- Type
- Fortress
- Origins
- 1712 · 18th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Osijek-Baranja, Croatia
- Commissioned by
- Habsburg monarchy
- Coordinates
- 45.5611°, 18.6961°
History
Osijek spent a century and a half under Ottoman rule, and after recapturing it in 1687 the Habsburgs set out to make the town a bulwark of their new southern frontier. In 1712, to plans by the engineer Maximilian Gosseau de Henef, work began on a modern Vauban-style fortress, largely completed by about 1721. Inside the walls a planned Baroque town grew up, with barracks, churches, a Franciscan friary and the military headquarters. The fortress lost its military role in the 19th century, and most of its ramparts were pulled down in the 1920s. In 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence, Tvrđa's historic buildings were badly damaged by artillery fire.
What to see
The heart of the quarter is Holy Trinity Square, with a Baroque plague column from the 1720s and the former headquarters and magistrate's buildings around it. The Museum of Slavonia stands on the square, with the Jesuit church of St Michael and the Franciscan friary close by. Stretches of wall and bastions survive on the Drava side, along with the Water Gate. The cobbled streets are full of cafés, and the old barracks now house university faculties.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q1815788
Popularity: articles about this site in 16 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).