Osijek History Facts and Timeline

(Osijek, Slavonia, Croatia)

Osijek serves as the cultural hub of the Slavonia region and resides within eastern Croatia, where it is the fourth-largest city in the country. It has a long and interesting history, since Osijek has been ruled by everyone from Turks to Habsburgs and Romans to Croats.

It was really the Austrian Habsburgs who propelled this settlement into the world-class European city that it is today, with its thriving arts, music and theatre scene. Today, it is an engaging little city in the eastern territories of modern-day Croatia.

Mursa

Beginning with its origins as an Illyrian settlement, the tiny hamlet of Mursa was turned into an official colony in the year of 131 AD, when the Roman Emperor Hadrian granted it certain privileges, in order for it to prosper. However, its early history enjoyed only a brief period of calm before Mursa turned violent. Several key battles involving Roman overlords, such as the battle between Ingenuus and Aureolus in 260 AD and the Battle of Mursa Major just under a century later, shaped the future of the entire region.

Croatian Times

Following the decline of the Roman era, the Croats moved into the area and established a settlement near what was left of Mursa. They named their new village Osijek. Over the subsequent decades, Hungarians moved into the region around the city and by the time the Ottoman Turks arrived, Osijek was mainly populated by Hungarians.

Prosperous Middle Ages Market Town

The first official mention of Osijek came at the end of the 12th century, when the town showed up on market documents. The Middle Ages marked a prosperous period in the history of Osijek, with thriving trade and local production. Unfortunately, nearly all traces of life during this peaceful era were erased following the violent Ottoman-Hungarian Wars.

For more than a century, Osijek was the feudal property of a powerful family named the Korogyi. They ruled the town peacefully until the early 1470s, when the last Korogyi, named King Mathias, bequeathed the town to the Rozgonyi family. This family gave the city over to the Chapter of the Holy Virgin in Buda just two decades later.

The Ottoman Occupation

When the Ottoman invaders rolled into town in the summer of 1526, they razed much of Osijek. The Turks then proceeded to rebuild the city in their favoured oriental style, although little of that chapter in the history of Osijek remains today. At the time, this was an extremely popular and significant city.

Suleiman the Magnificent constructed a lengthy bridge across the Drava River in the 1560s, which was made entirely of wooden boats and stretched for some 8 km / 5 miles. It was regarded as one of the world's great wonders upon its completion.

Habsburgs

The Turks were removed in 1687 by the Habsburgs, who went on to develop the city into one of the most important urban centres in the area. The decade that followed 1712 saw the building of the Tvrda Fortress and this still sits in the heart of Osijek today. German immigrants were encouraged to settle here, and in 1809, it was awarded the title and prestigious status of a Free Royal City.

During the start of the 19th century, this was Croatia's largest city. Along with other major European cities of the time, like Buda and Vienna, Osijek was shaped into a centre of culture, architecture and the arts. Society here revolved around the city's theatre, its museums (the Museum of Slavonia was opened in 1877), public fairs, sports and religious festivals. The New Town (Novi Grad) district of town was built during the 19th century, adding another page to the contemporary history of Osijek.