Slavonian humorous-ribald folk songs, tamburitza players and folklore? Sure, we have all of those, but Vukovar is also a city boasting a bustling cultural scene and ample industrial heritage, a port on the Danube, and an open-air street art gallery, all rolled into one.

Vukovar’s murals and 3D street art are to the urban traveller what the baroque city centre is to culture tourism buffs. Rather than being mutually exclusive, the two are perfectly complementary, weaving the most beautiful tale of the city lying on the Danube and Vuka rivers.

In case you hadn’t known, Vukovar is Slavonija’s urban culture centre, a huge open-air gallery and a favourite canvas for the many world-famous street artists who converge here every year for the VukovArt Festival.

After a stroll in Vukovar’s streets, take a break at one of the modern cafes. The people of Vukovar are famous for their love of coffee and have turned their enjoyment of this hot drink, always in good company, not only into a ritual, but into a lifestyle. If you’re more of a beer person, this is your opportunity to try Vukovarsko, celebrated as a craft beer although it technically isn’t one.  And if you’re really into craft beer, there’s Walkow, an unfiltered, unpasteurized, additive- and colorant-free characteristic blonde-style beer, better known as golden ale, a brilliant experiment by a small Vukovar-based craft brewery.

The famous Croatian hip-hop artist General Woo is also from Vukovar, just like young Goran Dragaš, the author of the music for the trailers for global blockbusters such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Game of Thrones and Spider-Man.

Urban travellers want urban souvenirs. If you’re looking for a memento of Vukovar to stay with you for a long time, keep reading.

Pink unicorn-print Startas sneakers became the must-have wardrobe item of the season after the world’s most influential fashion magazine, The Vogue, put them on the cover of their holiday issue in 2015. There’s hardly a trendsetter who doesn’t buy at least one pair of the canvas sneakers by Vukovar’s Borovo factory every season. Revamped by wacky prints and colours, these iconic shoes of the young generations of the 1970s and 1980s make an excellent addition to any outfit and have become a fashion hit in the new millennium too.

The former status symbol of the worker woman, the popular Borosana shoes, designed in Borovo way back in 1968, have made quite a comeback too.  Extremely comfortable to wear, they were the favourite footwear of waitresses, cleaning ladies, store clerks and more, only to transform into the most coveted scandal in Croatia, available in all imaginable colours and prints.

Feel free to wear your Startas and Borosana shoes with the wacky La Donna – Original from Vukovar T-shirts, inspired by the women of Vukovar. The accessories are difficult to resist.

From Vukovar with love!