They say that history is created every day…
The city of Vinkovci has been creating its history uninterruptedly for more than 8,000 years and it is proud to bear the name of the oldest European settlement.
Favorable topographic position was the main prerequisite for the settlement of the area of Vinkovci in prehistory, which was recognized in the 20th century when Vinkovci became a large and famous railway hub. From a series of prehistoric cultures, two cultures should be mentioned which covered a wider area and received their names by local toponyms: Sopot (early Stone Age culture of Sopot) and Vinkovci (early Bronze Age culture of Vinkovci).
The Orion – the oldest Indo-European calendar – was discovered in Vinkovci. It originates from the period of the Copper Age culture of Vučedol. In the area of the city, the Romans established a settlement called Colonia Aurelia Cibalae, which throughout the centuries became the third largest city in the province of Pannonia Secunda.
In Cibalae two Roman emperors were born, brothers Valentinian and Valens, the only Roman emperors born in the territory of today’s Republic of Croatia. During the Dark Ages, a trading center Sveti Ilija (Szentillye) developed in the area of Vinkovci, and a small village called Vinkovci (Wynkocz) belonged to that area. After the Ottoman period, the period of the Military Frontier left an indelible mark in the city’s history in the form of a series of buildings built in the so-called military-baroque-frontier style.
The progress could no longer be stopped. Through the industrialization, a small town of Vinkovci gained city status and continued to develop until the Homeland War, when the city suffered severe destruction and human victims. Nevertheless, this event did not manage to break the continuity of the city’s development. Vinkovci continued to develop on its rich and fruitful heritage left to us by our ancestors.
Today, following the traces of the historical wealth, visitors can enjoy the event called Rimski dani (Roman Days), and the value of heritage of Šokci, traditions and culture are proudly presented each year at the event called Vinkovačke jeseni (Autumns of Vinkovci).
Although time goes on, the love and warmth of this city continue to exist. Indeed, they are getting larger and stronger. See it for yourself while discovering the city with the longest continuity of life in Europe!