166-557: Markovac Našički is a settlement in region Slavonia , Osijek-Baranja County , near Našice , Croatia . Population is 1,586 (2011). In Markovac is situated a private Bizik family Zoo . Between Markovac and Nasice is situated an accumulation Lake Lapovac . This Osijek-Baranja County geography article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Slavonia Slavonia ( / s l ə ˈ v oʊ n i ə / ; Croatian : Slavonija ; Hungarian : Szlavónia) is, with Dalmatia , Croatia proper , and Istria , one of
332-597: A decisive victory over the RSK in August 1995. The remaining occupied areas—eastern Slavonia—were restored to Croatia pursuant to the Erdut Agreement of November 1995, with the process concluded in mid-January 1998. After the war, a number of towns and municipalities in the region were designated Areas of Special State Concern . The Croatian counties were re-established in 1992, but their borders changed in some instances, with
498-660: A volcanic arc related to Alpine orogeny —uplifting of the Dinaric Alps. The Đakovo – Vukovar loess plain, extending eastward from Dilj and representing the watershed between the Vuka and Bosut rivers, gradually rises to the Fruška Gora south of Ilok. The largest rivers in Slavonia are found along or near its borders—the Danube, Sava and Drava. The length of the Danube, flowing along
664-537: A Serbian paramilitary group led by Vojislav Šešelj , moved into the Serb-populated village of Borovo Selo just north of Vukovar. In mid-April 1991, an incident occurred in the outskirts of Borovo Selo when three Armbrust man-portable recoilless guns were fired on Serb positions. There were allegations that Gojko Šušak , at the time the Deputy Minister of Defence, led the attack. There were no casualties, but
830-459: A ceasefire was agreed to on 2 January 1992, coming into force the next day. After the ceasefire, United Nations Protection Force was deployed to the occupied areas, but intermittent artillery and rocket attacks, launched from Serb-held areas of Bosnia , continued in several areas of Slavonia, especially in Slavonski Brod and Županja . The war effectively ended in 1995 with Croatia achieving
996-536: A cross-section of Vukovar society. As many as one-third were non-Croats, including Serbs, Ruthenians, Hungarians and members of other ethnicities. About 100 of the defenders were Serbs. "We had complete confidence in them", one Croatian veteran later said. "They defended Vukovar alongside us." Croatian forces in Vukovar were commanded by Mile Dedaković , a former JNA officer who had joined the ZNG and volunteered to take charge of
1162-504: A distinct region of Croatia, and the traditional culture is preserved through folklore festivals, with prominence given to tamburica music and bećarac , a form of traditional song, recognized as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO . The cuisine of Slavonia reflects diverse influences—a blend of traditional and foreign elements. Slavonia is one of Croatia's winemaking areas, with Erdut , Ilok and Kutjevo recognized as centres of wine production. The name Slavonia originated in
1328-515: A diverse population of Croats , Serbs , Hungarians , Slovaks , Ruthenians and many other nationalities, who had lived together for centuries in relative harmony before the Croatian War of Independence . It was also one of the wealthiest areas of Yugoslavia before the conflict. Vukovar's long-standing prosperity was reflected in one of Croatia's finest ensembles of Baroque architecture . The region underwent major demographic changes following
1494-460: A few artillery pieces and anti-aircraft guns and improvised their own land mines. They also obtained several hundred anti-tank weapons such as M79 and M80 rocket launchers, but were critically short of ammunition throughout the battle. The capture of JNA barracks somewhat improved the situation as Vukovar had the priority in the supply of arms. It is estimated that the Vukovar battlefield consumed around 55–60 percent of all ammunition available to
1660-537: A geographical region, do not necessarily coincide with the borders of the five counties, except in the south and east where the Sava and Danube rivers define them. The international borders of Croatia are boundaries common to both definitions of the region. In the north, the boundaries largely coincide because the Drava River is considered to be the northern border of Slavonia as a geographic region, but this excludes Baranya from
1826-642: A greater defensive commitment by the Habsburg Monarchy. One year after the 1547 truce ended, Ivan Lenković devised a system of fortifications and troops in the border areas, a forerunner of the Croatian Military Frontier . Nonetheless, in 1552, the Ottoman conquest of Slavonia was completed when Virovitica was captured. Ottoman advances in the Croatian territory continued until the 1593 Battle of Sisak ,
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#17330862090241992-499: A major attack using aircraft, naval vessels on the Danube, tanks and artillery. The attack, which was mounted from both sides of the border, caused extensive damage and resulted in many civilian casualties. On 14 September, the Croatian government ordered an attack against all JNA garrisons and arms depots in the country, an offensive dubbed the Battle of the Barracks . Vukovar's JNA barracks
