Nasice

The Pejacevic manor at Nasice was built in the early nineteenth century and enlarged later, standing in a large landscaped park at the edge of the town. Dora Pejacevic, born into the family in 1885, composed here: over fifty works including songs, chamber music, a piano concerto and a symphony in F sharp minor completed in 1917, generally counted the first symphony written by a Croatian composer, and she is regarded as the figure who brought late romantic orchestral writing into Croatian music. She died in 1923 aged thirty-seven. The manor holds the town museum with a room devoted to her, and she is buried in the family plot nearby.

History

Našice is first mentioned in 1229, as Nekche, and in the 13th century the Knights Templar came here and built a church. The Ottomans took the town in 1541 and held it as part of the Sanjak of Pojega until the Austrian conquest of 1687. Much of the town later belonged to the Pejačević family, for whom Count Vincencije Ljudevit Pejačević built the large manor in 1812; the smaller Pejačević manor, in neo-classical style, was built on a trough of reinforced concrete to keep out damp and groundwater. In the late 19th and early 20th century Našice was a district capital of Virovitica County in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (Wikipedia, Našice).

The main sights

• A nineteenth century manor and park - the Pejacevic seat.
• Dora Pejacevic's home - where she composed over fifty works.
• The first Croatian symphony - completed in 1917.
• A museum room devoted to her - inside the manor.

When to go

April to October; the museum keeps shorter winter hours. Half a day.

Things to know

The museum is a small town collection and the Pejacevic material is one part of it. English labelling is limited. Nasice is a quiet town off the tourist routes with modest services.

Nearby

Ruzica Grad and Papuk are south-west; Osijek is east.