Croatian Cities – Vukovar

"Croatian Cities" series: the city of Vukovar – Eltz Castle.

Vukovar lies at the eastern edge of Croatia, where the Vuka River flows into the Danube, and belongs to those Central European towns whose name is inseparably linked to the upheavals of the 20th century. For centuries the town was an important trading centre of the Slavonia and Syrmia region, shaped by the coexistence of various population groups under Habsburg rule. Eltz Castle, a baroque palace built in the 18th century by the noble family of the same name from the Rhineland, is one of the best-preserved secular baroque buildings in this part of Croatia. The Eltz family took over the estate in 1736 and shaped the town over several generations; the castle served as an administrative seat and cultural centre of the region. Today it houses the Vukovar City Museum and is regarded as an architectural landmark recalling the town's multilayered history.

In Croatia's collective memory, Vukovar occupies a special place: the Croatian War of Independence of 1991 left deep scars on the town, which was heavily destroyed after a months-long siege. Reconstruction and the gradual return to normal life took decades. Today Vukovar stands both for resilience and for the importance of historical continuity — the restored Eltz Castle vividly symbolises this process. Croatia's "Croatian Towns" series brings Vukovar into focus with the 2026 2-euro commemorative coin, honouring a town whose history, from the baroque era to the present, exemplifies the cultural and historical depth of Slavonia.