April the 25th, 2026 – Pakrac has been spotlighted as a top continental Croatian tourist destination, with the likes of Ogulin, Daruvar and Oroslavje coming close behind it.
As Putni kofer writes, Croatia really does have it all. From the world-famous coastline, 1,000 islands and gorgeous historic cities, to the beautiful nature and national parks that delight visitors from all over the world. It is also home to countless smaller towns where life is more peaceful and authentic above all.
Continental Croatia is full of beautiful places that have yet to win the attention of most international tourists, and one of them has recently received a prestigious award. Beautiful and typically unsung Pakrac, the pearl of Požega-Slavonia County, has been spotlighted as a top continental Croatian destination. It’s now proudly called a small town for big experiences.
the home of the first ever minted croatian coin!
Pakrac was declared the best continental Croatian tourist destination by Večernji list. Journalists visited twenty places, and out of a possible 100 points, Pakrac won a very impressive 97. The victory was indeed close: second place, with only one point less, was shared by Daruvar, Ogulin and Oroslavje.
Pakrac was widely known as a significant fortress way back during the Middle Ages, and in 1256, the very first mint operated there. It was there that the first ever Croatian coin, the Slavonian banovec, was minted. This charming town in the rolling green hills of Požega-Slavonia County is surrounded by dense forests, interspersed with well-maintained cycling and hiking trails, and is an ideal destination for all those looking for an active break.
One of the biggest attractions of the town is the Old Town of Pakrac, or Pakrac Fortress. Its remains are located in the very heart of the town, and in its heyday it was one of the largest fortresses in all of Slavonia with as many as seven large round towers. Of the museums in the town, the Museum of Military and War History, the Pakrac Town Museum, and the Spahijski podrum, or the Graševina Interpretation Centre, are all very interesting.
An important part of Pakrac’s whole identity is the main parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as the beautiful, unspoiled nature that surrounds the town. The Omanovac mountain lodge, located 655 metres above sea level, is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful in this part of Croatia, and nearby Psunj is also home to the highest peak in all of Slavonia, Brezovo Polje.
an ancient slavonian “metropolis”
The most famous local historical event is the Slavonian Banovci, a fair named after the first coins that were minted there in the 13th century, in the first mint in Croatia. This silver coin with the image of a kuna (pine marten) as a means of payment was also used outside the borders of the Kingdom of Slavonia. It was a stable currency across vast swathes of Central Europe and a symbol of the economic strength of this fertile agricultural region. It is precisely on that coin that the kuna motif first appears, becoming a key part of the Croatian identity many centuries later.
The remains of the Old Town of Pakrac testify to the importance of this area even during the typically harsh realities of the Middle Ages. Research conducted in the heart of the settlement by archaeologist Krešimir Vacek shows that Pakrac was one of the key urban and economic centres, a kind of Slavonian metropolis of that time. The settlement was all but totally destroyed during the Ottoman conquests, but layers of history emerge from the finds that confirm its former importance and glory days.
Today, Pakrac very successfully combines tradition and innovation. It was here that the first 4D postcard in Croatia was created.
