Gradište

Gradište is a small Slavonian village below Krndija, beside the road connecting Požega and Našice. It belongs administratively to the City of Kutjevo and recorded 94 residents in the 2021 census. The name recalls a wooden fort built around 1413, when Gradište served as the centre of an estate governed by the Szécsényi family. In 1483 it was recorded as an oppidum, or market town, evidence of a wider late-medieval role that contrasts with the village’s present size. The Church of St Nicholas appeared in records from 1332, 1347 and 1413, and its ruins remained visible until the early 18th century. Gradište also contains an Orthodox chapel dedicated to the Nativity of the Mother of God, registered as a religious monument. Today the village offers an entry point to eastern Kutjevo country, between Krndija’s lower slopes and the vineyards surrounding Kutjevo. The castle, historic wine cellar and vineyard walking routes at Kutjevo extend a visit, while in 2026 public bus line 16 connects Gradište with Bektež, Kutjevo and Požega.

Gradište is defined by its position beneath Krndija’s southern slopes and beside the Požega–Našice road, with Kutjevo serving as its administrative centre. The village took its name from a wooden fort built around 1413 on an estate governed by the Szécsényi family. Its designation as a market town in 1483 reflects the former importance of an estate extending towards Londža, Poreč, Ciglenik, Duboka and Sapna. The old Church of St Nicholas, documented during the 14th and 15th centuries, no longer forms part of the village scene; its ruins survived until 1702. The Orthodox Chapel of the Nativity of the Mother of God remains Gradište’s identifiable religious monument.