If you travel to the heart of Slavonia on the Slavonika highway, Đakovo will appear in front of you and open up idyllic vistas anchored in the plain, arched by an endless horizon. Ivandvor is located somewhere on the mystical border between the plain and the sky.
Here, in a picturesque landscape, a herd of Lipizzaners gallops, enjoying their freedom unfettered. Once they grow up, they will also show off their splendor in nearby Đakovo, in the large manege of the State Stud Farm. Founded in 1506, it is one of the oldest in Europe. For example, it is a full 74 years older than the stud farm in Lipica, the homeland of this magnificent breed.
Lipizzaners, horses “that when you touch, you touch history” (F. Westerman), are an indispensable part of the year-round programs of the Đakovo Stud Farm. They are also among the main attractions of large annual events. In the parade Đakovo embankments, cultural and folklore performances with a half-century tradition, alternate with singers and dancers from numerous countries.
The neighing of horses is complemented by cheerful verses of bećarc, a traditional Slavonian musical form, but also by the sound of sabers from the ritual dance of the beauties from the village of Gorjani. Known as highlanders or queens, they are the last bearers of an age-old custom in which, in the spring, girls introduce themselves to potential suitors, dancing with sabers in their hands (and you thought the combination of "beautiful & dangerous" was invented by the screenwriters of Charlie's Angels).
St. Peter's Cathedral and Đakovo embankments
An unavoidable part of the Đakovo processions is their passage in front of the Cathedral of St. Petra, one of the most famous sacred buildings in Croatia. Seven million bricks are built into the 84-meter-high ruler of the Đakovica vistas, and at its base are 395 pylons made of Slavonian oak. The interior of the neo-Romanesque building is decorated with frescoes and sculptures by numerous artists, while in its crypt is the tomb of one of the greatest Croatians of the 19th century - Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer.
Bećarac and the spring procession of Gorjanski ljelje belong to the protected intangible cultural heritage under the protection of UNESCO, while Đakovo embroidery as one of the largest festivals of original folklore of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem brings together folklore groups from all over the world.
Bećarac: When the Bećars drink with the shore, the windows open wide!
