Vinkovci, Vukovar-Sirmium County, Slavonia Region, Croatia

🇭🇷 Vinkovci is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. It is the largest town of the county. Surrounded by many large villages, it is a local transport hub, particularly because of its railways.

Geography Vinkovci is located in the eastern part of the Slavonia region, 19 km (12 mi) south-west of Vukovar, 24 km (15 mi) north of Županja and 43 km (27 mi) south of Osijek. The city lies in a flatland on the Bosut river, at an elevation of approx. 90 metres (300 ft), and has a mild continental climate. Vinkovci is also part of the smaller subregion of Syrmia.

It is connected to all main railroad routes in the region, while state roads D46 and D55 connect it to motorways. Nearby villages and adjacent municipalities include Ivankovo, Jarmina, Markušica, Nuštar, Privlaka and Stari Jankovci.

Economy Its economy is primarily based on trade, transport and food and metal processing. Industries include foodstuff, building material, wood and timber, metal-processing, leather and textile. Due to the surrounding farmland, also notable are farming and livestock breeding, and the town hosts a Crop Improvement Centre.

Vinkovci railway station is the main railway junction of eastern Croatia, of railroads leading from Bosnia and Herzegovina toward Hungary and from the capital Zagreb toward Belgrade. The large railway junction, after Zagreb the second largest in Croatia, underlies the importance of transit in Vinkovci. Vinkovci is also the meeting point of the Posavina and Podravina roads and the intersection of the main road D55 Županja–Vinkovci–Vukovar and several regional roads.

Vinkovci, though it is spelled Vincovci in the book, and its rail station are featured in Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express as the place near which the Orient Express breaks down.