Vukovar Water Tower Sets New Visitor Record

The news in Croatian

1. simbol  (m.)
   ono što nečega predstavlja neku ideju, vrijednost ili pojam ↩︎
2. spomenik  (m.)
   građevina ili kip podignut u čast neke osobe ili događaja ↩︎
3. vidikovac  (m.)
   mjesto na povišenom s kojeg se pruža širok pogled na okolinu ↩︎
4. posjetitelj  (m.)
   osobe koje dolaze vidjeti neko mjesto, izložbu, događaj i sl. ↩︎
5. digitalan
   koji je vezan uz računalnu tehnologiju ili podatke u elektroničkom obliku ↩︎
6. turizam  (m.)
   putovanja i boravak ljudi izvan njihova stalnog mjesta radi odmora, razgledavanja ili zabave ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: What two main purposes does the Vukovar Water Tower have today?

Question 2: How do visitors use technology when they visit the Vukovar Water Tower?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English
simbol  (m.)	symbol
spomenik  (m.)	monument
vidikovac  (m.)	viewpoint
posjetitelj  (m.)	visitors
digitalan	digital
turizam  (m.)	tourism

Read the full story

The Vukovar Water Tower, one of the most recognisable symbols of the eastern Croatian city of Vukovar and of the country’s Homeland War (Domovinski rat), recorded a record number of visitors in 2025, according to figures presented by city and tower officials.

The tower, heavily damaged during the 1991 war and later restored as a memorial and viewing point, was visited by 133,219 people in 2025. This represents an increase of about 12 percent compared with the previous year. Since it opened to the public on 30 October 2020, the site has attracted more than 570,000 visitors from Croatia and abroad.

Mirela Janković, director of the Vukovar Water Tower, described 2025 as another very successful year for the attraction. She explained that the team is continually developing new content and visitor experiences to keep the site engaging and to help people understand its history.

Among the latest additions are several digital features. Visitors can use QR codes placed around the site to see how the Water Tower looked before reconstruction, and an augmented reality experience allows them to visualise war damage and restoration work. A multilingual digital agent, described by management as capable of “speaking all world languages”, has also been introduced to help international guests access information more easily.

The Water Tower is now closely integrated into the city’s cultural calendar. It regularly participates in local events and will again be part of Croatia’s nationwide Night of Museums programme, during which entry will be free for all visitors. This initiative is intended both to increase public access and to encourage those who live nearby to visit or return.

Vukovar’s mayor, Marijan Pavliček, presented the results alongside Janković and linked the tower’s popularity to broader tourism growth in Vukovar. According to the city’s data, the number of tourist arrivals and overnight stays in Vukovar rose by about 5 percent in 2025 compared with the previous year. City officials identify the Water Tower as one of the main drivers of this increase and say it achieved its best performance since opening.

The mayor highlighted that the largest daily number of visits was registered around the annual Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Vukovar 1991, when Croatia commemorates those killed during the siege of the city. Officials expect visitor numbers to be particularly high in the coming period, as 2026 marks the 35th anniversary of Vukovar’s wartime suffering.

On the basis of these trends, Pavliček argued that Vukovar now has a growing need for additional tourist infrastructure, especially accommodation. He stated that, from the city’s perspective, at least one more hotel would be necessary to meet demand, and mentioned the potential renovation of the former Hotel Dunav if a suitable investor can be found. He did not provide a specific timeline, and such plans will depend on future investment decisions.

Local reporting from several Croatian outlets presents a broadly similar picture: the Vukovar Water Tower is experiencing sustained growth in visitor numbers, its digital and educational content is expanding, and city authorities see it as a key element in Vukovar’s post-war tourism development. While the tower remains above all a memorial to the 1991 conflict, it is also becoming an increasingly important stop for domestic and international visitors seeking to learn about Croatia’s recent history.

Info: ‘Croatian Learner News’ is a service from ‘Let’s Learn Croatian’, a language school dedicated to teaching Croatian through various online courses, where each Croatian course is designed to support learners at different levels.