The Municipality of Brodski Stupnik is located at the foothills of Dilj Mountain, along the main road connecting Zagreb and Vinkovci. It consists of four settlements: Brodski Stupnik, Krajačići, Lovčić, and Stari Slatinik.
The area of the municipality covers 56.83 square kilometers, with 1,012 households and a population of 3,383 residents.
According to the last population census in 2011, the municipality had 3,036 inhabitants, distributed across four settlements:
- Brodski Stupnik – 1,586
- Krajačići – 118
- Lovčić – 63
- Stari Slatinik – 1,269
Population density: 54 people per square kilometer. In 2001, the municipality of Brodski Stupnik had 3,526 inhabitants. The village today is mostly located along the road connecting Slavonski Brod and Nova Gradiška and has over 1,600 residents. One part of the settlement extends towards the Sava River, bordering the municipality of Bebrina, while another part is situated on the hilly terrain to the north of the main road, towards the village of Lovčić, which forms the northern boundary of Brodski Stupnik. To the west, the municipality borders the municipality of Oriovac, and to the east, it is adjacent to the municipality of Sibinj. Its economic position is favorable, as important national and international road and railway corridors pass through the municipality.
The area of today’s Brodski Stupnik, like the entire Brod-Posavina County, has been inhabited since the earliest prehistoric times, from the Pannonian people, Celts, Romans, to the arrival of Croats in the 7th century, as evidenced by numerous archaeological sites. The oldest archaeological evidence of the existence of a population in the Stupnik area comes from the remains of a fortified settlement called Gradište in the Mrsunjskog Luga, south of the village, which is partially covered by the highway, and another similar fort located 2.5 kilometers to the west. Both fortifications date from the period between the 10th and 18th centuries. The name Stupnik is first mentioned in medieval documents from 1358 as “Stupnok,” in 1381 as “Ztupnuk,” in 1451 as “Zthupnok,” in 1483 as “Zthwpnok,” in 1698 as “Ztupnik,” and in 1730 as “Sztupnik,” when it had 30 houses and a wooden chapel dedicated to St. Elijah with a picture of the patron saint and a cemetery. It was located below the hill Kasonje. The owners in 1351 were the Giletić family, lords of Kobaš (Hungarian Gilefy, Geletfy). At that time, Stupnik also included two smaller settlements, Drakčevci and Mezarac, both of which later disappeared due to Turkish invasions. The Turks occupied the area in 1536, at which point a large part of the population converted to Islam. During the Turkish rule, Stupnik belonged to the parish of Drenovac.
At the start of the war for liberation from the Turks in 1653, significant changes occurred in the composition of the population. By 1657, the Muslim population had left the region, and in the spring of 1691, the Turkish army also withdrew. The empty settlements began to be repopulated by Croats from Bosnia and some from other parts of Croatia. The indigenous population lived in household communities. According to the census from 1730, there were 250 Croatian households in Stupnik, Slatinik, Lovčić, Denovac, Bučje, Zagrađe, and Odvorci, as well as some settlers from Bosnia and a few families from other parts of Croatia. In the second half of the 19th century, more settlers arrived, mostly from Lika, pushing out the Ikavian dialect and the old accent of the Croats who had lived there previously. After the end of the war with the Turks in 1702, a defensive line called the Military Border was created for the protection of the border, and Stupnik was included in this line. It was part of the 8th Gradiška Regiment, which was divided into 16 companies. From 1764, Stupnik became the headquarters of the 2nd company, as evidenced by the well-preserved Captain’s Building, built in 1828.
In 1784, the construction of the road from Nova Gradiška to Slavonski Brod began, and in 1766, settlements that had been dispersed along the surrounding hills, including Oriovac, Stupnik, Slatinik, and Trnjani, moved to the road. Until 1766, Stupnik belonged to the parish of Bučje, but when it moved to the road that year, it came under the parish of Oriovac, where it remained until 1933 when it became an independent parish.
The population lived in household communities that controlled land. In addition to military service, the inhabitants of this region, like others in the Military Border, mostly engaged in agriculture, particularly livestock farming, with a special focus on pig farming due to the settlement’s location and the abundance of oak forests. It wasn’t until the late 18th century that the villagers began to focus more on farming, particularly after the villages were grouped along the road. Men who fought for the Austrian Empire across Europe brought positive influences upon their return, which helped economic development. Despite the border being primarily military, it couldn’t survive without craftsmen and traders, and the authorities allowed the border inhabitants to engage in trade and craftsmanship as long as it benefited the border and did not harm their military service.
The abolition of the Military Border in the second half of the 19th century accelerated the collapse of the patriarchal way of life in household communities, leading to an increase in population and faster economic development. After 1900, national issues became more relevant. National awareness grew, and resistance to increasing Hungarianization emerged through political activity, singing songs, and wearing party emblems. The population mainly aligned with the Pure Party of Rights, while officials sided with the Francoists, supporters of the official authority. Under the influence of the Francoists, national hatred emerged between 1910 and 1914, culminating in World War I. The long-lasting warfare had severe consequences for the population’s life. The absence of men from their homes led to neglected estates and food shortages, particularly of industrial goods, forcing people to travel to Slavonski Brod, Vinkovci, Osijek, and even Vukovar for some products. This situation, combined with the stories of those who returned from the Russian front about revolution in Russia and the redistribution of land among the peasants, gave hope to the poorer peasants that something similar might happen in their region after the war. However, neither political nor economic changes in the new state significantly improved the situation for Croats. From cultural monuments, apart from the Captain’s Building, one can mention the old school building, and in Stupničko Brdo, the Štrba Villa, built around 1930, combining romanticism and Hungarian secession, as well as the Grašić summer house, a country-style building.
Today, the population traditionally engages in farming, livestock farming, vegetable growing, and especially vineyard cultivation, for which Stupnik is widely known. Beneath the wine-producing slopes of Stupničko Brdo, the Zdjelarević family has built a modern winery and hotel, alongside other wineries such as Vinković and Jurković. Other notable economic entities include the Hrvojević Business Center, Brodski Stupnik Fishponds, HMD Vage, Ribarska Kuća Motel, Janković Mill and Bakery, Plastika-M, Tias d.o.o., and M&M Service. There are 31 artisans serving the local population in various professions, mostly in trade and hospitality, as well as in manufacturing (plastics, rubber, and metal), construction, transportation, intellectual services, hairdressing, and cosmetics. During the Homeland War, nine young men from Brodski Stupnik lost their lives. A memorial was erected in their honor at the local cemetery.
