November 13, 2023 – What comes to mind when you think of Osijek? Fine, it’s mosquitoes. But what about the British royal family, Oscar winners, Coca-Cola, or trams? Trust us when we say the city is a hidden gem, and it hides many smaller gems. Here are our favorite 5 surprising facts about Osijek.
Mosquitoes so Persistent They Became a Brand
The stories of Osijek mosquitoes are now almost classics, reaching far and wide. Settled in the vicinity of rivers and swamps, Osijek is, unfortunately, the perfect breeding ground for the tiny buzzing nuisances. So much so that in 2021 a huge mosquito sculpture was made by art students to point out the problem. In 2023 alone, the City invested over €1 million in the fight and, for the first time, kind of won it.
The people of Osijek, being the people of Osijek, though, always find at least something a little bit funny in everything. And so, the mosquito became a symbol and an important resident. Our favorite was the Osijek zoo “enclosure” right next to a bush, with a simple wooden board that said komarci (Croatian for mosquitoes). Talk about low maintenance. Another is an urban sports festival – Pannonian Challenge, which in its 14 years has become recognizable for its simple but highly effective logo.
The Queen’s Roots
From blood-sucking to blood ties. What few people know is the British royal family’s connection with Osijek. The distant great-grandfather, of King Charles III, and the great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II, was Franz von Teck, who was born in 1837 and spent part of his life in Osijek. He moved to London in 1866 and married Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge.
Zagreb, 1972. Bozidar Kelemenic / Pixsell
Both the late Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles certainly knew this. The Queen visited eastern Croatia multiple times and was always met with special joy, while the King last visited Osijek in March 2016 together with his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. They then met with President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, and as a gift from Osijek, they took home a signed Osijek FC jersey, and Charles became an honorary member of the Osijek fan club.
Oscar Winner’s Birthplace
We could bet you that you’ve seen at least some of the films of this important Osijek director. Meet Branko Lustig, a winner of multiple Oscars and Golden Globes.
Born in Osijek in 1932, as a child he survived imprisonment in the Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz, Mittelbau-Dora and Bergen-Belsen, losing most of his family in the Holocaust. He studied acting and graduated from the Zagreb Art Academy in 1959. He worked in multiple positions in the film industry and produced and co-produced over 100 Croatian and foreign pieces.
Some of his most significant achievements include masterpieces such as Schindler’s List, Sophie’s Choice, The Gladiator, American Gangster and so much more.
Lights in Exchange for 108,048 bottle caps
The pedestrian bridge connecting the two banks of the river Drava is a marvellous sight in itself, but it’s truly special at night. Though many know and recognize the bridge of Osijek, the story of how it received its light is a fairly unknown one.
The project was carried out in 2016 by Coca-Cola Croatia in cooperation with the city of Osijek and the Austrian company Zumtobel, which was responsible for the technical works of lighting installation. The permanent lighting was installed thanks to the people of Osijek themselves, who collected a total of 108,048 bottle caps, one for each resident of Osijek (according to the 2011 census), in Coca-Cola’s action “Light up Our Bridge“. The first bottle caps were collected in a special tank placed right by the bridge, which was later moved to the city center, where the caps would be counted every Saturday. The project took about 6 months, and the bridge was lit up in June 2017.
Home to Croatia’s First Tram
Last, but not least, Osijek trams. The fact that Osijek even has them is a new and fun fact to many, but surely you had no idea that Osijek was home to Croatia’s first trams as well. The first tram in Croatia was pulled by horses, and it was put into service on 10th September 1884 in Osijek. The first carts were brought from Graz, and were pulled by two or, exceptionally, three horses. The 5 m long, 1.8 m wide, and 2.5 m high cars had seats for 16 passengers, coachmen and conductors. The rolling stock in 1895 consisted of 15 passenger cars, 8 freight cars, and two mail cars. In 1889, the Osijek tram network was expanded with two side lines. Towards the end of the same year, an initiative for the electrification of trams was launched.
Although in 1899, the city council allowed the switch to electric drive, the electric tram in Osijek began to operate only in 1926, when the railway route was adapted to the requirements of the traffic at that time. The first cars were produced in the Czechoslovak Škoda factory, and restored such cars from 1928 are still in use for tourist purposes. Osijek’s modern tram fleet has a total of about thirty trams, and traffic takes place on two lines with almost 30 km of tracks. The network is currently undergoing modernization as well.
