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Vinkovci | |
|---|---|
| Grad Vinkovci City of Vinkovci | |
 From the top, left to right:Stadion HNK Cibalia,Vinkovci railway station, landmark historical building on the promenade withVinkovačke jeseni banners,Church of Saints Eusebius and Polion,Bosut river,Church of Pentecost, east side of the promenade, east side of the promenade, Slavonija hotel, Orion cycle astral calendar motives. | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Interactive map of Vinkovci | |
  Vinkovci Location of Vinkovci in Croatia Show map of Vukovar-Syrmia County Vinkovci Vinkovci (Croatia) Show map of Croatia Vinkovci Vinkovci (Europe) Show map of Europe | |
| Coordinates:45°17′28″N018°48′04″E / 45.29111°N 18.80111°E /45.29111; 18.80111 | |
| Country |  Croatia |
| Region | Slavonia (Syrmia) |
| County |  Vukovar-Syrmia |
| Government | |
| • Type | City |
| • Mayor | Josip Romić (HDZ) |
| Area | |
• City | 94.2 km2 (36.4 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 68.2 km2 (26.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 90 m (300 ft) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• City | 30,842 |
| • Density | 327/km2 (848/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 28,111 |
| • Urban density | 412/km2 (1,070/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Vinkovčanin (♂) Vinkovčanka (♀) (pergrammatical gender) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 32100 |
| Area code | 32 |
| Vehicle registration | VK |
| Website | grad-vinkovci |
Vinkovci (pronounced[ʋîːŋkoːʋtsi]) is a city inSlavonia, in theVukovar-Syrmia County in easternCroatia. The city settlement's population was 28,111 in the 2021 census, while the total population was 30,842,[2] making it the largest town of the county. It is a local transport hub, particularly because of its railways.
The nameVinkovci comes from theCroatian given nameVinko, cognate to the name Vincent. It has been in use following a dedication of the oldest town church ofSaint Elijah (Sveti Ilija) toSaint Vincent the Deacon (Sveti Vinko) in the Middle Ages.[3] The name of the city inCroatian isplural.
It was calledCibalae in antiquity. There is no known Latin or Greek etymology forCibalae, so it is assumed to be inherited from an earlier time.[4]Cibale is a toponym derived from geomorphology, from Indo-European*keball- meaning "ascension" or "head".[5] It is assumed that the root is inProto-Indo-European*ghebhel (head), in the sense of a hill, meaning a place that was protected from the flooding ofBosut.[6]
In other historically and demographically relevant languages the name of the city isGerman:Winkowitz,Hungarian:Vinkovce,Serbian Cyrillic:Винковци,Rusyn:Винковцѣ,Latin:Colonia Aurelia Cibalae andAncient Greek:ΚιβέλαιKibelae.
The area around Vinkovci has been continually inhabited since theNeolithic period.
TheSopot culture eponym site isSopot, an archeological site near Vinkovci, which was dated to 5480–3790 BC.[7]
Vučedol culture finds in Vinkovci, generally dated to 3000–2500 BC, include a piece of ceramics dated to 2600 BC with an astral calendar, the first one found in Europe that shows the year starting at the dusk of the first day of spring.[8]
In the 2nd century, it was made amunicipium (the Roman name for town or city) underHadrian and gained the status ofColonia Aurelia Cibalae during the reign of emperorCaracalla.[9][10] It was the birthplace of Roman emperorsValentinian I andValens. TheRoman thermal bath is still preserved underground, along with several other Roman buildings located near the center of today's Vinkovci.[11] The 4th centuryBattle of Cibalae, between the armies ofConstantine the Great andLicinius, was fought nearby. A 4th-centuryVinkovci Treasure was discovered in the city in 2012.
