Whoa! We slept in until 9:00, waking up only because of the announcement that we had arrived in Vukovar and the optional shore excursion would begin. Fortunately, we were not taking that excursion.
Instead after breakfast, we had free time!
Vukovar is the largest river port in Croatia. It was heavily damaged during the Croatian War of Independence/Homeland War (1991-1995) when under three-month siege by the Serbians.
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| Falling tablets? Rather, the tablets are becoming upright |
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| Phoenix Monument to the rebuilding of Vukovar after the 1991 Battle of Vukovar (KSS) |
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| Parcours exercise equipment along the Danube promenade |
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| Random carved wooden figures, with a guy in a barrel? |
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| Large recycling bins |
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| Restored section of a typical arcaded street |
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| Ulica Dr Franje Tuđmana #36: not restored |
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| Kapela svetog Ivana Nepomuka/Chapel of St John Nepomuk, the saint protector from floods and drowning (KSS) |
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| Memorial to the Victims of Communism 1945-2005 (KSS) |
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| Crkva svetih Filipa i Jakova/Roman Catholic Church of Sts Philip & James (1723-1732, in Baroque style), which is a Franciscan church said to be the third longest church in Croatia |
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| The Church of Sts Philip & James has been restored |
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| The Church of Sts Philip & James apparently has a new organ |
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| Station of the Cross #2: Jesus is made to carry his cross |
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| The paintings for the Stations of the Cross appear to be modern; 10: Jesus is stripped of his garments |
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| Solar-powered street light (KSS) |
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| Old and new in Vukovar (KSS) |
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| Damaged neighborhood cross |
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| This ferocious guard dog did not like that we walked up his street, which was a dead end! |
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| Finally reached the Vukovarski Vodotoranj/Vukovar Water Tower (1968) was a frequent target of the Serbian artillery during the siege of the Battle of Vukovar in 1991; now there is a modern coffee shop below the tower |
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| Repairs were started, but then it was decided to leave the water tower as a remembrance |
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| Before the war, there was a restaurant at the top of the tower |
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| Giant basket planters are seen throughout the city (KSS) |
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| Below the tower is a mural, or perhaps it is artistic graffiti, showing members of the Bad Blue Boys, a ultras group (fanatical fan club) of the Croatian football (i.e., soccer) team based in Zagreb; they were apparently outspoken in their support of Croatian independence - but wait a minute, they seem to have been born during the War for Independence! |
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| Mural of a mother crying over the graves of the sons of the city (KSS) |
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| There are bullet holes everywhere (KSS) |
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| A view of the Church of Sts Philip & James where you can see it is the third longest church in Croatia |
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| A television antenna, or something stronger?! (KSS) |
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| Crkva svetog Nikola/Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas (1733-1737, in Baroque style) |
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| A building left damaged as a reminder of the Battle of Vukovar, but with the addition of flowers to symbolize that Vukovar will rise again like a Phoenix |
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| Memorial to Jean-Michel Nicollier, a French citizen who volunteered to fight with Croatian forces in their War for Independence; he was one who was taken from the Vukovar hospital and transported to the Ovčara farm, where he was beaten and shot |
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| The Vuka River |
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| A mural on the Croatia Insurance building: the sunflower and butterfly were done in 2017, then The Heart is the the Commander (2021, by Juandres Vera from Mexico) (KSS) |
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| Rodna kuća Lavoslava Ružičke/Birthplace of Lavoslava Ružičke, a joint winner of the 1939 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; the building has been restored |
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| Crkva svetog Roka/Church of St Roko (KSS) |
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| Vukovar's Mannekin Pis/Boy Urinating (1966, by Antun Augustinčić) happened to have been removed before the Battle of Vukovar for restoration and escaped damage |
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| Gradski muzej Vukovar/Vukovar Municipal Museum in Dvorac Eltz/Eltz Manor (1749-1751) has been restored |
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| Vukovarsko-srijemska županija/Vukovar-Syrmia County Palace (1773) has also been restored |
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| Vukovar Courthouse |
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| Veleučilište "Lavoslav Ružička"/Lavoslav Ružička Polytechnic Academy |
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| The Eltz Knoll Villa (1860) has been part of the Vukovar hospital since 1940, and also has been restored |
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| Nacionalna memorijalna bolnica Vukovar/Vukovar National Memorial Hospital has been rebuilt after the Croatian War of Independence, but the basement has been left as a memorial and museum; despite the Geneva Convention, the hospital was bombed, attacked and "captured," then a group of about 300 patients and civilians (who had sought refuge) were transported to the Ovčara farm, where they were tortured and left to be massacred by the Serbian paramilitary and buried in a mass grave |
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| An aisle in a pharmacy, and they say Americans have too many product brands |
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| Bijeli križ/White Cross, a memorial to all those who fell defending the city of Vukovar in 1991 |
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| Single swan in the Vuka River |
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| The old water tower by the abandoned Hotel Dunav/Danube |
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| Vukovar old water tower (1913, by Fran Funtak in late Secessionist style) |
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| Inflatable playground |
Next: Osijek, Croatia.
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