2158-608: A nearby bridge. A tank driver, Vladimir Živković, drove his vehicle from the front line at Vukovar to the Yugoslav parliament in Belgrade, where he parked on the steps in front of the building. He was arrested and declared insane by the authorities. His treatment enraged his colleagues, who protested by taking over a local radio station at gunpoint and issuing a declaration that "we are not traitors, but we do not want to be aggressors." In late September, Lieutenant Colonel General Života Panić
2324-465: A rate of up to 12,000 a day. It is estimated that Vukovar as well as its surroundings were bombarded with more than 2.5 million shells over 20 millimetres (0.79 in). Metre for metre, the bombardment was more intense than at Stalingrad. The thousands of civilians remaining in Vukovar took shelter in cellars and bomb shelters that had been built during the Cold War . The JNA's lack of infantry support
2490-914: A significant agricultural area. Apple orchards cover 1,261 hectares (3,120 acres), representing 42.3% of Croatia's apple plantations, plums are produced in orchards encompassing 450 hectares (1,100 acres) or 59.7% of Croatia's plum plantations and hazelnut orchards cover 319 hectares (790 acres), which account for 72.4% of hazelnut plantations in Croatia. Other significant permanent crops are cherries, pears, peaches and walnuts. In 2010, only two companies headquartered in Slavonia ranked among top 100 Croatian companies — Belje , agricultural industry owned by Agrokor , and Belišće , paper mill and paper packaging material factory, headquartered in Darda and Belišće respectively, both in Osijek-Baranja County. Belje ranks as
2656-495: A single Ustaša must leave Vukovar alive." The Battle of Vukovar took place in two phases over about 90 days: from August to September 1991, before the town was fully surrounded, and from early October to mid-November, when the town was encircled then taken by the JNA. Starting in June, Vukovar and neighbouring villages were subjected to daily or near-daily artillery and mortar fire. In July,
2822-430: A street in a column followed by a few companies of infantry. The Croatians responded by opening fire with anti-tank weapons at very close range – often as short as 20 metres (66 ft) – to disable the lead and rear vehicles, trapping the rest of the column, where it could be systematically disabled. They tried to avoid completely destroying the JNA's armour, as the materiel they retrieved from disabled vehicles
2988-498: A surge of ethnic violence across Slavonia. Shortly after, Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) units moved into Borovo Selo. The army's intervention was welcomed by local Croatian leaders, but Croatia's Deputy Interior Minister, Milan Brezak, accused the JNA of preventing the Croatian police from dealing with the paramilitaries. Gun battles broke out across the region between rival militias. In Vukovar, Croatians harassed Serb residents, sometimes violently. Croatian police forcibly took over
3154-497: A unified command structure, organised the defenders into a single brigade and implemented an integrated defence system. A defensive ring of six sectors was established, each assigned to one unit within the 204th Brigade. The defenders used a network of cellars, canals, ditches and trenches to redeploy around the sectors as needed. At the start of the battle, they were poorly armed and many were equipped only with hunting rifles. They relied mostly on light infantry weapons, but obtained
3320-500: A zone under German occupation for the duration of World War II . The regime introduced anti-semitic laws and conducted a campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide against Serb and Roma populations, exemplified by the Jasenovac and Stara Gradiška concentration camps, but to a much lesser extent in Slavonia than in other regions, due to strategic interests of the Axis in keeping peace in
3486-492: Is kulen , one of a handful Croatian products protected by the EU as indigenous products. Slavonia is one of Croatia's winemaking sub-regions, a part of its continental winegrowing region. The best known winegrowing areas of Slavonia are centered on Đakovo , Ilok and Kutjevo , where Graševina grapes are predominant, but other cultivars are increasingly present. In past decades, an increasing quantity of wine production in Slavonia
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#17330862090243652-495: Is Osijek, followed by other county seats—Slavonski Brod, Virovitica, Požega and Vukovar, as well as several other cities, especially Vinkovci. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the five counties in Slavonia combined (in year 2008) amounted to 6,454 million euro , or 8,005 euro per capita—27.5% below Croatia's national average. The GDP of the five counties represented 13.6% of Croatia's GDP. Several Pan-European transport corridors run through Slavonia: corridor Vc as
3818-412: Is a distinct region of Croatia in terms of ethnological factors in traditional music. It is a region where traditional culture is preserved through folklore festivals. Typical traditional music instruments belong to the tamburica and bagpipe family. The tamburica is the most representative musical instrument associated with Slavonia's traditional culture. It developed from music instruments brought by
