May the 2nd, 2026 – Beli Manastir in eastern Croatia is known for having a main square larger than the capital’s, but another fascinating fact lies in it being home to 8000 residents and 20 different nationalities.
As Putni kofer writes, in the far eastern stretches of Croatia, where the Drava and Danube rivers reign, you’ll find several very special places. Painted in sunflower yellow, in the finest flavours of traditional food and good wine, and the joy of various events, Baranja holds its head high. In it lies a very special city, the only one in that region and its administrative centre known for its multiculturalism: Beli Manastir. A trip to Beli Manastir leads you to a settlement of only 8000 residents, but 20 different nationalities within that small figure.
Beli Manastir is located on the slopes of Banska Kosa. It’s 32 kilometres away from Osijek, and the border with Hungary is nearby. It was declared a city back in June 1993, and its history is long and bears the epithet of one of the most multicultural in all of Croatia. Members of as many as 20 national minorities in Croatia are registered as living there, and its main square is actually even larger in area than Ban Josip Jelačić Square in Zagreb.
Its name dates all the way back to the Middle Ages, from the 13th century, and it owes it precisely to its famed monastery. In 1227, the Hungarian palatine, or imperial courtier Moys de Daro, constructed a monastery on his estate in the town of Pél, which was located in the area of what is now Beli Manastir. He named the place Pél Monostor or Pélov Samostan. Much, much later on in 1923, the city officially received the name Beli Manastir, now known as Baranja’s cultural heart.
Beli Manastir’s Ethnological Centre of Baranja Heritage is a place not to be missed. It’s a cultural and tourist facility that opened only in 2016, and there you can learn everything there is to know about Baranja, as well as all about the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the ethnic groups that have lived in the wider area. For those primarily interested in local food, it’s worth knowing that Beli Manastir is the place where the largest Croatian fish festival is held. There, far from the coastline, at least 250 kettles of fish are smoked every September. This event is part of the cultural event Autumn in Baranja (Jesen u Baranji).
The path to gaining city status was long and arduous, and it recorded significant development only after southern Baranja fell into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Once upon a time, there was a Roman fort called Mons Aureus, or Golden Hill located there. The long history of the area where the city is located today is also indicated by a number of archaeological sites found there. The archaeological site of Popova zemlja stands out in particular, and it is widely assumed that it was the largest ancient settlement in all of Baranja.
There are also several interesting industrial monuments spanning the wider area of Beli Manastir. For example, there you will find one of the oldest tender locomotives in Croatia, which was once used to pull freight and passenger trains on local railways.
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