Otok

#visitotok #surroundedbynature

One does not know if the place got its name after the frequent floods of the Sava and Bosut or because, just like an island, it is located amidst forests. However, one knows that Otokthrough history shared the destiny of the neighbouring towns and places. It changed its inhabitants and rulers - Romans, Gepids, Goths, Langobards, Avars, Slavs, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Francs, Ottomans and others. The Croats arrived on the territory of the town at the end of the 5th century and managed to withstand all the political turmoil and contemporary wars.

It is only 20 km away from Vinkovci, Vukovar or Županja so that, should you find yourself in any of the three Slavonian towns, there is your opportunity to visit Otok.

Info:

Web: www.otok.hr
FB: Grad Otok

#otokwalkingtour #walkproposal

Walk form the old Suvara mill to the centre of the town in which there is a monument to the Croatian airmen, fallen in the Homeland War.

Cohabitation with nature provides Otok with casualness and serenity that you will seldom feel in any other place.A visit to the Otok Virovi simply cannot be missed! The intact common oak forest and the preserved banks of the Virovi stream are an endless source of inspiration and a perfect escape from the stressful everyday life.

There you will reveal a rich bird life, and if you wish to get to know it a little better, climb to the bird observation post on the education trail.

#topfiveattractions

  1. 1. Suvara nowadays is a rarity in the world and a monument of the greatest cultural value, the only preserved object of such kind in South-Eastern Europe. For those who do not know it, this is a horse-powered mill. Out of eight Otok ‘suvaras’, only this one from the 19th century remains, known also as Tomašević or Klarina ‘suvara’.
  2. 2. Virovi are a part of the ecological Natura 2000 network of the European Union member states. Of almost two kilometres in length and sixty meters in width, they encompass a part of the same-named stream. This unique oasis, rich in autochthonous bird and fish species, thanks to groundwater never dried up.
  3. 3. ‘Lože’are a special forest vegetation reserve. Hidden in the Spačva basin, they expand on a surface of one hundred hectares. Here you will find the most imposing samples of common oak of which some are even more than 40 meters high. 
  4. 4. The ‘Čistine’pasture is the most famous natural carp spawning ground on the territory of Croatia. During the spring rains, it is flooded by the water from‘Virovi’. On it, along the edge of the Spačva basin,there grows the several centuries old ‘Orijaš’ oak, the most beautiful natural monument witnessing of the connection between Otok and the forest.
  5. 5. In the Josip Bašić Collection of cultural, historic and ethnographic objects with more than 700 exhibits, you can see traditional clothing, objects used in a rural household, sacral objects andtools typical for old and forgotten crafts.

#otokgourmet #lickyourfingers

That Otok is known for ‘kulen’ from the autochthonous black pig is confirmed by ‘Otočka kulenijada’(Otok kulen festival) and ‘Sajam kulena’ (Kulen fair), a spring eno-gastronomic manifestation. The tradition of making kulen is very long, which is witnessed in the19th century records of Josip Lovretić, a well-known ethnographer and priest from Otok.

#onlywithus #uniqueexperience

Would you like to see how grains used to be threshed?The members of the Otok equestrian association will present this traditional way of producing flour just like it used to be done.

#topevents #mustseeevents

  • ‘Otočkakulenijada’ and‘Sajam kulena’ in May
  • ‘Zlatne grive’ (Golden manes) equestrian manifestation in May
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