3984-435: Is a remnant of this outcome. The Ottoman wars instigated great demographic changes. Croats migrated towards Austria and the present-day Burgenland Croats are direct descendants of these settlers. The Muslim population in Slavonia at the end of Turkish rule accounted for almost half of Slavonia's population who was indigenous, primarily Croats, less immigrants from Bosnia and Serbia and rarely genuine Turks or Arabs. In
4150-526: Is greatest in the production of cereals (53.5%), legumes (46.8%), oilseeds (88.8%), sugar beet (90%), tobacco (97.9%), plants used in pharmaceutical or perfume industry (80.9%), flowers, seedlings and seeds (80.3%) and plants used in the textile industry (69%). Slavonia also contributes 25.7% of cattle, 42.7% of pigs and 20% of the poultry stock of Croatia. There are 5,138 hectares (12,700 acres) of vineyards in Slavonia, representing 18.6% of total vineyards area in Croatia. Production of fruit and nuts also takes up
4316-574: Is home to one university— Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek — as well as three polytechnics in Požega, Slavonski Brod and Vukovar, as well as a college in Virovitica—all set up and run by the government . The University of Osijek, has been established in 1975, but the first institution of higher education in the city was Studium Philosophicum Essekini founded in 1707, and active until 1780. Another historical institution of higher education
4482-474: Is largely based on processing industry , trade, transport, and civil engineering. Agriculture is a significant component of its economy: Slavonia contains 45% of Croatia's agricultural land and accounts for a significant proportion of Croatia's livestock farming and production of permanent crops . The gross domestic product (GDP) of the five counties of Slavonia is worth 6,454 million euro or 8,005 euro per capita, 27.5% below national average. The GDP of
4648-509: Is located in the Sava sub-basin. Most of Croatia, including Slavonia, has a moderately warm and rainy humid continental climate as defined by the Köppen climate classification . Mean annual temperature averages 10 to 12 °C (50 to 54 °F ), with the warmest month, July, averaging just below 22 °C (72 °F ). Temperature peaks are more pronounced in the continental areas—the lowest temperature of −27.8 °C (−18.0 °F )
4814-401: Is the eastern half of Central and Eastern (Pannonian) Croatia NUTS-2 statistical unit of Croatia , together with further areas of Central Croatia . Other statistical units correspond to the counties, cities and municipalities. The five counties combined cover area size of 12,556 square kilometres (4,848 square miles), representing 22.2% of territory of Croatia. The boundaries of Slavonia, as
4980-598: The 1974 Yugoslav Constitution , basically fulfilling a goal of the Croatian Spring movement, and providing a legal basis for independence of the federative constituents. In 1947, when all borders of the former Yugoslav constituent republics had been defined by demarcation commissions, pursuant to decisions of the AVNOJ of 1943 and 1945, the federal organization of Yugoslav Baranya was defined as Croatian territory allowing its integration with Slavonia. The commissions also set up
5146-601: The A5 motorway , corridor X as the A3 motorway and a double-track railway spanning Slavonia from west to east, and corridor VII—the Danube River waterway. The waterway is accessed through the Port of Vukovar, the largest Croatian river port, situated on the Danube itself, and the Port of Osijek on the Drava River, 14.5 kilometres (9.0 miles) away from confluence of the rivers. Another major sector of
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5312-559: The Croatian Army in operations named Otkos 10 , and Orkan 91 , which established a front line around Okučani and south of Pakrac that would hold virtually unchanged for more than three years until Operation Flash in May 1995. Armed conflict in the eastern Slavonia , culminating in the Battle of Vukovar and a subsequent massacre , also included heavy fighting and the successful defence of Osijek and Vinkovci. The front line stabilized and
5478-603: The Early Middle Ages . The area was named after the Slavs who settled there and called themselves *Slověne. The root *Slověn- appeared in various dialects of languages spoken by people inhabiting the area west of the Sutla river, as well as between the Sava and Drava rivers— South Slavs living in the area of the former Illyricum . The area bounded by those rivers was called *Slověnьje in
5644-521: The Great Serb Migrations of 1690 and 1737–39. The greatest Serb concentrations were in the eastern Slavonia, and Sremski Karlovci became the see of Serbian Orthodox metropolitans. Part of the colonists came to Slavonia from area south of the Sava , especially from the Soli and Usora areas, continuing the process which already started after 1521. At beginning of the 17th century it seems that there
5810-503: The House of Esterházy , the House of Odescalchi , Philipp Karl von Eltz-Kempenich , the House of Prandau-Normann , the House of Pejačević and the House of Janković . That in turn encouraged an influx of contemporary European culture to the region. Subsequent development of the cities and society saw the influence of Neoclassicism , Historicism and especially of Art Nouveau . The heritage of
