Vukovar
A baroque town on the Danube. The water tower and hospital, still scarred by bullet holes from the 1991 siege, and the Ovčara memorial site stand as reminders. Nearby, the Vučedol prehistoric site and the Ilok wine region offer more to explore.
Vukovar lies in Slavonia, the easternmost part of Croatia. It is the seat of Vukovar-Syrmia County, where the Vuka River flows into the Danube, and just across the river is Serbia. From the 18th century, under the Eltz family, it grew into a baroque trading town. The nearby Vučedol site preserves evidence of a prehistoric culture about 5,000 years old. During the 1991 Croatian War of Independence, Vukovar was besieged for 87 days, and the town was almost completely destroyed. After its fall, the Ovčara massacre took place. Since then, Vukovar has become a symbol of Croatia's national memory.
The main sights fall into three groups. The first is the war memorials: the bullet-scarred water tower, the Vukovar Hospital 1991 Memorial, the Ovčara Memorial, a memorial cemetery, and the Homeland War Memorial Centre, housed in a converted former barracks. The second is the baroque old town, including the Eltz Castle, which houses the City Museum, the Franciscan monastery, and the Danube riverside promenade. The third is the Vučedol Culture Museum on the Danube bank to the east of town.
About 37 km southeast is Ilok, Croatia's easternmost castle town, famous for its medieval walls, the Odescalchi Castle and the old cellars of Traminer white wine. It is suitable for a half-day or day trip.
The best season is April to October. In summer, the Danube banks have beaches and boat trips. On November 18, Remembrance Day, a nationwide memorial march takes place. It is crowded and solemn, so book accommodation well in advance. Winters are cold and quiet.
Getting there: From Zagreb, a bus takes about 4 to 5 hours. From Osijek, a bus takes about 1 hour. From Vinkovci, take a train or bus.
The sights in town are spread out but not far apart. Plan 1 to 2 days: on the first, explore the old town, the water tower and the hospital memorial. On the second, visit Vučedol, Ovčara and Ilok. When visiting war memorials, dress respectfully and keep quiet.
Top sights
- Place of Memory – Vukovar Hospital 1991 – A stop where you can see the operating rooms and wards of 1991 recreated in the basement of a still-operating hospital. It is the most dire…
- Vukovar Water Tower – A water tower riddled with shell holes during the 1991 Battle of Vukovar, preserved as a memorial with its bullet marks intact and a viewin…
- Ovčara Memorial Centre – The site where wounded patients from the Vukovar hospital were killed in 1991; a former warehouse converted into a memorial that tells the…
- Vukovar Memorial Cemetery – Croatia's largest war memorial cemetery, with 938 white crosses in neat rows and an eternal flame honouring the victims of 1991.
- Vučedol Culture Museum – A modern museum built beside an archaeological site on the Danube, displaying 5,000-year-old Vučedol dove-shaped pottery and motifs conside…
- Eltz Castle – Vukovar City Museum – A Baroque count's palace on the Danube, rebuilt after the war as the Vukovar City Museum, presenting the city's history from prehistoric ti…
- Homeland War Memorial Centre Vukovar – A large war memorial complex converted from an old barracks, with tanks, artillery and other military hardware on display, plus multimedia…
- Baroque Old Town & Danube Promenade – An 18th-century Baroque district stretching along Franjo Tuđman Avenue and the Danube bank, where restored arcaded townhouses stand alongsi…
- Memorial Cross at the Vuka–Danube Confluence – A white marble cross at the confluence of the Vuka and the Danube, commemorating those who died in the siege, and one of the best places to…
- Franciscan Monastery of Sts Philip and James – An 18th-century Baroque monastery and church on the hillside south of the Old Town, severely damaged in 1991 and rebuilt, with views over t…
- Lavoslav Ružička Birth House – Birthplace of Lavoslav Ružička, the 1939 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, restored after the war as a small memorial museum presenting his…
- Ilok Old Town & Odescalchi Castle – Croatia's easternmost medieval castle town, home to the Ilok Town Museum inside the castle, with walls offering views over the Danube and v…
- Ilok Old Cellars – Old wine cellars beneath the castle, dating back to the 15th century, where you can tour the aging barrels and taste Ilok's Traminac white…
Where to eat
- Stari Toranj – A family-run Danube riverside restaurant listed by Gault&Millau, known for carp fish paprikaš with handmade noodles and…
- Domestic House Lola – A restaurant in a restored 19th-century Baroque palace downtown, serving traditional Slavonian ingredients with modern…
- Restoran Vrške – A Danube-bank fish restaurant opened in 1998, with a large garden terrace overlooking the river. It is a longtime favor…
Itineraries
- Slavonia, Baranja & the Danube – Travel east from Zagreb to explore Đakovo, Osijek, Kopački Rit, Vukovar, and Ilok.