Virgrad – the mysterious fort of the Spačva forest

Long ago, the young prince of Virgrad fell in love with a beautiful princess from the neighbouring village of Otok. He resolved to ask for her hand and set off with his retinue to meet her parents. The prince of Otok, however, haughty and immensely rich, was not greatly impressed by what he saw, and sent word to his guests that they would only stand a chance if they came to propose with a fleet of decorated ships laden with gifts.

The young prince returned home utterly downcast and set to wondering what to do. How could he bring ships across solid ground? Forced to think, he worked it all out – he would dig a canal, fill it with water and sail up to his haughty father-in-law-to-be. And so it was! With the help of his serfs he dug a canal from Virgrad to Otok, built ships, decorated them and filled them with gifts, and made his proposal a second time. And apparently it worked!

So goes the legend of the origin of the Virovi, a backwater that runs for 7 km and is filled with water from the nearby Sava. With an average width of 30 – 40 m (and up to 60 m in places), the channels are full of clear water 2 – 5 m deep.

Believe the Virgrad legend or not, Virgrad itself was real! In the middle of the Spačva forest, this mysterious stronghold appears in a register of 1437 as Castrum seu castellum Wervar, that is, a significant defensive fortress. It was built between the 12th and 16th centuries and from it an entire estate of 37 villages was administered. Virgrad is an example of the typical lowland Slavic early-medieval fort built of timber, rammed earth, brick and a little stone. It was surrounded by a high palisade of oak logs, and around the palisade ran a moat filled with water. The materials it was built from, combined with the marshy setting, mean that today there are no visible remains of the fort apart from the moat, which still fills with water when the water table is high. Archaeological excavations in the 1970s turned up some pottery, metal tools and the remains of a hearth, along with postholes arranged in two rows – the remnants of the defensive wall.

Since we are fond of legends, we chose the Virgrad site itself as our main destination, intending to see a small part of the Spačva forest along the way.

Virgrad has the status of a protected cultural asset. The whole site is 100 m across and has been nicely laid out with wooden walkways and other facilities. We were delighted by the open-air classroom and the landing stage on the north-eastern side, and the tower / lookout is a hit with children and adults alike.

After seeing Virgrad, there are two educational trails to choose from – Lože and Virovi. The Virovi trail, which runs parallel to the road for some 2.5 km, brings you to the well-known Otočki virovi recreation area. Canoes, boats, a children’s playground and other attractions suggest it must be lively here in season.

The Spačva forest

As for the Spačva forest, we came away a little disappointed. It is cut through by forestry tracks which in winter are mostly muddy and hard going. We did not really find any paths suitable for walking. The situation is probably better during dry spells, so we will prepare a little better for one of our next trips.

The Spačva forest is in fact the largest pedunculate oak forest in Europe. It once stretched as far as the eye could see and was primeval in character. A thousand years of felling have reduced it to a “modest” 40,000 hectares on Croatian territory, plus another ten thousand or so in Vojvodina. It mostly covers the area bounded by the river Bosut and its tributary the Spačva on one side and the Sava on the other. Some of the trees in the Spačva forest are hundreds of years old. Slavonian oak timber is among the most prized there is. The finest barrels were made from it, not only in Croatia but around the world, and it was used to fit out many famous buildings, such as Vienna City Hall.