5976-761: The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 Croatia sided with the Austrians, Ban Josip Jelačić helping to defeat the Hungarian forces in 1849, and ushering in a period of Germanization policy. By the 1860s, failure of the policy became apparent, leading to the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and creation of a personal union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary . The treaty left
6142-414: The Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia . In 1918, when Austria-Hungary dissolved, Slavonia became a part of the short-lived State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs which in turn became a part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes , later renamed Yugoslavia . During the Croatian War of Independence of 1991–1995, Slavonia saw fierce fighting, including the 1991 Battle of Vukovar . The economy of Slavonia
6308-714: The Lands of the Hungarian Crown in the 12th century. The Ottoman conquest of Slavonia took place between 1536 and 1552. In 1699, after the Great Turkish War of 1683–1699, the Treaty of Karlowitz transferred Kingdom of Slavonia to the Habsburgs . After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 , Slavonia became part of the Hungarian part of the realm , and a year later it became part of
6474-511: The Orljava flowing through Požega, and the Bosut—whose 151-kilometre (94 mi) course in Slavonia takes it through Vinkovci. There are no large lakes in Slavonia. The largest ones are Lake Kopačevo whose surface area varies between 1.5 and 3.5 square kilometres (0.58 and 1.35 square miles), and Borovik Reservoir covering 2.5 square kilometres (0.97 square miles). The Lake Kopačevo is connected to
6640-750: The Pleistocene during the uplift of the Transdanubian Mountains . Ultimately, up to 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) of the sediment was deposited in the basin, and the Pannonian sea eventually drained through the Iron Gate gorge. In the southern Pannonian Basin, the Neogene to Quaternary sediment depth is normally lower, averaging 500 to 1,500 metres (1,600 to 4,900 feet), except in central parts of depressions formed by subduction —around 4,000 metres (13,000 feet) in
6806-513: The Proto-Slavic language. The word subsequently evolved to its various present forms in the Slavic languages , and other languages adopted the term. Remnants of several Neolithic and Chalcolithic cultures were found in all regions of Croatia, but most of the sites are found in the river valleys of northern Croatia, including Slavonia. The most significant cultures whose presence was found include
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6972-592: The Republic of Serbian Krajina . Several Serb military and political officials, including Milošević, were later indicted and in some cases jailed for war crimes committed during and after the battle. The battle exhausted the JNA and proved a turning point in the Croatian War of Independence. A cease-fire was declared a few weeks later. Vukovar remained in Serb hands until 1998, when it was peacefully reintegrated into Croatia with
7138-621: The Roman Republic in 35 BC, when the Romans conquered Segestica, or modern-day Sisak . The conquest was completed in 11 BC, when the Roman province of Illyricum was established, encompassing modern-day Slavonia as well as a vast territory on the right bank of Danube. The province was renamed Pannonia and divided within two decades. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire , which included
7304-523: The Second World War , when its ethnic German inhabitants were expelled and replaced with settlers from elsewhere in Yugoslavia. In 1991, the last Yugoslav census recorded the Vukovar municipality, which included the town and surrounding villages, as having 84,189 inhabitants, of whom 44 percent were Croats, 38 percent were Serbs and the remainder were members of other ethnic groups. The town's population
7470-742: The Starčevo culture whose finds were discovered near Slavonski Brod and dated to 6100–5200 BC , the Vučedol culture , the Baden culture and the Kostolac culture . Most finds attributed to the Baden and Vučedol cultures are discovered in the area near the right bank of the Danube near Vukovar , Vinkovci and Osijek . The Baden culture sites in Slavonia are dated to 3600–3300 BC, and Vučedol culture finds are dated to 3000–2500 BC. The Iron Age left traces of
7636-543: The Ten-Day War made it impossible to fulfil the original objective of keeping Yugoslavia intact. Many of the Serb members of the army no longer wanted to fight for a multiethnic Yugoslavia. The army developed an increasingly Serbian character as non-Serbs deserted or refused to be drafted. Some JNA commanders overtly supported the Serb rebels in Croatia and provided them with weapons. Although Kadijević and other senior JNA commanders initially argued that "the JNA must defend all
7802-491: The fall of the Western Roman Empire , which ruled the area of modern-day Slavonia until the 5th century, Ostrogoths and Lombards controlled the area before the arrival of Avars and Slavs , when the Principality of Lower Pannonia was established in the 7th century. It was later incorporated into the Kingdom of Croatia ; after its decline, the kingdom was ruled through a personal union with Hungary . It became part of
