Osijek, Croatia, is a delightful little town situated a few miles/kilometers away from the Danube on a tributary, the River Drava.
Located 131 km/210 mi east of Zagreb, this city of about 115,000 is an industrial center with oil refineries. The town's 18th-century Tvrda (Fortress) is a surprising expanse of buildings and churches wrapped by walls that appear intact, all reflected in the river in picture-perfect fashion for river cruisers to view.
Also visible to cruisers is the town's Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, commonly called the Cathedral, in the 19th-century Upper Town. Next to it is a docking space, adjacent to a pleasant residential area and riverside promenade.
Nearby is the Kopacki Rit nature park, one of Europe's largest wetlands. It protects fish and mammals, but the most visible beneficiaries are the roughly 260 bird species that nest there. Bird-watchers will delight in the white-tailed eagles and other indigenous birds, as well as ducks and cormorants.
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