| Added by |
 Alain Martineau
|
| General Description : | Serie: 224, Type: P, Stamps in serie: 2 The remains of the oldest settlements in the city area originate from the New Stone Age, from 6000 B.C., and there were settlements in various localities around the city throughout the whole of the prehistoric era. In the course of the great migrations the region was populated by the Avars and Slavonic tribes. In the 7th century the Slavonic tribes of Croatis established an early medieval settlement to the west of the remains of Roman Mursa and named it Osijek. It is assumed that the name of Osijek itself originates from the Slavonic word "oseka" or "osjeka", meaning "favourable passage across the river". In the written historic documents Osijek is first mentioned in a document issued by king Emerik in 1196 as a market town and a port on the Drava under the Hungarian name Ezek. At the beginning of the year 1526, after the Turks had conquered the eastern part of Syrmia, Osijek was the first to suffer the brunt, owing to the strategic importance of its position in the conquest of Slavonia and Hungary. The Turks destroyed and burned the city, and after their victory in the battle on the field of Mohacz they were able to consolidate their power in the eastern parts of Pannonia. On the site of the medieval Osijek a Turkish town was erected; it had all the Turkish characteristics, both in its image and the population. After the period of careful planning the construction fo a modern fortress began in 1712, on the site of the former medieval and Turkish Osijek. The three city units were formed: the fortifield inner city called Tvrđa ("fortress"), the western part called "Gornji grad" and the eastern part called "Donji grad". By a decree issued by emperor Joseph II on December 2, 1786, the three units were united under the administrative rule of the city municipality, which will prove to be of utmost importance for the further development of the city. The city bought itself off from the Court Chamber on August 28, 1809, thus gaining the right to self- government and was consequently proclaimed the Royal Borough. Great changes took place after the establishment fo the free and independent Republic of Croatia, especially in the course of the Patriotic war. The city was brutally destroyed in the Serbian aggression, but it did not knuckle under it and was able to successfully defend the eastern borders of Croatia. |
| Face value | 2.20 Kuna |
| Catalog code (Michel) | HR 402 |
| Catalog code | Stamp Number HR 317 Yvert et Tellier HR 380 Stanley Gibbons HR 476 AFA number HR 477 Croatian post Inc. HR 224 |
| Series | 800th anniversary of the first written document of Osijek |
| Stamp colour | multicolor |
| Stamp use | Commemorative stamp |
| Print run | 350,000 |
| Issue date | 02/12/1996 |
| Designer | Lovro Artuković |
| Paper type | white 102g, gummed |
| Print technique | Multicoloured Offsetprint |
| Printed by | AKD - Hrvatski tiskarski zavod, Zagreb, Savska cesta 31 |
| Perforation | 14, comb |
| Height | 35.50 mm |
| Width | 29.82 mm |
| Catalog prices | No catalog prices set yet |