7968-548: The horst and graben structures, believed to have broken the Pannonian Sea surface as islands . The tallest among such landforms in Slavonia are 984-metre (3,228 ft) Psunj , and 953-metre (3,127 ft) Papuk—flanking the Požega Valley from the west and the north. These two and Krndija , adjacent to Papuk, consist mostly of Paleozoic rocks which are 350 – 300 million years old. Požeška Gora and Dilj , to
8134-467: The ordnance through the side door. The European Community attempted to provide humanitarian aid to the 12,000 civilians trapped within the perimeter, but only one aid convoy made it through. On 12 October, the Croatians suspended military action to allow the convoy to pass, but the JNA used the pause as cover to make further military gains. Once the convoy set off, the JNA delayed it for two days and used
8300-744: The 101st and headquartered in Virovitica, is the largest company in Virovitica-Podravina County. Đuro Đaković Montaža d.d., a part of metal processing industry Đuro Đaković Holding of Slavonski Brod, ranks the 171st among the Croatian companies and it is the largest business in Brod-Posavina County. Another agricultural industry company, Kutjevo d.d. , headquartered in Kutjevo , is the largest company in Požega-Slavonia County, ranks
8466-472: The 194th in Croatia by business income. Finally, the largest company by income in Vukovar-Syrmia county is another Agrokor owned agricultural production company— Vupik , headquartered in Vukovar, and ranking the 161st among the companies headquartered in Croatia. The cultural heritage of Slavonia represents a blend of social influences through its history, especially since the end of the 17th century, and
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#17330862090248632-569: The 19th century is the Đakovo Cathedral —hailed by the Pope John XXIII as the most beautiful church situated between Venice and Istanbul . Slavonia significantly contributed to the culture of Croatia as a whole, both through works of artists and through patrons of the arts—most notable among them being Josip Juraj Strossmayer . Strossmayer was instrumental in the establishment of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts , later renamed
8798-434: The 2nd half of the 12th century, Croatia and the territory between the Drava and the Sava were governed by the ban of all Slavonia , appointed by the king. From the 13th century, a separate ban governed parts of present-day central Croatia , western Slavonia, and northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina , an area where a new entity emerged named Kingdom of Slavonia ( Latin : regnum Sclavoniae ), while modern-day eastern Slavonia
8964-444: The 44th and Belišće as the 99th largest Croatian company by income . Other significant businesses in the county include civil engineering company Osijek-Koteks (rank 103), Saponia detergent and personal care product factory (rank 138), Biljemerkant retail business (rank 145), and Našicecement cement plant (rank 165), a part of Nexe Grupa construction product manufacturing company. Sugar refining company Viro , ranked
9130-512: The Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja, Požega-Slavonia, Virovitica-Podravina and Vukovar-Syrmia counties, including Baranya. Slavonia is entirely located in the Pannonian Basin , one of three major geomorphological parts of Croatia. The Pannonian Basin took shape through Miocenian thinning and subsidence of crust structures formed during Late Paleozoic Variscan orogeny . The Paleozoic and Mesozoic structures are visible in Papuk , Psunj and other Slavonian mountains. The processes also led to
9296-685: The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the reestablishment of the University of Zagreb . A number of Slavonia's artists, especially writers, made considerable contributions to Croatian culture. Nineteenth-century writers who are most significant in Croatian literature include Josip Eugen Tomić , Josip Kozarac , and Miroslav Kraljević —author of the first Croatian novel. Significant twentieth-century poets and writers in Slavonia were Dobriša Cesarić , Dragutin Tadijanović , Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić and Antun Gustav Matoš . Painters associated with Slavonia, who contributed greatly to Croatian art, were Miroslav Kraljević and Bela Čikoš Sesija . Slavonia
9462-500: The Croatian and Serbian population." Gunmen from both sides burned and looted hundreds of houses and farms in the area. The conflict blurred ethnic lines. Many Serbs who had lived in Vukovar for generations – known as the starosedioci or "old settlers" – resisted the propaganda coming from Belgrade and Knin and continued to live peacefully with their Croatian neighbours. The došljaci , or "newcomers", whose families had relocated from southern Serbia and Montenegro to replace
9628-456: The Croatian forces. The attacking force included JNA soldiers conscripted from across Yugoslavia, members of the TO, Chetniks (Serbian nationalist paramilitaries), local Serb militiamen and units of the Yugoslav Navy and the Yugoslav Air Force . At their peak, the Yugoslav and Serb forces in the vicinity of Vukovar numbered about 36,000. They were equipped with heavy artillery, rockets and tanks and supported by aircraft and naval vessels on
