Slavonski Brod - about History

Brod is today a medium-sized town (in 1991 it had 55.683 inhabitants) situated by the Sava river in the region called Slavonia in the Republic of Croatia. During the two thousand years of its existence Brod has changed its name three times. In antique times it was called Marsonia, in the Middle Ages its name was Stari Grad (Old Town), from the thirteenth century it was mentioned as neighbouring village Brod.

The Berislavić family built the new Brod and since that time this town has not changed its position nor the name. Since Brod has existed over 2.000 years, it is evident that its geographical position has always been particularly important. The value of this position is due to the fact that here adjoin all the traffic directions connecting the upper and the lower Posavina as well as the Pannonian plane with Bosnia and the Adriatic coast.


Other geographical characteristics of Brod are not quite favourable, because in the past the Sava often burst its banks and flooded a considerahle part of the plane. In the Brod hinterlands stretches the mountainous territory of Dilj, which has always been inhabited. Therefore, Brod is situated at the ancient crossroads leading west, east, north and south.


Marija Berković

20.08.2002