Podolje

Podolje is a small Baranja village in the Municipality of Draž, set beside the vineyard slopes of Bansko brdo, locally known simply as Planina—the Mountain. The village name appears in a document from 1296, while its defining landmark is the Church of St Anne on high ground above the houses. The present structure occupies the site of an earlier place of worship, and the surrounding cemetery reflects the location’s long sacred continuity. A record from 1782 associates the solidly built church with funding from Prince Eugene of Savoy. After looting and damage between 1991 and 1997, a phased restoration began in 2020; the roof was renewed in 2022 and the interior and exterior works were completed by 2024. Podolje also belongs to the walking and cycling landscape of the Draž area, with local routes connecting it to Draž, Batina, Gajić, Topolje and Duboševica. Vineyards, field tracks and characteristic Baranja cuttings lead towards Bansko brdo, while the wider Danube landscape and its backwaters open to the east. A visit centres on a quiet village walk, St Anne’s Church and the local paths across Planina.

Podolje belongs to the group of Draž villages lying between Bansko brdo and the Danube landscape at Croatia’s far north-eastern edge. The settlement appears in a written source from 1296, and its historical focal point is the Church of St Anne, standing on raised ground within its cemetery. Canonical and estate records describe the church as a dependency of the Zmajevac parish and identify an earlier place of worship on the same site. The present building incorporates evidence from several periods, including foundations found to be older than previously assumed. Restoration launched in 2020 preserved the original structures and proportions; interior and exterior works were completed by 2024, with new pews made in nearby Vardarac.