In the Middle Ages, Vinkovci was one of the sites of theBijelo Brdo culture.[12] The City museum of Vinkovci maintains a survey of thirteen medieval archeological finds in Vinkovci and its surroundings, as of 2010[update].[13]
From 1526 to 1687 it was part of theOttoman Empire, administratively located inSiremsanjak (whose seat was inDimitrofça) within theBudin Eyalet. It was captured by theHabsburg Empire in 1687, which was later confirmed by theTreaty of Karlowitz in 1699. Until 1918, Vinkovci (namedWinkowcze before 1850)[14] was part of theAustrian monarchy (Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia after thecompromise of 1867), in theSlavonian Military Frontier, under the administration of theBrooder Grenz-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. VII until 1881.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, Vinkovci was a district capital in theSyrmia County of theKingdom of Croatia-Slavonia.Zion, the firstZionist organisation in the area of modern-day Croatia was established in Vinkovci.[15] Following the German-Sovietinvasion of Poland, which startedWorld War II in 1939, one the main escape routes ofPoles fromoccupied Poland led through Vinkovci towardsTrieste and then further toPolish-alliedFrance, where thePolish Army was reconstituted to continue the fight against Germany.[16] From 1941 to 1945, Vinkovci was part of theIndependent State of Croatia, whose authorities destroyed theVinkovci Synagogue in 1941–42, which was among the largest and the most prestigious synagogues in Croatia. From 17 April 1944 the city was heavily bombed by the Allies due to its important position in transportation.[17] On April 13, 1945, as a part ofSyrmian Front offensive,Yugoslav Partisans launched an offensive to liberate Vinkovci with Partisan units entering the city by 6 p.m. of the same day.[18]
Thevolunteer fire department DVD Spačva was founded on 12 July 1960.[19]
The city and its surroundings were gravely impacted by the 1991–95Croatian War of Independence. The city was close to the front lines between the forces of Croatia and therebel Serbs ofSAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia, but it managed to avoid the fate of nearbyVukovar, which was besieged in the infamousBattle of Vukovar. The eastern sections of the town were substantially damaged by shelling, and the nearby village ofCerić was almost completely destroyed. The most significant destruction in the town center were the town library, which burned down to the ground, the town court, the Catholic and Orthodox churches (theChurch of Saints Eusebius and Polion and theChurch of Pentecost, respectively), both of its hospitals, the town theatre, two cinemas, and a host of businesses and factories. The Church of Pentecost was dynamited by local Croatian forces as retaliation after rebel Serbs forces severely damaged the local Catholic rectory.[20][21] In December 1995–96, the Vinkovci rail station served as a rail offloading base for theUnited States Army's 1st Armored Division en route toŽupanja to cross the Sava River into Bosnia duringOperation Joint Endeavor.
TheCroatian Army has stationed the headquarters of itsArmored-Mechanized Guard Brigade at the Vinkovci barracks. The current brigade was formed in 2007 and it incorporated two former guards brigades (3rd and 5th) as well as several other units formed in the 1990s during the war of independence.
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Vinkovci is located in the eastern part of theSlavonia region, 19 km (12 mi) southwest ofVukovar, 24 km (15 mi) north ofŽupanja and 43 km (27 mi) south ofOsijek. The city lies in a flatland on theBosut river, at an elevation of approx. 90 metres (300 ft), and has a mildcontinental climate. Vinkovci is also on the northwestern edge of the smaller subregion ofSyrmia.
Nearby villages and adjacent municipalities includeIvankovo,Jarmina,Markušica,Nuštar,Privlaka andStari Jankovci.
Since records began in 1981, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station was 39.9 °C (103.8 °F), on 6 August 2012.[22] The coldest temperature was −30.5 °C (−22.9 °F), on 14 January 1963.[23]
Vinkovci'seconomy is primarily based ontrade,transport andfood andmetal processing. Industries include foodstuff, building material, wood and timber, metal-processing, leather and textile. Due to the surroundingfarmland, also notable are farming and livestock breeding, and the town hosts a Crop Improvement Centre.
Vinkovci is also the intersection of the main roadsD55 (Županja–Vinkovci–Vukovar),D46 (Đakovo–Vinkovci–Serbian border),D518 (Osijek–Vinkovci) and several regional roads, thereby providing an eastern connection betweenPodravina andPosavina roads, including motorways (A3 andA5).
Vinkovci railway station is the mainrailway junction of eastern Croatia, of railroads leading fromBosnia and Herzegovina towardHungary and from the capitalZagreb towardBelgrade. The large railway junction, the second largest inCroatia afterZagreb, underlies the importance of transit in Vinkovci.