9794-415: The Croatian government held a nationwide referendum on a declaration of sovereignty . In Vukovar, as elsewhere in Croatia, hardline Serb nationalists urged Serbs to boycott the referendum, while moderates advocated using the poll to register opposition to independence. Many local Serbs did vote. The referendum passed with 94 percent nationally voting in favour. Violence in and around Vukovar worsened after
9960-459: The Croatian-Hungarian Settlement. At that time, the easternmost point of Croatia-Slavonia became Zemun , as all of Syrmia was encompassed by the kingdom. On 29 October 1918, the Croatian Sabor declared independence and decided to join the newly formed State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs , which in turn entered into union with the Kingdom of Serbia on 4 December 1918 to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes . The Treaty of Trianon
10126-413: The Danube via Hulovski canal, situated within the Kopački Rit wetland , while the Lake Borovik is an artificial lake created in 1978 in the upper course of the Vuka River. The entirety of Slavonia belongs to the Danube basin and the Black Sea catchment area, but it is divided in two sub-basins. One of those drains into the Sava—itself a Danube tributary—and the other into the Drava or directly into
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#173308620902410292-451: The Danube. Although the battle was fought primarily by the federal Yugoslav military, the government of Serbia was directly involved. The Serbian secret police agency, the SDB, took part in military operations, and some of its officers commanded Serbian TO units fighting in Vukovar. Serbia's Ministry of Internal Affairs directed the activities of the paramilitaries. It was also responsible for arming and equipping them. Slobodan Milošević
10458-441: The Danube. The drainage divide between the two sub-basins runs along the Papuk and Krndija mountains, in effect tracing the southern boundary of the Virovitica-Podravina County and the northern boundary of Požega-Slavonia County, cuts through the Osijek-Podravina County north of Đakovo, and finally bisects the Vukovar-Syrmia County running between Vukovar and Vinkovci to reach Fruška Gora southwest of Ilok. All of Brod-Posavina County
10624-455: The HDZ as a reincarnation of the nationalist-fascist Ustaše movement, which had massacred hundreds of thousands of Serbs during the Second World War. From mid-1990, the SDS mounted an armed rebellion in Serb-inhabited areas of Croatia and set up the self-declared Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Krajina , with covert support from the Serbian government and Serbian paramilitary groups. The Croatian government rapidly lost control of large swathes of
10790-421: The JNA and TO began deploying in large numbers across eastern Slavonia, surrounding Vukovar from three sides. Heavy fighting began at the end of August. On 23 August, Borovo Naselje came under heavy shellfire, and Croatian forces shot down two Yugoslav G-2 Galeb ground-attack aircraft using shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles . The following day, the JNA, the Yugoslav Air Force and the Yugoslav Navy launched
10956-539: The JNA and were halted at Nuštar by artillery fire. The JNA's 252nd Armoured Brigade inflicted heavy losses on the Croatian side. The elite Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit alone suffered 12 fatalities. Around 13:00 the attack was stopped by the HV General Staff. A humanitarian convoy of the Red Cross was let through to Vukovar. During the battle's final phase, Vukovar's remaining inhabitants, including several thousand Serbs, took refuge in cellars and communal bomb shelters, which housed up to 700 people each. A crisis committee
11122-534: The JNA launched a fully coordinated assault, spearheaded by paramilitary forces, with infantry and engineering troops systematically forcing their way past the Croatian lines. The JNA's forces, divided into northern and southern operations sectors, attacked several points simultaneously and pushed the Croatians back. The JNA also adopted new tactics, such as firing directly into houses and then driving tanks through them, as well as using tear gas and smoke bombs to drive out those inside. Buildings were also captured with
11288-453: The JNA's offensive against Vukovar on the grounds that it was part of the "backbone of the Croatian army" and had to be "liberated". The JNA's periodical Narodna Armija claimed after the battle that Vukovar "had for decades been prepared to support German military penetration down the Danube." Šešelj declared: "We're all one army. This war is a great test for Serbs. Those who pass the test will become winners. Deserters cannot go unpunished. Not
11454-406: The Ottomans during their rule of Slavonia, becoming an integral part of the traditional music, its use surpassing or even replacing the use of bagpipes and gusle . A distinct form of traditional song, originating in Slavonia, the bećarac , is recognized as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO . Out of 122 Croatia's universities and other institutions of higher education , Slavonia
11620-412: The Sabor and declared the autonomy of areas that would soon become the unrecognized self-declared Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK). As tensions rose, Croatia declared independence in June 1991; however the declaration came into effect on 8 October 1991. Tensions escalated into the Croatian War of Independence when the Yugoslav National Army and various Serb paramilitaries attacked Croatia. By
