The settlement of Cernik is mentioned in historical sources from the year 1255 as Chernik Campus—Cernik plain or field.
In the early Middle Ages, Cernik was the origin of ancient Slavonian noble families such as Birić, Berislavić (Dežević), Drežnički, and Cernički.
The earliest written document discovered about Cernik dates back to 1363. In 1536, the Turks conquered Cernik and its estates in the Požega County, marking the beginning of the settlement of the Muslim population, as well as the development of trade, crafts, and Turkish culture. After the fall of Bijela Stijena and Pakrac, Cernik became an administrative center (sandžak) under Turkish rule.
A settlement of about 1,000 houses developed around the fortress and defensive walls on the surrounding hills. In 1691, Cernik was liberated from the Turks, leading to the departure of the Muslim population to Bosnia and the settlement of Croats who had been displaced from Bosnia into Slavonia.
In 1707, the fortress and estates in Cernik were granted by the emperor as a reward for military service to Maximilian Petraš, a baron and frontier colonel from Brod. The Cernik estate remained outside the Military Frontier and was part of Požega County. In 1753, the estate was purchased by cavalry lieutenant colonel Marko Marković, whose son Stjepan later thoroughly renovated the castle in the Baroque style and landscaped the park surrounding it. From 1798 to 1917, the estate changed hands multiple times, mostly to foreign owners who exploited its forests, lignite and mineral oil mines, and established lime kilns, brickyards, sawmills, and a chemical industry based on wood processing. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Cernik housed three major factories: a distillery producing spirits, the Hugo Blanck ceramic factory, and the Marijevac steam sawmill. These industries consumed vast amounts of wood transported from the Psunj forest via a forest railway.
In 1917, Count Aleksandar Kulmer, father of the well-known Croatian academic painter Ferdinand Kulmer, purchased the estate and castle. However, he was dispossessed during the agrarian reform of 1946, and the land was redistributed among peasants.
Education in Cernik has a long and unique history. The Franciscan monastery in Cernik operated a Latin school as early as the 16th century, which remained active into the 18th century. Among its students was Matija Antun Reljković, later a prominent Enlightenment figure and writer, who was recorded as attending in 1741. By the mid-19th century, the Franciscans were also teaching future apprentices, as a Craft House with 150 artisans had been established in Cernik as early as 1826.
In 1859, the first public school was opened, enrolling students from Cernik, Mala, Giletinci, and Šumetlica. The first teacher was Ivan Katušić.
Today, Cernik has a modern elementary school with about 350 students. Branch departments of Matija Gubec Elementary School operate in the villages of Baćindol, Banićevac, Opatovac, Podvrško, and Cernička Šagovina.
Settlements in the Municipality
The Municipality of Cernik was established in 1993 and consists of 11 settlements. Cernik serves as the administrative center, while the settlements within the municipality are Baćin Dol, Banićevac, Giletinci, Golobrdac, Opatovac, Opršinac, Podvrško, Sinlije, Šagovina Cernička, and Šumetlica.
Cernik itself is divided into 16 streets: Đurićeva, Frankopanska, Potočna, Požeška, Rokova, Školska, Voćarska, Dr. Franje Tuđmana, Ferdinanda Kulmera, Hrvatskih branitelja, Julija Jančule, A. Kažotića, A. Stepinca, Industrijska, Klačinac, Vinogradska, and Franjevački trg.
Geographic Information
Cernik is located 150 km east of Zagreb, 80 km southwest of Osijek, 50 km west of Slavonski Brod, and 2 km north of Nova Gradiška on the regional road to Požega.
The Municipality of Cernik is situated in the western part of Brod-Posavina County.
It covers an area of 128 km² north of Nova Gradiška, on the southern slopes of Psunj and the western slopes of Požeška Gora. Established in 1993, the municipality consists of 11 settlements: Baćindol, Banićevac, Giletinci, Golobrdac, Opatovac, Opršinac, Podvrško, Sinlije, Cernička Šagovina, and Šumetlica.
Cernik belongs to the category of local self-government units with a larger number of settlements; however, these settlements are small and sparsely populated, which has hindered the development of significant urban and social infrastructure. As a result, their influence remains limited both within and beyond the municipality. The Municipality of Cernik is characterized by a relatively large area but below-average population density and a lower degree of spatial development.