When in Slavonia, it’s an absolute must to visit the cultural town of Belišće! Found on the border between Hungary and Croatia, Belišće is the youngest city in the county of Osijek, being only 132 years old. Despite this, it has a fruitful history in the area of mass production and also music.
While having a look around the character of the houses in Belišće, one may notice that their style and architecture is similar to that of Hungarian houses. This is because the first settlers in Belišće were actually Hungarian. However nowadays, one can find approximately 22 nationalities in this small yet culturally rich city.
One of the most famous people in Belišće is known to be Victor Gutmann. Starting off as a simple lumberjack, Gutmann began his path to success by renting out large areas of land in the forests in order to use the oak. If you visit the museum in Belišće, you can see that Gutmann built his first wood factory in 1884. From then on, along with his team of lumberjacks, Gutmann began to use local 300-year-old oak to make railroads, however, he did not stop there. He expanded his knowledge in this art and also built a chemical factory in order to produce dyes for the wood he used. Between the 19th and 20th century, Gutmann made such an impact that his wood started being exported to different parts of Europe. Him and his team even invented a machine used to compress plastic - this was a huge hit back in the day and in fact, this machine was exported worldwide. Talk about innovation!
But, you may ask, what happened to the factory and its mass production today? Well nowadays, it is used for making paper; Belišće is actually known for its paper making industry. And the Gutmann family? If you’re interested in meeting a descendant of the famous Victor Gutmann, go and visit Canada to meet the scientist Nelly Gutmann, who still works today at the age of 89!
Belišće, however, is not just known for its heavy industry, but apart from that, we must not forget the musical genius, Sigmund Romberg! Even though he spent most of his life in America, he was originally from Belišće and is mostly known for his famous musicals such as “The Desert Song” and “The New Moon”. You can see remains of Romberg in the creative musical roundabouts in the city which play his compositions as you drive through.
So if you have music, history and culture close to your heart, then Belišće should certainly be included in your itinerary when visiting the Slavonia region. Also, be sure to grab a traditional Croatian meal from the Gutmann restaurant!