11786-459: The Second World War , an initially inconsequential engagement became an essential political symbol for both sides. On 19 September, a JNA force consisting of at least 100 T-55 and M-84 tanks with armoured personnel carriers and heavy artillery pieces left Belgrade. It crossed into Croatia near the Serbian town of Šid on 20 September. The Croatians were quickly routed and fell back to Vukovar. The JNA's 1st Guards Mechanised Brigade soon reached
11952-473: The Serbian cause. We surround a village, he dashes in and kills whoever refuses to surrender. On we go! Panić combined well-motivated paramilitary infantry with trained engineering units to clear mines and defensive positions, supported by heavy armour and artillery. The paramilitaries spearheaded a fresh offensive that began on 30 September. The assault succeeded in cutting the Croatian supply route to Vukovar when
12118-496: The Serbian newspaper Vreme commented in July 1991 that the situation was one of "total military disintegration". Morale on the battlefield was poor. JNA commanders resorted to firing on their own positions to motivate their men to fight. When the commander of a JNA unit at Vukovar demanded to know who was willing to fight and who wanted to go home, the unit split in two. One conscript, unable to decide which side to take, shot himself on
12284-513: The Slavonia-Syrmia depression, 5,500 metres (18,000 feet) in the Sava depression and nearly 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) in the Drava depression, with the deepest sediment found between Virovitica and Slatina. The results of those processes are large plains in eastern Slavonia, Baranya and Syrmia, as well as in river valleys, especially along the Sava, Drava and Kupa . The plains are interspersed by
12450-636: The Socialist Republic of Serbia and those with a Croat majority to the Socialist Republic of Croatia. Nevertheless, a sizable Serb minority remained within the latter. Following the death of Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito in 1980, long-suppressed ethnic nationalism revived and the individual republics began to assert their authority more strongly as the federal government weakened. Slovenia and Croatia moved towards multi-party democracy and economic reform, but Serbia's authoritarian communist President Slobodan Milošević opposed reform and sought to increase
12616-413: The Vukovar barracks and lifted the Croatian siege of the facility. They also moved to encircle Vukovar. By 30 September, the town was almost completely surrounded. All roads in and out were blocked, and the only route in was via a farm track through a perilously exposed cornfield. The JNA launched repeated assaults on Vukovar but failed to make any progress. Its armour, designed for combat in open country,
12782-460: The Vukovar perimeter, put Dedaković in charge of a breakthrough operation to relieve the town and launched a counter-offensive on 13 October. Around 800 soldiers and 10 tanks were engaged in the attack, which began in the early morning with artillery preparation. Special police forces entered Marinci before noon, but had to retreat as they did not have enough strength to hold their positions. Croatian tanks and infantry encountered heavy resistance from
12948-522: The Yugoslav Air Force attacked the hospital, destroying its operating theatre. One bomb fell through several floors, failed to explode and landed on the foot of a wounded man, without injuring him. Croatian forces adapted several Antonov An-2 biplanes to parachute supplies to Vukovar. The aircraft also dropped improvised bombs made of fuel cans and boilers filled with explosive and metal bars. The crews used GPS to locate their targets, then pushed
13114-701: The Yugoslav Minister of Defence and a committed communist, initially sought to forcibly keep Yugoslavia together and proclaimed the army's neutrality in the Serb-Croat conflict. The JNA leadership aimed to cut Croatia in two by seizing the Serb-inhabited inland regions, almost all of the Dalmatian coast and much of central and eastern Croatia. It aimed to force Croatia's political leadership to capitulate and renegotiate its membership of Yugoslavia. The JNA's leadership
13280-543: The agreement, the Yugoslav government retained control of defence, internal security, foreign affairs, trade, and transport while other matters were left to the Croatian Sabor and a crown-appointed 'Ban'. In April 1941, Yugoslavia was occupied by Germany and Italy . Following the invasion the territory of Slavonia was incorporated into the Independent State of Croatia , a Nazi-backed puppet state and assigned as
13446-586: The area and encompassing meat packing , fruit and vegetable processing , sugar refining , confectionery and dairy industry . In addition, there are wineries in the region that are significant to economy of Croatia . Other types of the processing industry significant to Slavonia are wood processing , including production of furniture , cellulose , paper and cardboard ; metalworking , textile industry and glass production . Transport and civil engineering are two further significant economic activities in Slavonia. The largest industrial centre of Slavonia
