Dakovo State Stud Farm

The stud at Dakovo has been breeding horses since 1506, which makes it one of the oldest continuously working studs anywhere in Europe, run for centuries by the bishops of Bosnia and Srijem whose seat was here. It breeds Lipizzaners - the grey baroque horses of the Habsburg court school - along with other lines, and keeps stallions in the town stables with mares and young stock at the Ivandvor pasture farm outside. Visits take in the stables, the harness collection and, at set times, riding demonstrations. Dakovo's other landmark, the enormous red brick cathedral that Bishop Strossmayer built between 1866 and 1882, stands a few streets away.

History

The stud grew from the estates of the Bosnian-Syrmian bishops at Đakovo, granted in 1239 by Coloman, Duke of Slavonia, and confirmed in 1244 by King Béla IV; a document of 1374, issued for the wedding at Đakovo of Tvrtko Kotromanić and the Bulgarian princess Dorothea, already confirms horse breeding. The year 1506 counts as its foundation, when Bishop Mijo Mesarić is recorded as owning 90 Arabian horses; there were 130 by 1524, but the bishop and most of his horses were lost at Mohács in 1526 and the Ottomans soon took the whole Đakovo area. After Đakovo was freed in 1687 the stud was soon restarted: Bishop Đuro Patačić bought stallions and mares in 1706, and by 1719 there were 375 horses. The first Lipizzaners came from Lipica in 1806, and under Bishop Strossmayer in the second half of the 19th century they became the only breed kept; the stud had 288 horses in 1900, Bishop Ivan Krapac built the second farm at Ivandvor in 1912, and in 2010 the stud was joined administratively with the Lipik stud (Wikipedia, Đakovo Stud).

What to look for

• A stud working since 1506 - among Europe's oldest continuous operations.
• Lipizzaners bred and kept - stallions in town, mares at Ivandvor.
• Harness and carriage collections - alongside the stables.
• Strossmayer's brick cathedral - a few streets away in the town.

When to go

April to October; demonstrations run at set times. Half a day.

Before you go

Shows and demonstrations run to a schedule and need checking or booking. The stables are a working operation, not a display. Foals are grey-dark and only whiten with age, which surprises visitors expecting white horses.

Nearby

Dakovo cathedral is in the town; Osijek is north-east.

Key facts