A song states that Đakovo has “two parks and a Cathedral”, but in fact, it has five parks – the Victory Park (Park pobjede), the Small Park (Mali park), the Josip Juraj Strossmayer Park, designed almost two centuries ago, the Ivan Pavić Park and the Mirko Kladarić Park, which is dedicated to one of the most significant persons of Đakovo’s media and cultural scene in the second half of 20th century.
The Josip Juraj Strossmayer Park
Like in most parts of Croatia in the 19th century, medieval fortification walls were destroyed and parks and promenades were built. At that time, the famous park in Đakovo was created, the ornament and “lungs of the town”, a favourite promenade, as well as the venue of the Đakovački vezovi Festival, and last but not least, the place of first romantic encounters for many generations of Đakovo inhabitants. Although this park is now called the Strossmayer Park, it originated during the term of another distinguished Đakovo bishop. Bishop Emerik Mirko Raffay (1816–1830) built the south wing of the Palace upon the destroyed fortification walls of the old town, arranged the garden in front of the south wing of the Palace and started the planting of an orchard and exotic trees. In that way, one of the most important natural ornaments of the town came into existence. The stage of the Đakovački vezovi Festival is also located there; it has an amphitheatre-shaped auditorium which has been filled with crowds of spectators since 1967, when the Park became the Festival’s venue.
Meteor
An unusual stone, suspected to be a meteorite by the local people, is located in a prominent spot in the Park. Unfortunately, it is just a chert specimen of terrestrial origin, most likely left over from the construction of the Cathedral, but it is still interesting enough to captivate the imagination of locals and their guests.