Požega (Croatia)
| Požega | |||
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| Basic data | |||
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| State : |
 Croatia
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| County : |
 Požega Slavonia
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| Height : | 311 m. i. J. | ||
| Area : | 133.91 km² | ||
| Residents : | 26,248 (2011) | ||
| Population density : | 196 inhabitants per km² | ||
| Telephone code : | (+385) 034 | ||
| Postal code : | 34,000 | ||
| License plate : | PŽ | ||
| Structure and administration (status: 2013, cf. ) |
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| Community type : | city | ||
| Mayor : | Vedran Neferović ( HDZ ) | ||
| Coalition partner : | HSP AS | ||
| Website : | |||
Požega [ ˈpɔʒɛɡa ] (Ger. Poschegg , Hungarian Pozsega ) is a city in the Slavonia region in eastern Croatia with 26,248 inhabitants (2011). Since 1997 the city has been the seat of the Catholic diocese Požega .
Geographical location
The place is located a little northwest of Slavonski Brod in the Požega-Slavonia County at an altitude of 152 m in the Požega basin, which was called Vallis aurea (golden valley) in Roman times. The Orljava, a tributary of the Save, flows through the village .
Cityscape
The central town square is particularly attractive, where a number of sights are located and which is considered one of the most beautiful square ensembles in Croatia. Here you can find the Heiliggeistkirche, a Franciscan monastery, the town hall and a plague column from 1749 .
Culture
The city is also known for its numerous festivals and events. In March, the St. Gregory festival (Grgurevo) is celebrated with the shooting down of mortar and cannon fire , which symbolizes the fight against the Ottomans . A short film festival and the Croatian national dog show take place regularly in May. The solstice celebration is celebrated in June, followed by the Kuleniade, where numerous local specialties (Kulenwurst, wines) are offered. Also in summer, the nationally known automobile and motorcycle races take place on the Glavica racecourse. In October there is a fish festival, the city day and the festival of the city's patroness, St. Theresa of Ávila , as well as organ concerts are celebrated.
history
Middle Ages and Turkish rule
In Roman times the area belonged to the province of Pannonia ; In the course of the migration of peoples, the Goths and after them the Lombards from the central Danube moved towards Italy, before South Slavic Croats settled in the 6th to 7th centuries. At the end of the 9th century, the Hungarians finally invaded the Pannonian plain and took possession of Slavonia. Požega was first mentioned in a document in 1227 and, due to its strategic location, it played an important role in Slavonia at an early stage, which was on the border with the southern Slavic empires of the Middle Ages that were established between Hungary and Byzantium . While the city was largely unmolested by the marches of the crusader armies along the Danube, troubled times began with the appearance of the Ottomans at the end of the Middle Ages, who fought constant border battles with the Hungarians. With the defeat of the Hungarians in the Battle of Mohács (1526) , a good 100 km northeast of the city, Požega also fell under the rule of the Turks, even if the population remained Catholic and the diocese also existed.
Austrian rule
In 1688 the Habsburgs finally succeeded in driving the Turks out of Hungary; henceforth the Sava, flowing 15 km south of Požega, was the border to Bosnia, which was still under Turkish rule, while Slavonia was expanded by the Austrians into a fortified border province in which fortified farmers were settled to protect them from the Turks. Požega was the seat of Pozsega County at the time of the Kingdom of Hungary . As early as 1699 Požega received the first high school in the Slavonia province. Numerous baroque buildings still shape the image of the city today. In 1763 a university was established, the Academia Possegana , which only existed until 1774. In the 18th century a pharmacy, a post office and a number of commercial and manufacturing operations were added. In the 19th century Požega was nicknamed "Slavonian Athens"; a multitude of cultural associations and institutions emerged, many of which have survived to this day. Mention should be made of the library, the singing choir, the voluntary fire brigade Požega, a printing company and since 1863 also its own magazine (“Der Slawonier”). The Austro-Hungarian compromise of 1867 did not satisfy the South Slav Croatians, as only the Austrian rule was replaced by the Hungarian rule.
Yugoslav time
Separation from the Habsburg monarchy was not achieved until World War I ; Požega was henceforth Yugoslav . There was the time of the Ustasha dictatorship in the and the introduction of communism under Tito . Požega survived the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991 unscathed, even if there were sometimes violent clashes with the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) a little to the east of Osijek and 10 km to the west of Pakrac. Until it was reintegrated into Croatia in 1998, neighboring Eastern Slavonia remained under UN administration, and since then the situation has returned to normal. The Serbian population was around 22.7% in 1991 and 6.5% in 2001.
Infrastructure
The city's economy is based to a large extent on services, especially in the tourism sector, so that there are hardly any major industrial companies in the city, also in view of the lack of motorway and rail connections. Agriculture still plays an important role in the surrounding area.
sons and daughters of the town
Given the cultural importance of Požega, it is not surprising that the city also produced a number of famous sons and daughters:
- Antun Kanižlić (1699–1777), Baroque poet
- Vjekoslav Babukić (1812–1875), grammarian and pioneer of the South Slav "Illyrian" movement in the 19th century.
- Stefanie Job (1909–2002), beauty queen and actress
- Ivana Kindl (* 1978), Croatian singer
- Marko Kopljar (* 1986), handball player
- Miroslav Kraljević Senior, romantic novelist
- Friedrich Salomon Krauss (1859–1938), Austrian ethnologist, sex researcher and Slavist
- Janko Jurković (1827-1889), writer
- Dragutin Lerman (1863-1918), Africa explorer
- Miroslav Kraljević Junior, painter
- Leo Mikić (* 1997), football player
- Matej Mitrović (* 1993), football player
- Gustav Pósa (1825–1900), lawyer and painter
- Antun Branko Aleksandar Pavić (1802-1853), city physician and writer
- Armin Pavić (1844–1914), literary historian
- Matko Peić (1923–1999), art historian
- Predrag Stojaković (* 1977), Serbian basketball player
- Josip Eugen Tomić (1843–1906), writer
literature
- Travel guide: Slavonia - The Unknown East of Croatia by Franz Roither and Danijela Baltić.
- Lajic, Bara: Influence of the war 1991–1995 in Croatia on the proportion of the Serbs in Slavonia (Serbo-Croatian, ISSN 0038-982X (2010): 1 p. 49–73) online (PDF; 346 kB)
Web links
- City website (Croatian)
- Unofficial website of the city (Croatian)