The river Bosut is not a waterway.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1857 | 4,493 | — |
| 1869 | 5,773 | +28.5% |
| 1880 | 7,315 | +26.7% |
| 1890 | 8,123 | +11.0% |
| 1900 | 9,832 | +21.0% |
| 1910 | 11,670 | +18.7% |
| 1921 | 12,640 | +8.3% |
| 1931 | 16,038 | +26.9% |
| 1948 | 18,633 | +16.2% |
| 1953 | 20,834 | +11.8% |
| 1961 | 25,313 | +21.5% |
| 1971 | 31,605 | +24.9% |
| 1981 | 35,944 | +13.7% |
| 1991 | 38,580 | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 35,912 | −6.9% |
| 2011 | 35,312 | −1.7% |
| 2021 | 30,842 | −12.7% |
| Source: Naselja i stanovništvo Republike Hrvatske 1857–2021,DZS | ||
The city administrative area includes the followingsettlements (population from the 2011 census):[24]
The local administration consists of the following local boards (mjesni odbor):[25]
In 2011, it was the17th largest city in Croatia.
Byethnic group, as of census 2011, the population of Vinkovci is:[26]
Directly elected minority councils and representatives are tasked with consulting tasks for the local or regional authorities in which they are advocating for minority rights and interests, integration into public life and participation in the management of local affairs.[27] At the2023 Croatian national minorities councils and representatives electionsSerbs of Croatia fulfilled legal requirements to elect 15-member minority councils of the City of Vinkovci whileHungarians of Croatia elected their individual representative with theRoma representative remaining unelected due to lack of candidates.[28]
-Crkva_Silaska_Sv._duha.jpg)
The town features extremely rich cultural and historical heritage, the most interesting attraction being the pre-Romanesque church on Meraja from 1100, with the coats of arms of the kingsKoloman andLadislas, as one of the most important medieval cultural monuments in Croatia. The building was recently renovated, the old wooden beams were removed and a new, modern, upper part and roof made of bricks were added, and in the space thus created, the Art Photography Gallery was opened on July 13, 2014, which has hosted art exhibitions.
The most famous annual event, one of the biggest in Slavonia, is the traditional folkmusic festival "Vinkovci Autumns" orVinkovačke jeseni, which includes thefolklore show and the presentation of folk customs ofSlavonia. It is characterized by a number of originalfolk music performances, beautiful traditional costumes, a beauty contest, competitions of the manufacturers ofkulen (smokedpaprika-flavouredsausage), plumbrandy and other traditional foodstuffs, and especially by the magnificent closingparade.
Vinkovci'smusic schoolJosip Runjanin is named after the composer of the Croatiannational anthemLijepa naša domovino. The Vinkovcigymnasium is named afterMatija Antun Reljković, a Slavonian writer who lived in the city in the 18th century.
Vinkovci, though it is spelled Vincovci in the book, and its railway station, are featured inAgatha Christie'sMurder on the Orient Express as the place near which the Orient Express runs into a snowdrift.
TheRoman Days (Rimski dani) is a historical, cultural, and educational festival held annually in June in Vinkovci. The event celebrates the city’s Roman heritage, particularly its identity as the ancient settlement ofColonia Aurelia Cibalae. It is organized by the Vinkovci Tourist Board and the City Museum and aims to bring Roman history to life through interactive programming.[29]
The festival program includes children's workshops, a junior gladiator school, reenactments of historical battles, storytelling sessions, and demonstrations of Roman-era pottery making.[29] A local craft beer festival is also held during the event, in honor of Emperor Valens—born in Vinkovci—who was nicknamedPivopija (beer-lover). The beer festival features special Roman-themed brews named after him.[30]
Since at least 2019, the festival has included Roman military camps, gladiatorial displays, and performances by historical reenactment groups from Croatia and abroad. These events highlight Vinkovci’s role in the late Roman Empire and its distinction as the birthplace of emperors Valens and Valentinian I.[31]
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A localfootball club still carries the Latin name for Vinkovci,Cibalia.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
(in Croatian)Vinkovci | |||||||
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