Drive along the river in Brod-Posavina on the Sava river border trail. In the city of Slavonski Brod you can explore the Brod Fortress. This star-shaped fort was built in the 1700s to protect the border of the empire. You can walk through brick tunnels and see where the soldiers once lived. The fortress is so big it looks like a small town with its own church and pharmacy. It is one of the best-preserved forts in Europe. You can spend an entire afternoon walking along the high walls and looking over the river into the distance.
The roads follow the river to the village of Stara Kapela. This is an "ethno-village" where time seems to have stopped. You can see people making lace by hand on their front porches just like their grandmothers did. The fields nearby are home to Podolian cattle. These are large grey animals with very long horns that look like they belong in an old painting. The landscape is dotted with old wells that have long wooden arms. It feels very peaceful and steady here. It is the perfect place to get away from the noise of the city.
Visit the Ivan Meštrović Memorial Gallery in Vrpolje to see the works of Croatia’s most famous sculptor in his birthplace. For a nature break head to the Gajna protected grassland to see original breeds of Slavonian black pigs and Podolian cattle roaming free. If you are in Slavonski Brod walk along the Korzo river promenade which is the longest of its kind in the country. Try the spicy fiš-paprikaš (fish stew) at Kuća piva or a riverside tavern. The road between Brod and Nova Gradiška offers a quiet view of the river life and the old border outposts.
Brod Posavina highlights
- Brod Fortress Walls Explore the massive star shaped fort that was once a city for five thousand soldiers. You can walk the brick tunnels and see the old wooden gates and towers. The central square of the fort has a beautiful church and pharmacy.
- Stara Kapela Village Visit this quiet eco village where there is no phone signal and only old traditions. The houses are painted in bright colors and have beautiful flower gardens on the street. You can walk the trails through the hills that surround the village.
- Gajna Grassland See the last original river meadow where old breeds of cattle and pigs roam free. It is a wild place where the river Sava floods the land every single year. You can see birds that only live in these wet river meadows.
- Cernik Castle Park Stop at the square fortress in the center of the village to see its big stone towers. The park around the castle has very old trees and a quiet walking path. It is a hidden gem that many travelers miss on their way.
- Sava River Promenade Walk the long path by the river in Slavonski Brod to see the boats and the bridge. It is a favorite spot for locals to meet and watch the water flow. The sunset over the river is one of the best in the region.
- Vrpolje Meštrović Gallery See the works of a famous sculptor in the small village where he was born. The gallery has many statues made of stone and bronze that look very real. It is a surprising place to find world class art in a small town.
- Petnja Lake Drive to this blue lake hidden in the forest for a day of fishing or walking the trails. The water is surrounded by green hills and is very quiet and peaceful. It is a popular spot for camping and cooking in the nature.
- Kovačevac Village Views Follow the road through the hills for a view of the wide plains and the river Sava. You can see the smoke from the old farmhouses in the distance. The air here is very fresh and the landscape feels very open and big.
- Nova Gradiška Park Walk through the center of the town to see the classic buildings and the green park. It is a quiet place with a lot of history from the old border days. The park is a great spot to rest under the old trees.
- Sava River Ferry Take a slow ride across the water on a traditional ferry made of heavy wood planks. It is a fun way to see the river banks and the local fishing huts. You can feel the power of the river as the ferry moves.
The local Four
History of Brod Posavina
The Brod Fortress is a colossal brick star that took sixty years to build and required the labor of thousands of peasants. It was designed to hold 150 cannons and five thousand soldiers, serving as the ultimate No-Fly Zone for the Ottoman Empire. The construction involved moving millions of cubic meters of earth to create a series of moats and ramparts that were considered impregnable. The walls are so thick that the temperature inside the tunnels never changes, summer or winter.
The Sava river here is a living border that has defined life for two thousand years. At the Gajna grassland, you can see Podolian cattle, ancient long-horned beasts that have lived on these river banks since the time of the Romans. These cattle are a vital part of the local heritage, maintained by farmers who refuse to switch to modern, more industrial breeds. The land is flat, wide, and filled with the spirits of the soldier-farmers who lived on a permanent war footing.
In the hills of Cernik, the history is a bit softer, centered around a 16th-century castle and a Franciscan monastery. This area was a crossroads of cultures where the east met the west, resulting in unique local music and spicy food. The monks here were famous for their libraries, which held some of the only surviving copies of medieval law codes in the Balkans. Driving through the county feels like a journey along a historic front line that has finally found peace.