Brod Fortress

Brod fortress was built between 1715 and 1780 on the northern bank of the Sava, directly opposite Ottoman-held Bosnia, as part of the Habsburg military frontier - a bastioned complex of some thirty-three hectares designed to hold a garrison of several thousand, among the largest baroque fortifications in this part of Europe. It never saw the siege it was built for. Sections were damaged and neglected through the twentieth century; restoration has been running since, and the restored parts now hold galleries, a concert space and the town's cultural programme.

History

Slavonski Brod controlled the crossing of the Sava towards the Ottoman lands and the main trade roads, and between 1715 and 1780 Austria built the great Fortress of Brod there, part of a border defence line planned by Prince Eugene of Savoy together with the baroque fortified towns of Osijek and Stara Gradiška. It was built by the peasants of the Military Frontier as a labour duty, 634 of them a day with 53 horse-drawn carts for the materials, of rammed earth, brick, timber and some stone, to hold 4,000 soldiers and 150 cannon. The Vauban-style star plan covers about 33 hectares, with internal, external and southern defence zones and two moats fed from a nearby stream. Because the whole town lay within range of its guns, the military government allowed no houses of solid materials, so through the 18th and most of the 19th century Brod was a town of small wooden houses roofed with shingle or boards. The fortress almost never had to prove itself in a fight (Wikipedia, Brod Fortress).

Highlights

• A bastioned complex of about 33 hectares - built for a garrison of thousands.
• Facing the Ottoman bank - the Sava as the frontier line.
• Never besieged - the fortress was not tested.
• Restoration in progress - galleries and events in the finished parts.

When to go

April to October, when the outdoor programme runs. Half a day.

Practical notes

Large sections are still unrestored and closed off. The scale is hard to read from inside. Slavonski Brod is a working town without much visitor infrastructure. Interpretation is limited.

Nearby

The Sava and the Bosnian border are directly south; Pozega is north.

Key facts