Slavonski Brod, the sixth largest Croatian city, is situated on the banks of the Sava River and at the crossroads of major European roads, and beside the Croatian border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In terms of culture the most important monument is the Brod fortress built in the 18th century where tourists who visit the city in organized groups are welcomed by costumed characters. The Franciscan monastery is one of the most striking baroque buildings in Slavonia and has a memorial room to the great Croatian poet Dragutin Tadijanović. There is the summer residence of Ivana Brlić Mažuranić, a world-famous writer of fairy tales who spent most of his life in Slavonski Brod. In terms of the cultural institutions, there is Branko Ružić Gallery, an eminent Croatian sculptor, born in Brod, where there is the first permanent exhibition of contemporary Croatian art in the second half of the 20th century.
