Follow the river through Virovitica-Podravina on the Drava river heritage drive. Stop at the Pejačević Palace in the town of Virovitica. This grand house is surrounded by a park with rare ginkgo trees and wooden bridges. Inside the palace you can see how noble families lived a hundred years ago. The museum shows old hunting tools and elegant furniture from the past. It is a place that feels very peaceful and full of history. You can sit on a bench in the park and listen to the birds in the old trees. The town around the palace is quiet and very friendly.
The plains are full of golden wheat and tall corn fields. On Križnica island you can see red deer in a protected nature park. To get there you must take a cable ferry across the river because there is no bridge. This is a fun experience for anyone who loves old ways of travel. The roads are straight and lead to the Jankovac forest park. Here you can find a big waterfall hidden in a green mountain valley. There are also old glass-making ruins deep in the forest. The river banks are great for cycling and watching rare birds like the black stork.
Visit the Pustara Višnjica estate to ride Arabian horses and see the massive herds of fallow deer. For a taste of history explore the Drava Story visitor center in Noskovci which is located in an old summer mansion. If you visit in late summer the "Rokovo" festival in Virovitica brings the town to life with night concerts and local food stalls. Don't leave without trying the "Podravina honey" or visiting the Jankovac Mountain Lodge for wild game stew. The road from Virovitica toward the Papuk mountain offers the best transition from river plains to ancient forest hills.
Virovitica Podravina highlights
- Jankovac Forest Park Drive into the Papuk mountain to see the giant waterfall hidden in the green valley. The park has two lakes and a cave where a lonely count once lived. Wooden paths lead you through the forest and across the cold mountain streams.
- Križnica River Island Cross the Drava river on a moving cable ferry to reach this quiet sandy island. It is a place with no cars and only wide meadows and old river trees. A long wooden bridge for walking also connects the island to the main land.
- Pejačević Palace Park Visit the grand yellow castle in the center of the town and walk the gardens. The wooden bridges over the grass are perfect for a slow walk in the shade. The museum inside the castle tells the story of the local royal family.
- Drava Story in Noskovci Stop at this old summer house to see a museum about the life of the river. The garden has a path for birds and a very old tree with a swing. It is a great place for kids to learn about the nature of the river.
- Pustara Višnjica Farm Visit this giant estate to see Arabian horses and herds of wild deer in the fields. You can walk the farm paths and try food grown on the land. It is a peaceful place to see how a large old farm works today.
- Ružica Grad Ruins Hike up the mountain to see the massive stone walls of a medieval forest castle. It is one of the largest ruins in the country and looks very powerful. From the top you can see over the forest to the valley below.
- Virovitica City Bridges Walk across the unique wooden bridges that connect the city park to the old palace. Each bridge has a different design and offers a great view of the town. They are known as the bridges of love and music in the city.
- Drava River Sands at Brodić Find a hidden spot by the river where the sand is white and the water is slow. It is a quiet place for a picnic away from the main road. The river bank is a perfect spot for watching the sun set.
- Slatina Giant Sequoia Stop in the town center to see one of the largest trees in the whole world. It was planted long ago and towers over the buildings like a green giant. People come from all over to take a photo with this massive tree.
- Pitomača Wine Hills Drive the small roads through the vineyards for a view of the river valley below. Many small houses offer local drinks and a place to watch the sun set. The hills are covered in green vines that turn gold in the autumn.
The local Four
History of Virovitica Podravina
This county was the personal playground of the Pejačević counts, who built a massive yellow palace that looks like a miniature Schönbrunn. The family filled the region with rare trees and exotic plants, creating an Arboretum in the middle of the Slavonian plains. Their influence extended beyond the palace, as they funded local schools and hospitals to modernise the surrounding villages. It was a place of high luxury where the elite came to hunt and feast.
The Drava river here is wild and unpredictable, constantly carving new islands and sandbanks into the land. At Križnica, the river loops so tightly it creates a peninsula that can only be reached by a swaying suspension bridge or a cable ferry. This isolation has preserved a unique ecosystem where rare waterfowl and river otters thrive away from human interference. It is a borderland where the water decides the shape of the road every single spring.
Hidden in the Papuk mountains is the Jankovac valley, a mountain paradise named after a count who gave up his city life to live in a cave. He built the lakes and the waterfall that now serve as the county’s crown jewel. The count was an early environmentalist who spent his final years documenting the flora and fauna of the mountain for future generations. It is a region of deep hunting forests, ancient river stories, and surprisingly grand architecture.