City Slavonski Brod

City Slavonski Brod is by size the seventf city in Croatia situated between the rivers Sava and Dilja. On this place 2000 years ago here was the Roman Marsonia. In Roman times it was a crossroads between the path stretching along the Sava and connecting Rome to the east and it was the site of the settlement Marsonia. There are Roman traces to this day. With the fall of the Roman Empire, there was a great migration and Croats settled the region in the 7th century. Slavonski Brod was first mentioned in 1244 as Vila Brod in the charter of Hungarian King Bela IV. In 1536 Slavonia became part of the Ottoman Empire and remained so for the next 150 years.

After he fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1715 a large border fortress was erected in Brod. Also built was a Franciscan monastery with the most representative cloister in northern Croatia. The Franciscans opened the first school in Brod in 1709 and the Brod Faculty of Art in 1720. As part of the borderland Brod became the centre of the captaincy and later a free military district. The Borderland Basic Law was introduced in order to protect and prevent the loss of guilds in villages and to stimulate agriculture, however, the economy did not flourish until 1871, during the period of absolute rule. The borderland became part of the fatherland and Brod became a town. With the construction of the Brod-Dalj railway in 1878 and the railway bridge over the Sava in 1880 Brod became an important trading town. The wood and flour industry developed, as well as culture and education.

Its development was caused by its geographical position and traffic condition.This place is rich in culture, language, tradition and knowledge in parts in economy which are: agricultural and food industry, wood industry, communal activies as well as metallurgy. One of the attractions of Slavonski Brod is a beautiful central town square, one of the two or threebiggest in all Croatia, Ivana Brlić Mažuranić square, named after one of the world most popular writers for children, which house is on the square.

This square is a place of numerous cultural events all around the year and has a perfect view of the beautiful Sava river. Square is also dotted with galleries, book stores, caffes, night clubs, different shops etc., which make it perfect place for entertainment, and going out to fun. Close to the square, there's another attraction, a splendid romantic promenade next by the Sava river, popular "Kej", as it is called by citizens of town.