Along the British Crown's Trail

Along the British Crown'sTrail

Introduction

Explore the Bonds Between Slavonia and the British Court

TheBritishheirstothethronehavevisitedeasternCroatiatwotimes, andintheheartofSlavonia,inOsijek,theyarenotjustamongfriends, butamongfamilyaswell.Thegreat-grandfatherofBritain'sKingCharles IIIwasbornandbaptizedinOsijek,andﬁveBritishkingsandqueens descendedfromthelineageofFranzvonTeck.Twowillreturntohis nativeland.

EvenbeforeQueenElizabethIIsetoﬀtoSlavoniain1972,notinpursuit offamilyroots,butenchantedbytheimpressiveLipizzanhorsesof ĐakovothatcaptivatedherattheopeningoftheMunichOlympics,she knewthatonlythebestthingscomefromthisregion.Thearomatic TraminerfromIlokwasservedathercoronation,andwinefromthe Iločkipodrumi (Ilokcellars)canstillbefoundintheroyalwinecollection today.

ThestudfarminĐakovo,thesameoneexploredbythemightyqueen, wasvisited44yearslaterbytheDuchessofCornwall,CamillaParker Bowles.Inthespringof2016,shevisitedOsijek-BaranjaCountywithher husband,thethenPrinceCharles.ThetiesthatbindtheBritishroyal familywithOsijek–fromfamilialtofriendly–wereenoughreasonto celebratethecoronationofCharlesIIIintheSlavoniancapital.Forthat occasion,thePedestrianBridgeinOsijeklitupwiththecoloursofthe Britishﬂag.Followtheroyalfootstepsyourselfandexplore….Followthe royalfootstepsyourselfandexploretheSlavonianandBaranja's connectionswiththeBritishcourt.

The then Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles, visited Slavonia and Baranja on March 15, 2016

GeorgeVI EdwardVIII MaryHenry George John Elizabeth Bowels–Lyon Diana Camilla Charles III. Charlotte E. Diana Lilibet Diana LouisArthur Charles Chaterine George Alexsande Lois Rachel Meghan Archie Harisson WilliamA. AndrewA. Anne E. EdwardA. Margaret Rose GeorgeV Franz Paul Karl LudwigAlexandervon Hohenstein Philip Mery ofTeck MaryAdelaide of Cambridge Elizabeth II. Henry C.

Map of the route

Calvinistchurch

FranzvonTeck,thegreat-grandfatherofKing CharlesIII,wasbaptisedinaBaroqueCalvinist churchinRetfala.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

St.PeterandPaulCo-Cathedral

This magniﬁcent Neo-Gothic building dominates the skyline of Osijek. Its stainedglass windows, damaged in the Homeland War, have been restored with the advice of British experts.

OscarNemon Park

Born in Osijek, the famous sculptor Oscar Nemon is the author of portraits and busts of numerous British dignitaries, including Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill.

Citadel (Cro.Tvra)d

The Baroque jewel delighted the British royal couple during their visit in 2016, and their photo taken in Osijek's Citadel circulated the world as their Christmas greeting card that year.

LowerTown

FranzvonTeckwasborninOsijek'sLowerTown onthe27thofAugust1837

TÐ hestatestudfarminakovo

Mesmerised by the Lipizzan horses, Queen Elizabeth II visitedĐakovo's stud farm in 1972, followed by then Dutchess and today's Queen Camilla in 2016

IlokCellars

WinefromtheIlokcellarsdelightedguestsfrom aroundtheworldattheQueenElizabeth's coronation.

1.

2. GORNJI GRAD /UPPERTOWN/

KOPAKI RIT C

11 km

4.

3.

TVRĐA /CITADEL/

5.

DONJI GRAD /LOWERTOWN/

51 km

ILOK

70 km

RUTA

6. 7.

ĐAKOVO

Osijek

Osijek Roots and Five British Monarchs

FranzvonTeck,thegreat-great-grandfatherofthe currentKingoftheUnitedKingdom,CharlesIII,was bornonAugust27,1837,intheLowerTownof Osijek.Sixdayslater,onSeptember2,hewas registeredinthebaptismalrecordsoftheReformed ChurchinRetfalaasDukeFerentzPálKárolyLajos SándorvonHohenstein,thesonofDukeAlexander SándorofWürttembergandhismotherClaudine, CountessRhédeyofKis-Rhéde.

