Našice

Našice lies 51 kilometres south-west of Osijek where the Slavonian plain meets the northern foot of Krndija. First recorded in 1229, the town’s present visual identity is most strongly associated with the Pejačević family, owners of the estate from the 18th century until 1945. The restored Great Castle, dating from 1812, now houses the Local History Museum; its period rooms, family possessions and Dora Pejačević’s piano recreate the atmosphere of an aristocratic home. The protected park also contains the Small Castle, mature trees and an artificial lake. A historical walk continues to the Franciscan Church of St Anthony of Padua, the monastery library with ten incunabula and the Pejačević mausoleum of 1881. Three kilometres from the centre, Lapovac reservoir—created in 1993—supports running, cycling and fishing. Našice is also a road and railway junction for Osijek, Virovitica, Đakovo and Slavonski Brod, making it a useful base for Martin, Feričanci, Orahovica and the Krndija forests.

Našice joins the Slavonian plain to the hills of Krndija, and its defining landmark is not a fortress or cathedral but the Pejačević aristocratic estate. The Great and Small Castles, landscaped park and family mausoleum form a coherent ensemble associated with composer Dora Pejačević and two Croatian bans born in the castle. An older layer survives in the Franciscan community and Church of St Anthony of Padua, while Lake Lapovac gives the town a modern recreational focus. Its position on the Varaždin–Virovitica–Osijek road and railway corridor, with routes towards Đakovo and Slavonski Brod, makes Našice a junction between Podravina, Osijek and central Slavonia.