River Drava - Repaski Most

UNESCO “Man & Biosphere” program is helping the creation of biosphere reserves. The Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere is an example of such a reserve formed in agreement between Croatia & Hungary.
So what’s a Biosphere Reserve? It is an ecological area with 3 key priorities: Protection of natural assets Encourage sustainable ecological development and Stimulate scientific research related to the improvement of the quality of life and sustainable use of natural goods The Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere covers 500 kilometres of 3 river flows and is located around 630,000 hectares of beautiful natural & cultural landscape comprising very rare but large flood resorts, river islands, pebble & sand coasts and oxbow lakes.

The reserve also serves as the home of several endangered species such as the little tern, black stork, otter or sterlet. This reserve houses the biggest nesting population of the very rare white tailed eagle in Europe and is an extremely important winter habitation for more than 250,000 wading birds every year.
This protected river area is important for the socio-economic development of the surrounding area for the following reasons:
Progress of continental eco-tourism which in turn enhances awareness of the need to protect the natural surroundings & environment of the entire region Agriculture & fishery management. Sustainable forestry. Efficient flood defence system and last but not the least Primary source of drinking water Representatives from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) state that this ecological reserve has the richest biological diversity of species in Europe.

With such a cross-border Croatian & Hungarian biosphere reserve coming in to being, a nomination plan for the Mura-Drava-Danube biosphere reserve has also been formed now with the help of a bilateral work group.
With such a nomination plan, Croatia now needs to develop the Mura-Drava Regional Park, ascertaining efficient management of the central zone of this biosphere reserve of tomorrow. Going by timelines, the biosphere reserve should be declared in 2010 and this in turn should attract people and authorities to develop in harmony with nature and the beautiful environment.

The matter of protecting River Drava is of significant importance within the European framework as this is the only remaining part of the river’s natural flow. A lot of efforts are in progress in other countries to retrieve the river bed’s natural appearance and to renew its biological diversity, while the area remains protected in Croatia.
Certain natural resources of this River Drava area has made Croatia get actively involved in the ecological protection of this area with the creation of the Mura-Drava Regional Park which covers the area of this ecosystem on Croatian territory. That’s not all … for this area also stands enlisted in to the National Ecological Network – NATURA 2000 as a potential area of ecological significance in the European Union.

All this along with the tie-up between Croatia & Hungary on the setting up of the Mura-Drava-Danube biosphere reserve ensures that the total area between the two states would be included and this is a matter of exceptional significance for the protection of the natural surroundings.
Such a joint effort by Croatia & Hungary on the creation of a cross-border reserve copud set the foundation of an international biosphere reserve with countries like Austria, Slovenia & Serbia joining in. A first of its kind, this natural reserve would spread across five European countries and would be the largest protected river area in Europe. Keeping this in mind, members of Croatian and other foreign non-governmental ecological associations have invited Slovenia, Serbia & Austria to join in and contribute to the idea of the proposed biosphere reserve and in the process do their bit to complete the process of protecting a beautiful green zone in the heart of Europe.

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• Drava Valley Pearls
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Kopacki rit

The local people of Baranja have come up with a new publication called “Baranjski godišnjak” (Baranja yearbook) where they show all the potential and options to develop tourism in this area. The main aim to come out with this yearbook is to promote tourism in the area and it has many photographs besides a calendar of important events and a map. This yearbook is divided into four different parts. The first part of the publication is called “Moja Baranja” (My Baranja) and it talks of the history of the area and also the organisation of the area presently. It also has important information like the numbers of important places and institutions and also plans the direction in which the book moves after this section. The next part of the book is called “Baranjski kalendar” (Baranja Calendar) has an overview of all the districts and the cultural and tourist events. It also gives the contact details of the organizers and dates of important religious gatherings. The third part of the book is called “Baranjski sveznadar” (Baranja Know-It-All) and it lists all the terms which have traditional importance in the area. These terms are about tools, costumes, furniture, equipment and the accessories. The last part of the book is called Baranja u tanjuru” (Baranja on a plate) where one can find the menu of the area and the speciality dishes offered. It talks of the eating habits of local people and in the past and also talks of the traditional recipes of the area. The area of Banjara at different times has been inhabited by people from different nationalities. Because of this there has been diversity in the eating habits and the specialities made in this area and this topic has been of great interest to the travellers and the tourists. By the end of the month of November 2009 many copies of this yearbook are available which will make travel Croatia much easier and convenient.

Read more:

• Baranja- A Blend of Nature and Tradition
• TV Spot of HTZ – Croatian National Tourist Board
• Get to Know the Tradition and Become Part of it

Kopacki rit - Baranja

Baranja is a region on the eastern end of Croatia. It is great tourist destination because of its tradition, rich culinary offering, natural heritage and all possibilities of an active vacation. Another reason because of which Baranja is a favoured tourist destination, is Bijle plus which is an agro-tourist cooperative. This cooperative provides services in rural, health, conference, sports and development of other forms of tourism. Bijle plus has played host to nearly 10,000 visitors till now, most of them being from other countries. The cooperative has five accommodation buildings with a total of fifty accommodation units. The main focus here is given to recreational activities, healthy food and tradition. There is collaboration between members of this cooperative and the local restaurants in order to ensure good quality and authentic tourist services.
Bicycles can be rented from the hosts to explore the mountains and the natural beauties of the Nature Park and Kopacki rit, an ornithological monument. This region has a very rich tradition and the local population warmly welcomes the tourist. Due to all the reasons and the hospitality Baranja has a bright tourist future with bold old and new visitors visiting the place.

Read more:

• Get to Know the Tradition and Become Part of it
• Lonjsko Polje Nature Park – A Unique Bird Reserve
• Tradition in the service of tourism

Tabor Castle

Interesting landscapes, a rich culinary and wine offering and cordial hospitality are all only a part of what Slavonija and Baranja has to offer, a Croatian region of a rich history and tradition. The region is now even closer for visitors to Eastern Croatia thanks to the project “Road of the Golden Thread”, recently promoted by the Town of Županja Tourist Board. The project comprises ten towns of the Vukovar-Srijem and Slavonski Brod-Posavina Counties: Županja, Štitar, Babina Greda, Cerna, Šiškovci, Gradište, Bošnjaci, Vrbanja, Drenovci and Kruševica, and the “road of the golden thread” connecting them all is around 60 km long. Around 30 institutions, businesses and associations take part in the project, such as handicraft associations, family farms, hospitality and accommodation facilities, and museums. All of them allow visitors to get to know the rich tradition and heritage of this region, as well as to try to manufacture traditional handicrafts in special workshops themselves, thus becoming part of the region’s customs and tradition.
Visitors travelling along “the road of the golden thread” will be able to spin wool with their own hands, weave, prepare feathers for manufacturing pillows, sow traditional costumes, paint pumpkins, manufacture cured meat products, honey and fruit brandy. They will also get to know the traditional way of life, wear traditional costumes or ride in horse carriages, turning back time a couple of decades or even centuries and enjoy a time which was in many ways less stressful. Through such a unique thematic tour, visitors will get a more complete picture of the history of this region, and its native values and characteristics will become part of the tourist offering. To make the visitors’ stay in Eastern Slavonija even more enjoyable, the region features other activities as well, such as the brandy, honey and wine roads and a bicycle route, which also present visitors with the tradition and rich offering of the region.
Tours of the road of the golden thread are available from February to November – on foot, by bike, car or bus, individually or in groups.

Read more:

• Tradition in the service of tourism
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