d city library in 1949. The Children's theatre and the art gallery were open in 1950.
As a continuation of the reach tradition of promoting national heritage, especially in music, society of culture and art "Pajo Kolari?" was established on 21 March 1954.
Osijek has been connected with the Croatian republic's capital Zagreb and the previous federal capital Belgrade by a modern paved road since 1958. The new Drava bridge to the north was built in 1962.
The first faculty opened in Osijek was Faculty of Economy (in 1959 as Centre for economic studies of the Faculty of Economy in Zagreb), followed immediately by a high school of agriculture, later renamed as Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Philosophy. The Faculty of Law was established in 1975. thus becoming the first new member of newly established University of Osijek.
As part of further development as a regional food industry and agricultural centre, a major (working) collective for agriculture and industry was established in 1962.
During 1980s, a new pedestrian suspension bridge over the Drava was built. A regional centre of JRT was also opened.
Croatian War of Independence
During the war in Croatia, from 1991 to 1995, the city avoided heavy destruction (unlike nearby Vukovar, for example) and sustained moderate damage, especially to the centre and Co-cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul and to the periphery. More than a thousand (over 1200) civilians also died in the daily shelling of the town. On the other hand, at least five Croatian officials were condemned for war crimes against Serb civilians in Osijek, including General Branimir Glava�. While some buildings still have mild damage, most often the occasional superficial pockmark from artillery and mortar fire, the city's fa�ades are generally in good shape, due to extensive restoration in recent times, preserving the charm of its intricate Austro-Hungarian Baroque architecture in the older quarters
