When traveling in Bosnia, be aware of your surroundings.
Be very polite and above all, avoid discussing politics.
Zagreb to Tuzla
via the Posavina Corridor
Zagreb to Zupanja
When traveling to the Posavina corridor region from Croatia, use the main highway from Zagreb to Zupanja. The road is open all the way and the toll is about ten Croatian kuna or US$2. After Slavonski Brod, the road becomes two lanes again, so watch out for military traffic.
At Slavonski Brod you can pull off the highway and see the largest bridge over the Sava River. Its midsection is blown out, the way it has been since Oct. 1993. Go into the Center and bear right. The 77th Maintenance Battalion USA is based there next to the train station.For a tour of Croatia's capital,
click Welcome to Zagreb
For Croatian attractions and
tourism, click Welcome to Croatia
The U.S. 1st Armored Division is active from Slavonski Brod all the way down to Zupanja, so be careful on the roads. The danger is not so much from the military vehicles, but from the overzealous Croats trying passing them. At Zupanja and points north, the traffic is especially heavy and you will begin to encounter heavy armor and transport vehicles.Map of SLOVANSKI BROD
Accommodations and Banking in Zupanja
If staying in the Zupanja region, it is strongly advised to go north about 20mins to the town of Vincovci on the Danube River. Stay at the Hotel Slavonia, just past the river after bearing right at the T-intersection. It is clean, has a good outside telephone line, and is staffed by friendly, helpful people. The price is 180 kuna per night including breakfast.The hotel in Zupanja is a dive of the first degree and should be avoided. Also in Vincovci you can get cash advances on your VISA card at the Bank of Slavonia. Convert them to Deutchemarks for use in Bosnia. Go out the back door of the Hotel Slavonia and cross the street. Go left about a hundred meters until you come to a large white building on your right with different shops in it. You'll see a sign for the bank. Go all the way down the hall to the end. The bank is on the left. There's no way to predict the rate you'll get, but just finding a place outside of Zagreb that takes VISA is a miracle in itself so don't complain.
Zupanjska Banka
J.J. Strossmayera 9
56270 Zupanja
Director: Zdravko Lesic
Voice: ++385 56/832-010
Fax:++385 056/832-646
click Banking in Croatia courtesy of
the Zagreb Stock Exchange
Hotel Slavonia (hotel Slavonija)
Vinkovci, Croatia
Telephone: ++385 056/331-277
At Zupanja, the 138th Engineer Brigade has successfully bridged the Sava River. The bridge is a sight to see; over 600 meters long, built section by section, and anchored in place with cable and engineer boats.
It is, however, only open to military traffic so if you wish to cross the river to Orasje and down to Tuzla, you will have to take the ferry. The ferry is free and there are cursory customs points on the Croatian and Bosnian sides of the river. Once over, go left, then right at the barricade 100 meters down. Then go up about 300 meters and go left again. That will put you on the road to Tuzla.
WARNING!
This was a front-line area and likely to be mined.
Do not explore the buildings or trenches unescorted.
Click Berserkistan's LANDMINE SURVIVAL GUIDE
From the Bosnian-Croatian Border to Tuzla
The road to Tuzla is narrow and rutted. Never pull off onto the shoulder. As of January 2, 1996, land mine areas were being marked with hazard tape. A couple of miles out of town, you will begin seeing burned buildings and trenches along what was the Croat front line.Two hundred meters down the road will be the Serb front line and the same cautionary note holds true. You are now in Serbian territory.
Don't be bothered if Serbs on the road look at you as if you were from Mars. The road was only partially opened a few days before the new year, and they are not used to seeing outsiders on their turf. The U.S. Army now mans the only two checkpoints on the route: the first at the crossroads to Banja Luka and Belgrade, the second between the lines outside of Tuzla. You will probably not be stopped.
Take Precautions Against Robbers
If armed men in uniforms who are not U.S. troops try to stop you at any time in the Posavina Corridor, they are probably there to rob you. Do whatever you have to prevent them from stopping your car. Whatever you have to. Chances are, they will not be interested in leaving a witness around to report them to the IFOR and you and your car will simply disappear. Currently, there are no problems of this nature, but they may develop in the future. Robbery is becoming a problem in the more remote stretches of Central Bosnia. The thieves reportedly wear masks, but haven't killed anyone yet.Once out of the Posavina region it is a straight shot into Tuzla. You will know you are out of Serb-held Posavina when you cross the southern IFOR checkpoint. The start of the Bosnian highlands are also visible about 3000 meters away, as is the front line marked by bunkers and destroyed houses. You are now in Bosnian Muslim territory. Again, the road is narrow so watch out.Arriving in Tuzla
About an hour down the road you will exit right off the main highway (if you can call it that). Go left at the top of the ramp. Immediately to your right you will see a large industrial complex that looks like a cross between Three Mile Island and a set for the movie Star Wars. This is the coal-fired power plant that provides electricity for the region. It is only running on one cylinder at this time and is spewing something to the tune of 3000 pounds of sulfur dioxide into the air every day, along with god knows what else. The mountain atmospheric inversions sometimes hold all of it right over the town and cause midday blackouts. The sulfur dioxide also eventually turns to sulfuric acid and eats away at everything it touches, including buildings, cars and your lungs.Welcome to Tuzla.