AtthetimeofFranzvonTeck'sbirth,Osijekwasone ofthelargestmilitaryheadquartersoftheHabsburg MonarchyinthispartofEuropeaswellasthelargest cityinCroatia.Thisfollowedtheunificationofthree independenturbanentities-theUpperTown,the Citadel,andtheLowerTown-onDecember2,1786. Thisstatuswasmaintaineduntilthemid-19th centurywhenZagrebsurpasseditssizefollowingthe unificationofGradec,Kaptol,andsurrounding villagesin1850.Shortlyafterthisunification, specificallyin1809,EmperorFrancisIofAustria grantedOsijekthestatusofafreeandroyalcity, sparkinganeweraofprosperity.Itwasinthis environmentthatFranzvonHohenstein,Dukeof Teck,wasborn.

History and roots

Calvinist church in Retfala

HewasbaptizedintheBaroqueCalvinist churchinRetfala,builtbetween1752and1762. AnotablefeatureofthischurchisitsBaroque carpentry,paintedin1774bytherenowned carpenterJánosBotos.

FranzvonTeck,bornanOsijeknativeandthe great-great-grandfatherofBritain'sKing CharlesIII,marriedPrincessMaryin1866 withwhomhehadfourchildren.Their daughter,MaryvonTeck,becametheBritish queenthroughhermarriagetoKingGeorgeV, andtheirtwosons,EdwardVIII,who abdicated,andGeorgeVI,bothbecameBritish kings.

KingGeorgeVImarriedElizabethBowesLyon,knownastheQueenMother,andtheir marriageproducedQueenElizabethII,the motherofKingCharlesIII.

Baptism certiﬁcate and details from the church

Grgur Marko Ivanković

"Queens“of Slavonia Ljelje and British Queen Camilla

The Graceful Dance of the Lipizzaners

Uponwitnessingafour-in-handcarriagedrawnbyelegantLipizzanersattheopeningofthe OlympicGamesinMunich,QueenElizabethIIwassoenthralledthatinOctoberof1972,ather expressrequest,theroyalfamilyvisitedtheStateStudFarminĐakovo,establishedwaybackin 1506.AccompaniedbyherhusbandPrincePhilipanddaughterPrincessAnne,theQueen arrivedinĐakovobytrain.Theywerethentransportedtothestudfarminacarriagedrawnby gracefulhorses.Theesteemedguestsvisitedbothlocationsofthestudfarm,whichhasbeen preservingtheLipizzanerbreedingtraditionsince1806–thestudinthecitycentreand Ivandvor.Thecarriageusedfortheirvisitisstillkeptatthestudfarmtoday.Forty-fouryears later,theĐakovostudfarmwasvisitedbytheDuchessofCornwall,CamillaParkerBowles,the wifeofthethen-Prince,nowKingCharles.TheperformanceoftheLipizzanerdancestagedin herhonourinCroatia'slargestindoorridingarenaleftherbreathless,justasithadtheroyal familydecadesearlieraswellasnumerousvisitorstooneoftheoldeststudfarmsinEurope.

Riding Croatia's FirstTram

Theyear1884holdsaspecialplaceinthehistoryand urbanidentityofOsijek.Thatautumn,theﬁrsthorsedrawntraminCroatia(andoneoftheﬁrstin SoutheasternEurope)startedoperatinginOsijek. Thiscutting-edgepublictransportoftheera propelledOsijekintotheranksofEuropean metropolises.ThisdistinctiveOsijekbrandremains vibranteventoday,tramtransportinCroatiahasonly beenpreservedinoneothercity-Zagreb.

Generationsofcitizens,aswellastheroyalfamily, havetravelledbytram.Inthespringof2016,thethenPrinceofWalesandtheDuchessofCornwalltooka tramridefromtheBaroqueCitadeltothecocathedralofSaintsPeterandPaulinthecentreof Osijek.Itwasanopportunityforthemtosightsee,and legendhasitthatitwasCharles'sﬁrst-everrideon publictransportation.

