STATE STUD FARM ĐAKOVO Even Crowned Heads Admire the Aristocrats with Manes Published 10/01/2025

STATE STUD FARM ĐAKOVO Even Crowned Heads Admire the Aristocrats with Manes

You don't go to Rome only to miss the Pope, so don't go to Đakovo and pass on the Lipizzaner State Stud Farm. Stand before these nobles of the animal world with respect. Do it for the centuries during which they have helped mankind at work, but have also been magnificent in parades. Even crowned heads admire these aristocrats with manes. Follow in their footsteps.

Pastuharna - Stallion Station

Visit The State Stud Farm’s two locations - Pastuharna (the Stallion Station) in Đakovo city centre and Ivandvor farm just on the outskirts. Follow the paths of Napoleon's army before which the Lipizzaners were driven to Đakovo from Lipica in 1806, the road travelled by Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to the Stud Farm in 1972, and in 2016 the Duchess of Cornwall, now Queen Consort of the United Kingdom, Camilla. There are 170 horses at the two locations, through seven lines of Lipizzaners and 13 breeds of mares. Last year alone, approximately 20,000 visitors came to see them. Aware of this value, UNESCO inscribed the tradition of Lipizzaner breeding on the World Intangible Cultural Heritage List back in 2022.

Start from Pastuharna, where stallions live and male foals from Ivandvor go for training at four years old. Neighing, the sound of horseshoes, horses in training, racing, taking their showers… Everyone knows their job - both the soft-mannered stable workers and their perfectly trained aristocrats with manes. The ambience here is witness to the history. This is a complex with long, tidy stables, a hippodrome, a closed riding stable and other areas for work with horses and equestrian sports programmes. These Lipizzaners keep winning trophies, best evidenced by the shelves packed full. The riding area has showers and solarium booths for horses, while the big hall is there for outstanding horse shows.

The jewel in their crown is the Christmas Lippizaner Ball in December, with tickets selling out in record time. The ball is a musical and stage spectacle telling a fairy-tale, with Lipizzaners in the spotlight. Its many participants, the horses, costumes, scenography and lighting effects, the pleasant voice of the narrator - all is intertwined to tell the baroque story. The white Lipizzaners effortlessly master the demanding dressage points, the graceful trot and control of the two-horse or four-horse carriage. Ticket reservations for this year's 11th Ball started at the beginning of October, with audiences from all over the world expected to come see the spectacle. At the same time, a Christmas Fair is taking place just outside the riding hall. Holiday magic in December.

There is a promenade and a children's playground in the Pastuharna area, you can get your souvenirs from the shop at the Stables, or find refreshments in the Potkova cafe. With a professional guide, it takes around 30 - 45 minutes to tour the Pastuharna.

October 19 marked a special day for the Đakovo State Stud Farm, when it celebrated 518 years of existence and 218 years of breeding Lipizzaner horses. Yes, the Đakovo stables are 518 years old - the term "stable" was first mentioned in documents in 1506, so to be counted among the oldest in Europe. Lipizzaner breeding in Đakovo began in 1806. And the rest is history.

Ivandvor

After Pastuharna, head to Ivandvor, the authentic stables from the first days in 1912. A mother herd of mares with foals resides there, which trot and gallop the expanses and the silence of Ivandvor. Time flows slowly, and the truth about the horses’ coexistence with the local man is reflected in the eyes of the Lipizzaner. Accompanied by a guide, a tour of Ivandvor takes 30 minutes - along the tourist walkways around the grazing fields. Experience the Slavonia of our ancestors in a rural household containing a Slavonian barn, a well, an authentic bread oven… Or enjoy the viewpoint with views of the endless pastures where the horses spend their days in the summer. Find rest in the gazebos under the oaks and take a break while absorbing the expanses of Ivandvor under the stomp of Lipizzaner hooves.

Booking in advance is not necessary for individual visits and tours of either of the Stud Farm locations. The price of tickets for children, pupils, students and pensioners is 1.33 euros, and 2.65 for everyone else. Reservations at the Stables Tourist Office are required for a guided tour of the Stables in three languages for organised tourist groups. The tickets for children, pupils, students and pensioners cost 2.65 euros, and 3.98 euros for everyone else. The tour begins at Pastuharna, where visitors are given a map of the city and other locations. Ivandvor is an open-type facility all day and all year round, which you can visit without prior notice or an entrance fee.

Find more detailed information at www.ergela-djakovo.hr

Lipizzaners are also an indispensable part of the traditional Đakovački Vezovi festival, and carriage rides are also part of the holiday magic for the Christmas season in the city. On a day or night ride around the city, on what used to be called a sic for gentlemen, you will feel like some kind of an aristocrat with a refined taste for the beautiful and valuable. And that's called lucky. With or without a horseshoe.

Napisala Suzana Župan