In the heart of Vinkovci, not far from the famous Vinkovci lamp, there is the central town park whose view is dominated by the impressive museum building. The late Baroque building was built in the 1780s for the purposes of the command of the 7th Brod Military Frontier Regiment, and in 1952 a permanent exhibition of the museum was placed there, with exhibits from prehistoric times until 1945. Today, within the complex Heritage Museum there are Archeological, Historical and Gallery Departments with valuable and rich material from Vinkovci and other areas, and you can also see a hologram display of Ban Šokčević.
Krnjaš is a famous Vinkovci toponym, a part of Vinkovci located on the higher bank of the Bosut River, and the last street in Vinkovci inhabited by Šokci. Krnjaš is the most important place for yet another reason – it is a crucial alley of Vinkovci literature – because Josip and Ivan Kozarac, as well as Joza Ivakić, were born there. Krnjaš is even today characterized by military border architecture with traditional Slavonian gables on houses, once inhabited by old Šokci families from Vinkovci, who were mostly farmers. With the aforementioned specific architecture and greenery of the Bosut banks, this is a part of the city that is equally beautiful to walk around at any time of the year.
The most famous love story from Vinkovci is that of the “Šokci Romeo and Juliet” – Marija and Ivan Kozarac. It is a story about forbidden, never realised love of two young people who grew up together in the settlement of Krnjaš, by the banks of the Bosut River. Their love was impossible for many reasons – they were blood relatives (third cousins), but also Ivan’s poverty and incurable disease, tuberculosis, from which he suffered (and prematurely died) posed no less of a problem. Although everyone knew about their love, any contact or type of meeting before marriage was not possible at that time.
The pressure from the public was so great that Ivan even had to devote a collection of his poems he had written to Marija to a fictional woman named Vesna. The most famous love poem devoted to Marija is “Milov’o sam garave i plave” (“I have caressed brunettes and blondes”), which has become a folk classic of this region and an eternal testimony of platonic love. In honour of that love, a monument to Marija and Ivan Kozarac was erected on the banks of the Bosut River in Krnjaš in 2016, with the two of them sitting on a bench and holding hands, which was unthinkable during their lifetime.
The apple is one of the symbols of Vinkovci – a symbol that unites health, lasting prosperity and longevity, which is quite suitable for a city that, among other things, has the reputation of being a settlement with the longest continuity of life in Europe of about 8000 years. The apple as a symbol was not picked randomly. At the edge of the town there is Borinci, an orchard that was the largest apple plantation in Europe in the 1970s.
This whole region is abundantly planted with apples and other fruits, and the apple has thus become a symbol of the festival “Vinkovačke jeseni” (Vinkovci Autumn) – the oldest and most significant cultural and artistic manifestation of this region. It is an event that strives for the permanent affirmation of original cultural and artistic folklore, created out of a desire to show the richness of Slavonian tradition, the beauty of Slavonian folk costumes and customs and to preserve musical heritage. Vinkovačke jeseni is an event that celebrates the cheerful spirit and strength of the local man, who works hard but can also rejoice, dance and sing. The ceremonial procession with horsemen, Lipizzaner horses and decorated carriages, folklore evenings, and Šokački divani (Šokci chats) are just a part of a rich program that takes place all over the town during the festival and attracts visitors from the whole country and beyond.
The official slogan of the Vukovar-Srijem County “interwoven with gold threads” beautifully emphasizes gold as a link connecting specific location and customs – the Slavonian breadbasket, fields of corn, sunflowers and rapeseed, the richness of apples and decorative squashes as symbols of Slavonia. The effort and hard work on the land brings fruits, pleasure and wealth which is then woven with gold threads into Slavonian folk costumes and other traditional customs.
Life imbued with gold is also reflected in being interwoven with manifestations the town of Vinkovci provides for its inhabitants and guests throughout the year. From Carnival horse-riding, Carnival, Puppet Spring, Health Fair and Festival of the Actors in the spring to Roman Days and Vinkovačko ljeto (Vinkovci Summer) with Hang Loose Rockabilly Festival during the summer months, Vinkovačke jeseni takes you into the autumn season, while in December you can experience real glitter during Advent in Vinkovci and Rock Marinfest.
>>>About Vinkovci – History<<<