Theroyalcouplewasalsopresentedwithaunique gift:apopular(atramcard)bearingtheirnames, butra aswellasalifetimefreepassfortramridesinOsijek. Whenevertheyreturn,theywillbeabletoenjoya tramridefreeofcharge.

9

A Must-see Attraction for Every Visitor, Even the Royal Ones

Constructedintheneo-Gothicstyletowardstheendofthe19thcentury,ontheinitiativeof thethenĐakovobishopJosipJurajStrossmayer,themagniﬁcentco-cathedralofSaintsPeter andPauldominatestheskylineofOsijek.Withits94-meter-hightower,itisthemost recognizablesymbolofthecity.ThedesignwascreatedbyGermanarchitectFranz LangenberganditwasbuiltonthesiteoftheUpperTownparishchurch.Incorporatingthree andahalfmillionredbricks,itsfourbellsweighoverﬁvethousandkilograms.Bishop StrossmayerconsecrateditinMay1900.Fourdecadeslater,theinteriorwascompleted, adornedwithfrescoesbytherenownedOsijekpainterMirkoRački.Functioningasaparish churchuntil2008andthereafterasaco-cathedral,thissacredbuildinghasalwaysbeena must-visitduringastayinthecityontheDravaRiver,captivatingwithitsornamentation,rich altars,andopulentstained-glasswindows,attractingbelievers,pilgrims,historyenthusiasts, curiousminds,andtouristsalike.

DuringtheCroatianWarofIndependence,itwasstruckbyoverahundredprojectiles, destroyingall33stainedglasswindows,aswellastwolargeglassrosettesontheleftandright sidesofthemainaltar.Osijek'sartisanglassmakerswereabletorestorethistreasureafterthe trainingtheyreceivedintheUnitedKingdom,thankstotheInternationalFoundationfor CroatianMonumentsinLondon.Theco-cathedralofSaintsPeterandPaulwasalsovisitedby theBritishheirtothethrone,Charles,andhisconsortCamilladuringtheirstayinOsijek. Theyarrivedtherebycitytram,ridingalongEuropeanAvenue,astreetthatconnectsOsijek's UpperandLowerTownandthatboaststhelongestrowofArtNouveaubuildingsinCroatia.

Oscar Nemon–From his Native Osijek to the British Court

Bornin1906intotheJewishNeumannfamilyin Osijek,OscarwaseducatedinEuropeanmetropolises. HisfamilymemberslostlivesintheHolocaustand risingabovesuchatragicfate,hebecamerenowned forhissculpturesofsomeofthemostsigniﬁcant ﬁguresofthetwentiethcentury.Heisthecreatorof portraitsandbustsofQueenElizabethII,Prime MinisterMargaretThatcher,SigmundFreud,Belgian KingAlbertI,andQueenAstrid.

He'salsotheauthorofoneofthemostfamous sculpturesofW.Churchill,placedattheentranceto theLowerHouseoftheBritishParliament.The sculptureisknownforitsshinythumb,whichMPs touchforgoodluck,apracticeevenacceptedby formerAmericanPresidentBarackObama. OscarNemonistheauthorofaseriesofpublic monumentsscatteredfromOsijekthroughLondonto Toronto.Hedonatedthemonument'Motherand Child'tohishometownofOsijekinmemoryofthe victimsoftheHolocaust,andtheparkinwhichitis locatedbearshisname.HisimportanceontheBritish culturalsceneisunquestionableandhemostcertainly deservesamentionontheroutededicatedtothe Britishheirstothethrone.

Therenownedsculptorpassedawayin1985inOxford andisrememberedasoneofthegreatestsculptorsof the20thcentury.

