Just when you thought “I’ve seen everything in my life” – you realised you haven’t! You have to see Kokingrad before you can say you’ve seen everything.
Kokingrad, or more precisely a city for hens and roosters, has been built in Baranja in eastern Croatian and it will charm you at first sight.
In the village of Karanac lives the Balaš family and they have decided to bring the typical rural life closer to others, and since people from the city are mostly interested in domestic animals, this family made Kokingrad.
It is a small ‘city’ where feathered animals live, and modern architecture with a touch of the past has provided the animals with adapted communal infrastructure. There are streets and roads made of bricks, they have solar street lighting, but also the cafe Koko bar where the animals eat and drink.
Kokingrad also has its own hotel of international character. Namely, it is home to different types of hens from all over the world, so apart from the Croatian hens, there are also American brahma hens, bald-necked hens, Minorca and more.
In order for the hens not to get bored, Japanese and Rouen ducks as well as Nile geese arrived at the hotel. All of them enjoy with the bell ringing every time they need to eat but also when they need to sleep. Of course, hens don’t care much about it because they have their own rhythm.
“In addition to cheap electricity, security is also important today, so we built them a security house with a skylight. There lives Bobi the Labrador whose task is to guard Kokingrad. We also have a fort where a pheasant lives with his girlfriend, and there is also a chapel where we have housed hens that do not yet have a male. But that’s not all! We also have a pigeon alley, which is made up of a two-story palace, where two pairs of peacock pigeons live, and an inn, which is actually a small house where sparrows and other small species come to feed themselves,” we are told by the Balaš family, which consists of Sreto and Nikola, but also Gordana, who makes sure that every feathered animal is in its place.
Kokingrad is decorated with numerous details, and it is so attractive and practical that other feathered animals like to visit it. Everything was built in the family’s orchard, and apart from the fact that everything looks beautiful, it is also practical because it gives the Balaš family more eggs every day.
This cheerful family from Baranja has been involved in tourism for more than ten years, and as their guests often showed interest in animals, the idea for Kokingrad was born. The construction of this new ‘town’ on the map of Croatia took three years, and everything was done manually and in detail.
Kokingrad consists of about twenty hens and roosters, there are nine ducks, two geese, six pigeons and two pheasants, but when chickens around the world hear about this – there is no doubt that soon there will be new species.
“After Kokingrad, we are preparing a tasting room that will offer guests traditional Baranja food of their choice. We will have cured meat products, homemade juices, liqueurs… We have five accommodation units and each one has its own story, all in accordance with the tradition of living in Baranja. We even built the ‘Baranjska baka’ building – it’s a village mini-golf that is played with jam cookers, clubs, slingshots…”, reveals the Balaš family, who are also known in Baranja for their abundant and freshly prepared breakfasts.
The tourism offer of Baranja is extremely rich. Not only in food and drink, but also in various other contents. Some kind of concert is held in Baranja almost every weekend. There are a large number of restaurants, and there is also great tambourine and gypsy music. There are a large number of cellars and wine tastings, Kopački rit, the popular Tikveš and Zlatna Greda, and the tourist offer of Baranja is getting richer every day.
Apart from Kokingrad, which is intended for their guests, the rural household Bakine čarolije also offers accommodation for only HRK 280 with breakfast, and everything is free for children up to one year old.A 50 percent discount is available for those up to the age of seven. There will soon be a sauna and a jacuzzi, and if you want to take a peek into this real little Baranja paradise, be sure to visit their website or follow them on Facebook.
