn't forget to mention the oldest part of Osijek - Tvrđa (the Citadel). Today, Osijek is a significant administrative, business and industrial center with about 125 000 inhabitants. It is also the cultural (Croatian National Theatre) and educational ('J. J. Strossmayer' University) center of Slavonia.

The town consists of three parts: Gornji grad (the Upper Town), Donji grad (the Downtown) and Tvrđa, which are interconnected with many alleys and parks built in the Secession style.

 

ARRIVAL IN OSIJEK

If you announce your arrival in our town, with proper date and time, it will not be a problem to meet you at the appropriate station, so if you come by:

train: we shall wait you at the main exit from the station
bus: we shall wait you at the arrival platform

In case you decide to come by your own means of transportation, just follow signs to the city center. There you can ask for the nearest post office or phone booth where you can phone us from.

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation is arranged in:

- 'Studentski dom'
Address: I.G. Kovačića 4
31000 Osijek
in the period from 15.07. till 01.09. Outside this period, we will find something else.

There are two restaurants of the Student's Center:
'Studentska menza' - cheaper, but lower quality; lunch time: 11.30-14 h, dinner time: 17.30-19h
'Gaudeamus' Restaurant - it is, actually, a restaurant; open all day
'Index' - something like 'Studentska menza'
'Bendek restaurant' - the best, but not so cheap
'Zlatna kuna' - something like 'Gaudeamus'

 

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

Local transportation in Osijek is organized by GPP 'Osijek'. You will have the possibility to buy a student monthly ticket valid for both trams and buses in every zone. Upon arrival, you will be given a city transportation map with instructions how to get to your working place.

SIGHTSEEING

Osijek is known as the greenest and the cleanest town in Croatia. There are 17 parks in Osijek, but two of them are the most significant: King Tomislav Gardens (arranged in English style, with many tennis courts and linden planted for the 900th anniversary of the medieval Croatian kingdom) and King Krešimir Gardens (arranged in French style).

Being in Osijek and missing Tvrđa is a severe mistake. It is one of the most preserved baroque town cores in Europe. In the center of Tvrđa is a square with a monument to the plague and the famous Austrian headquarters palace. There are also two churches: St. Michael's and St. Anton's.
Going form Tvrđa to Gornji grad, you should pass the European Avenue, a unique row of Secession-style buildings and palaces.
Just behind the central square (Trg Ante Starčevića) is the Osijek parish church of St. Peter and Paul, better known as the Osijek Cathedral, although the real cathedral is in the nearby city of Đakovo.

SURROUNDINGS

Bizovac is situated near Osijek. It has a thermal spring (the so-called 'remains of the Pannonian Sea') with spa and recreation center.
Kopački rit is one of the largest natural bird reserves in Europe situated in Baranja, also very near Osijek.
Đakovo is a town in the very center of the Slavonian plains and the center of the Đakovo and Srijem Diocese has the largest cathedral in this part of Europe. It was built in the 19th century by Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer (also known as a great donor and founder of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts). Near Đakovo there are famous stables with the famous Lipizzaner horses.

ENTERTAINMENT

Osijek is a relatively small town and the most popular places for weekend entertainment are:
'Posh', 'Caffeteria', 'Matrix', 'De Mode', 'Radić', 'Pub', 'Coctail Bar', 'Excalibur'.
The most popular discoteques in Osijek are: 'Oxygene' (techno and dance music), 'Sound' (disco with the longest tradition in Osijek), 'Vega'.

SPORT CENTERS

The most popular sport center in Osijek during the summer is definitely the Recreation Center 'Copacabana' (popularly called 'Kopika') on the left bank of the Drava river. There you can find swimming pools, football and basketball grounds and on the sandy river beach - beach-volley grounds. There are also indoor swimming pools. In almost every part of Osijek, you will find sport grounds, but the most popular are ŠD 'K Sokolu' ŠD 'Iktus' and 'Srednjoškolsko igralište'.
If you are interested in large sport events, there are the sport hall 'Zrinjevac' (basketball, handball) and 'Gradski vrt' stadium (football)