Vukovar Danube Tour
Story about one city and its rivers
City on the Vuka and Danube Rivers
Join this city tour by foot which bring you far back into the history of the great City of Vukovar. You will hear and see how its citizens survived a three-month siege in 1991 during the Croatian War for Independence, and try to understand the causes and consequences of this great national tragedy.
Vukovar is with its 27.000 inhabitants one of the larger towns in Eastern Croatia and the capital city of Vukovar - Syrmia County. The lowland of the county is surrounded by the rivers Danube and Sava and crossed by five more rivers; Vuka, Bosut, Bidj, Studva and Spačva. The river city of Vukovar has a largest river port in Croatia, located at the confluence of the Vuka River and the Danube. The name Vukovar means 'town on the Vuka River'.
Before Croatian War for Independence in 1991, Vukovar was the 2nd wealthiest town in former Yugoslavia. It was heavily damaged during this war. Since 1998 and peaceful reintegration under Croatian control, many buildings have been rebuilt. There is a number of attractive buildings, like the Eltz Manor from the 18th century, Baroque buildings in the centre of the town, the Franciscan monastery with the parish church of Sts. Philip and James, the Orthodox church of St. Nicholas and many more.
In Vukovar during the year there are several cultural events. Certainly the most important are the VukovART - the great Street Art Festival in late May, the Vukovar Film Festival in August, and the "Silent Night in Vukovar" - traditional Christmas concert of Croatian National Television in the Church of St. Philip.
ITINERARY
9:00 AM - Arrival in Vukovar – Boat ride & Wine tasting on the Danube
We start our day-trip to Vukovar at 9:00am in Osijek (the capital city of Eastern Croatia) where you will meet your guide. There is a possibility to pick you up at your accommodation place. This option is on request. The transfer to Vukovar lasts about 40min (40km). After we arrive in Vukovar we will start our city tour with a great wine tasting on the Danube floating on a river panoramic tourist boat. Tasting includes 2 wines of the region Slavonia & Baranja (graševina and frankovka) and chocolate „Bajadera“ (Croatian exclusive chocolate brand). You will enjoy a relaxing 1-hour boat ride while sightseeing on the scenic river Danube.
11:00 AM - City tour of Vukovar
After a boat ride on the Danube we continue our city tour through Vukovar's most beautiful parts including: historical Baroque city centre with many beautiful buildings, like the Coach Post Building, Castle Eltz, visit to the Memorial cemetery of the victims of the Homeland War (Croatian War of Independence), the Old Water Tower built in 1913 and the 50 metres tall Vukovar Water Tower. This famous tower is the landmark and one of the symbols of Vukovar.
2:00 PM - Lunch
We will have a lunch in a local restaurant with traditional Slavonian cuisine, located on the banks of the River Danube. During this break of an hour and a half you will have an oportunity to sort the impressions before we continue with our second part of Vukovar's tour.
2:45 PM - Archaeological Site Vučedol
After lunch we will visit extraordinary Archaeological Site Vučedol, located along the Danube bank, only 5 km downriver from Vukovar. It is one of the most important locations from the Eneolithic period. What makes it special is that, due to the value of the finds, it provided the name for an entire Eneolithic culture – the Vučedol Culture, and at the same time it is the area where it originated. The Vučedol Culture was dated from 3000 to 2200 B.C. We will also visit the Museum of the Vučedol Culture and have a guided tour through the museum exhibition. The Museum offers a new universe of discovery and inspiration with its unmatched and unique combination of location, architecture, pleasant atmosphere and most of all historical values presented in a contemporary way.
4:00 PM - Return tranfser to Osijek
Our Vukovar-Danube excursion ends in Osijek from where we started our day-trip. Return time in Osijek around 5:00 PM.
Departures 2020: March - November
Dates: Tuesday – Sunday, on request
Price: from 57 € per person
- The excursion price is based on a minimum of four (4) participants.
- Individual guests can join an existing group.
- Definite departure will be confirmed to participants by e-mail.
- Participants interested in a private trip may contact Inlandia for an individual offer.
Discount: € 12 for children up to 7 years accompanied by their parents.
INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:
- English speaking licensed tour guide.
- Transfer Kopačevo-Vukovar-Kopačevo.
- Boat ride & wine tasting on the Danube.
- Entrance fee and professional guidance in the Museum of Vučedol Culture.
- Insurance and costs for the organization and realization of tour.
NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE / Additional costs:
- Entrance fee for Ovcara Memorial Cemetery. Price 5 kn (ca. 0,70 €) per person.
- Lunch in a local restaurant. Approx. 12 – 17 € for a menu.
- Transfer to another starting point (of your interest).
- Additional health and cancellation insurance, which can be arranged by e-mail to info@inlandia.com
- All other expenses not covered by the programme.
Note* For those who are more interested in experiencing Slavonia & Baranja region in Eastern Croatia, we recommend our excursions: Osijek & Djakovo Tour and Canoeing Kopacki rit
Highlights of Vukovar
The archaeological locality Vučedol, which is located on the banks of the Danube River near Vukovar, is a place of continuous settlements and one of the most important archaeological localities in the country. It was a settlement that inhabited peasants, farmers, hunters and copper processors, which had its “golden era” from 3000 to 2200 BC. The 'Vučedol Dove' – one of the symbols of Vukovar, was found in Vučedol in 1938.This ritual vessel was made between 2800 and 2500 BC. Due to the importance of its findings it gave the name to a whole Eneolithic culture. Vučedol is also a well-known excursion destination, popular among anglers and bathers because of the beautiful sand beach on Orlov Otok (Eagle's Island).
Vukovar City Museum in Castle Eltz which was founded in 1948. Up until 1991 the Museum had about 50 thousand exhibits in four separate divisions: the history of Vukovar from Prehistory to today, the Culture and History Collection, which provided an authentic display of the life of the citizens of Vukovar and the Eltz family, and complete overview of modern Croatian art from the end of the 19th and the early 20th century. During Croatian War of Independence, Castle Eltz suffered significant damage and the collections which were kept there were also damaged: some of the exhibits were completely destroyed, some have disappeared and cannot be recovered, and some of them were taken. After years of effort and diplomatic activity a part of the collection was returned to Vukovar.
Memorial Museum of the Nobel Prize Winner Lavoslav Ružička, located in the house where he was born, it displayed original documents and medals from the life and work of the famous Nobel Prize winner, who received this prestigious award in 1939 for chemistry.
Vukovar 3D ZOO which makes 3D anamorphic images made by the famous international artists of World's 3D Street Art scene. The image illusions of three-dimensional space are made on the streets of Vukovar. Otherwise, the anamorphic image gets a 3D effect when is viewed from a single point with the use of lenses (cell phone or camera).
We recommend to visit VukovART Street Art Festival which will be held from May / June 2020. It gathers one of the best muralists and street artists in the world!
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