Kopaki Rit's Natural Paradise c

NestledintheprotectiveembraceoftheDanubeand Dravarivers,whichbothguardandprotectitswondrous landscapeoflakes,puddles,canals,ﬂoodplainforests, andmeadows,liesKopačkiRitNaturePark.Oneof Europe'sbest-preservedwetlandareas,it'shometoan astonishingthreehundredbirdspecies,withthewhitetailedeagleasitsemblem.Birdwatchinginthe enchantingexpansesofKopačkiRit,whereonlythe chirpingofbirdsdisruptstheharmonyandpeaceof nature,attractsnumeroustourists.Thisearthlyparadise isalsoahavenforreddeer,wildboar,otters,beavers, badgers...Atthepark'snorthernentranceliesZlatna GredaNatureHouse.Onceapustar a–aworkers' settlementwithuniquearchitectureandlifestylefrom themid-19thcentury–thisprotectedculturalheritage hasbeentransformedintoadestinationwelcoming thoseseekingrelaxationandadventure,eagertolearn aboutnatureortoindulgeinSlavonianandBaranja's gastronomy.EvenKingCharles,thenPrinceofWales, savouredﬁshpaprikashandpoppyseednoodleswhenhe visitedZlatnaGreda.ThePannonianPeaceBikeTrail, linkingOsijekandSombor,orSlavoniaandBačka,passes throughZlatnaGreda.

Traminer–AWineWorthy of Royalty

IntheeasternpartofCroatia,inthecityofIlok,wineandaristocracy havebeenintertwinedforcenturies,datingbacktowhentheRoman EmperorProbusplantedtheﬁrstvinesinhisnativeSirmiuminthe3rd century.AlthoughitseemsasifthefamousTraminerhasalwaysgraced thefertilehillsofFruškaGora,itsﬁrstvineswerebroughttherebythe ItaliannoblefamilyOdescalchiwhoplantedtheminPrincipovacabove Ilokwheretheylaterhadtheirsummerresidence.

InsearchofanexquisitewinetobeservedatthecoronationofQueen ElizabethIIin1953,aroyalenvoywasledtothecharmingtownonthe Danube.Thediscerningpalateimmediatelyrecognizedtherichnessof TraminerfromIlokCellars,selecting11,000bottlesfrom1947,theyear, coincidentallyornot,ofElizabethandPhilip'swedding.

TherelationshipbetweentheroyalfamilyandIlok'sTraminerwhich wasincludedinthewinelistoftheEnglishcourthasremainedstrongto thisday.ThiswinefromSyrmiahasgracedallmajoreventsatthe Britishcourt–theweddingofWilliamandKateMiddletonin2011, QueenElizabeth'scoronationanniversarythefollowingyear,the weddingofHarryandMeghanMarklein2018,andthecoronationof KingCharlesIII.

Naturally,thevisitofCharlesandCamillatoCroatia,backwhenthey werestillthePrinceandDuchessofCornwall,couldn'tendwithout enjoyingthisgoldennectar.Charleswasevengiftedtwobottlesof Traminerfromtheyearservedathismother'scoronation.

The Royal Family's Christmas card

“WishingyouaMerryChristmasandaHappyNewYear,Charlesand Camilla,”readthefestivegreetingcardthatcirculatedtheworldin December2016,bringingparticularjoytothepeopleofOsijek.Among manyoftheglobaldestinationsvisitedbythePrinceofWalesandthe DuchessofCornwallthatyear,thecouplechoseaphotofromthe baroquejewelofOsijek,theCitadel,fortheirChristmascard.Theyare picturedwithmembersofthefolkgroupCroatianCulturalandArt SocietyofOsijek1862,whicharedressedintraditionalSlavonian costumesinfrontoftheArchaeologicalMuseum.Amemorablephoto andabeautifulgestureofgratitudetotheirhosts,conﬁrmingthatthe peopleofSlavoniaandBaranjaareindeedexcellenthosts.Atrue rhapsodyofculturalheritageandtraditionalﬂavoursawaitedthematthe HolyTrinitySquareintheCitadelwherePrinceCharlesdaredtotrythe localBaranjabrandy(rakija).Theroyalcouplewasgiftedashirtanda scarfadornedwithgoldembroidery,atamburitza(atraditionalstring instrument),andevenanFCOsijekfootballjersey.

Sevenyearslater,thesamelocationwashometoacelebrationofthe coronationofKingCharlesIII,furtherevidencingthedeepfriendship.