The Spačva Forest Tourist Board Area consists of one city and two municipalities: the city of Otok with the village of Komletinci, the municipality of Bošnjaci, and the municipality of Vrbanja with the villages Soljani and Strošinci. Located in gentle Slavonia and benefiting from the great natural resources of the Spačva Forest, those are the places where you will find a comfortable bed, taste traditional food and feel that the Slavonian heart is larger than the Slavonian plain.
Where the forest ends, the city begins. The city of Otok is the newest city in Croatia; by decision of the Croatian Parliament, it became a city on July 13, 2006. Some say that it got its official name (Otok means “island” in Croatian) because it is surrounded by the forest, while others claim that because of the once frequent floods of the Bosut and Sava rivers, it would stay surrounded by water for a long time, just like an island. Today, Otok is one of the last peaceful urban oases, so the name fits it well.
The town of Otok provides the best combination of a typically Slavonian atmosphere and a relaxed calmness of Srijem (Syrmia). Life around here is pleasant, and the forest is close by, so it is a great choice for an excursion, especially if you love nature, countryside and traditional gastronomy. The city has 4,899 inhabitants (including the village of Komletinci). People are friendly and warm. Everyone knows everyone else here.
Although it is the newest Croatian city, Otok has a long and interesting history, and the cultural heritage of this city plays an important role in preserving the identity of the local community. Among the city’s rich heritage, Otočka suvara (the Dry Mill of Otok), a unique dry mill, stands out. It is a world rarity dating from the 19th century, and the only preserved and restored mill that used to be powered by oxen, cows and horses, both in Croatia and in the whole of Southeast Europe. Otočka suvara is also depicted on the city of Otok’s coat of arms.
In the Bioekološko-edukacijski centar “Otočki Virovi” (“The whirlpools of Otok” Bioecological and Educational Centre), located in the very heart of the Spačva Forest, one can have an active rest and spend time in nature. In the almost virgin forest of the pedunculate oak, the Bioekološko-edukacijski centar “Otočki Virovi” is a place of true relaxation, peace and quiet; it is a place where it is so easy to return to nature, to oneself and one’s own being.
“Bošnjaci is known far and wide for oborci (wooden vessels; oborak – one such vessel) and šlingeraj (a special type of embroidery).” This verse from a bećarac (a humorous form of folk song, originally from rural Slavonia) reveals why an oborak is on the coat of arms of the Bošnjaci municipality. Oborak is a circular wooden vessel made of elmwood that was most often made in Bošnjaci, but it was sold all over Slavonia. It was used for scooping up cereal grains: corn, wheat, oats… It was also used to feed animals, and grains were stored in it as well. It was used for sowing and harvesting, the hens laid eggs in it, and the chicks were hatched in it.
With the soul of a small place that immediately welcomes you and makes you soon feel like a local, Bošnjaci is an essential stop on a trip through the Spačva Forest area. All the settlements of this charming municipality are in a rural area with 2907 inhabitants. Although they live a modern life, they all preserve the traditions of the “most beautiful place in Slavonia”.
In Bošnjaci, people enjoy traditional Slavonian food: kulen (a type of flavoured sausage made of minced pork) and Slavonian hams. Here one toasts to a long life with the finest brandies, but also discovers the beauty of tradition and the craftsmanship of the Bošnjaci šlingeraj.
People living in Bošnjaci gave the greatest recognition to “their” Spačva Forest by opening the Sumarski muzej (the Forestry Museum). You will not find a permanent display as great as the one in their museum anywhere else in Croatia. The entire collection is divided into sections thematising forestry works; from planting of seeds, through felling and making wood assortments, and export of wooden logs, to the forest protection, and the protection of plant and animal species.
Together with the villages of Soljani and Strošinci, the modest municipality of Vrbanja is situated in the far southeast of Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Srijem County. The endless Slavonian plain on one side, and the dense oak forest on the other, steered the lives of the 4157 inhabitants of this municipality towards the land and the forest. The municipality’s coat of arms lies in the same vein: on a green background there are a pedunculate oak leaf and its acorn, and four golden wheat ears.
When the Croatian writer and forester Josip Kozarac lived in Vrbanja at the end of the 19th century, the cutting of the Spačva oak and its exploitation was in full swing. Vrbanja from that time no longer exists. Today, the Vrbanja foresters take adequate care of the green treasures of Slavonia, and do not let the forestry tradition to disappear, which is why more than 50% of the municipality of Vrbanja’s area is forested.
Vrbanja, Soljani and Strošinci once belonged to the Cvelferija (from the German zwölf: twelve), i.e. they were part of the Twelfth Company at the time when companies were made of regiments into which Croatia was divided. The border guards who guarded the border from the Ottomans lived in the Cvelferija. Although it is still on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, nowadays Cvelferija sings. We are talking about the Raspjevana Cvelferija (the Lilted Cvelferija), a traditional folkloric-cultural manifestation whose goal is to preserve and promote the dances and traditions of Srijem and its cvelfers (people who lived in the Cvelferija).
The highest point of the municipality of Vrbanja is at 87 meters above the sea level, and the highest hill is a “hill” of – watermelons. Everyone who visits Vrbanja in the summer will testify to this when they see the green and colourful “balls” grown on endless fields in the Vrbanja municipality.
