Tvrđa in Osijek

1996 World Monuments Watch

Over ninety percent of the buildings in Tvrđa were damaged in the Yugoslav war. The historic center of the town of Osijek, Tvrđa contains traces of a medieval town conquered and destroyed by the Turks in 152, as well as the Turkish town built on its location. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Austrian Empire constructed at Osijek – which it had taken over in 1687 – the largest fortress on the border of the Ottoman Empire. Tvrđa has survived as a unique example of an 18th-century baroque military, administrative, and commercial urban center. The recent war brought about structural damage from collapsing roofs, walls, and floors. These, in turn, threaten the plaster, sculpture, and murals that lack proper protection and are subject to continuing decay. With an assessment of the destruction already in hand, funding is needed to begin a reconstruction program.

Since the Watch

An agency for the restoration of the Osijek Tvrđa (Agencija za obnovu osječke Tvrđe) was formally established by the Croatian government in 1999. Half of the funding is provided by the Croatian government and one quarter each by Osijek-Baranja county and the city of Osijek. The medieval citadel was added to Croatia's Tentative World Heritage List in 2005. February 2011