13612-650: The area. The largest massacre occurred in 1942 in Voćin . Armed resistance soon developed in the region, and by 1942, the Yugoslav Partisans controlled substantial territories, especially in mountainous parts of Slavonia. The Serbian royalist Chetniks , who carried out genocide against Croat civilian population, struggled to establish a significant presence in Slavonia throughout the war. Partisans led by Josip Broz Tito took full control of Slavonia in April 1945. After
13778-464: The areas north of the Drava river, and Baranja County where they represented the majority before World War I. Since the end of the 19th century there was substantial economic emigration abroad from Croatia in general. After World War I, the Yugoslav regime confiscated up to 50 percent of properties and encouraged settlement of the land by Serb volunteers and war veterans in Slavonia, only to have them evicted and replaced by up to 70,000 new settlers by
13944-461: The attack aggravated and deepened ethnic tensions. On 2 May, Serb paramilitaries ambushed two Croatian police buses in the centre of Borovo Selo, killing 12 policemen and injuring 22 more. One Serb paramilitary was also killed. The Battle of Borovo Selo represented the worst act of violence between the country's Serbs and Croats since the Second World War. It enraged many Croatians and led to
14110-463: The attack on Vukovar as an act of urbicide , a deliberate assault on urbanism. By the end of July 1991, an improvised Croatian defence force in Vukovar was almost surrounded by Serbian militias in the neighbouring villages. Paramilitaries, JNA soldiers and Serbian Territorial Defence (TO) conscripts were present in Serb-inhabited areas. There was a small JNA barracks in Vukovar's Sajmište district, surrounded by Croatian-controlled territory. Although
14276-481: The border between Habsburg and Ottoman empires, with Virovitica becoming the most significant defensive Habsburg fortress and Požega the most significant Ottoman centre in Slavonia, as Ottoman advances to Sisak and Čazma were made, including a brief occupation of the cities. Further westward efforts of the Turkish forces presented a significant threat to Zagreb and the rest of Croatia and the Hungarian kingdom, prompting
14442-411: The deported Germans after 1945, were the most responsive to nationalist appeals. The journalist Paolo Rumiz describes how they "tried to win their coethnics over to the patriotic mobilization, and when they had no success with that, they killed them, plundered their property and goods, or drove them away. The old settlers would not let themselves be stirred up against other nationalities." When Croats fled
14608-401: The distribution of precipitation throughout the year normally result in snow cover, and freezing rivers—requiring use of icebreakers , and in extreme cases explosives, to maintain the flow of water and navigation. Slavonia receives more than 2,000 hours of sunshine per year on average. Prevailing winds are light to moderate, northeasterly and southwesterly. According to the 2011 census,
14774-669: The early Illyrian Hallstatt culture and the Celtic La Tène culture . Much later, the region was settled by Illyrians and other tribes, including the Pannonians , who controlled much of present-day Slavonia. Even though archaeological finds of Illyrian settlements are much sparser than in areas closer to the Adriatic Sea , significant discoveries, for instance in Kaptol near Požega have been made. The Pannonians first came into contact with
14940-460: The east of Psunj and enveloping the valley from the south, consist of much more recent Neogene rocks, but Požeška Gora also contains Upper Cretaceous sediments and igneous rocks forming the main, 30-kilometre (19 mi) ridge of the hill and representing the largest igneous landform in Croatia. A smaller igneous landform is also present on Papuk, near Voćin. The two mountains, as well as Moslavačka gora , west of Pakrac, are possible remnants of
15106-506: The eastern border of Slavonia and through the cities of Vukovar and Ilok, is 188 kilometres (117 miles), and its main tributaries are the Drava 112-kilometre (70 mi) and the Vuka. The Drava discharges into the Danube near Aljmaš , east of Osijek, while mouth of the Vuka is located in Vukovar. Major tributaries of the Sava, flowing along the southern border of Slavonia and through cities of Slavonski Brod and Županja are 89-kilometre (55 mi)
15272-657: The economy of Slavonia is agriculture, which also provides part of the raw materials for the processing industry. Out of 1,077,403 hectares (2,662,320 acres) of utilized agricultural land in Croatia, 493,878 hectares (1,220,400 acres), or more than 45%, are found in Slavonia, with the largest portion of the land situated in the Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Syrmia counties. The largest areas are used for production of cereals and oilseeds , covering 574,916 hectares (1,420,650 acres) and 89,348 hectares (220,780 acres) respectively. Slavonia's share in Croatia's agriculturally productive land
15438-561: The end of 1991, a high intensity war fought along a wide front reduced Croatia to controlling about two-thirds of its territory. In Slavonia, the first armed conflicts were clashes in Pakrac , and Borovo Selo near Vukovar. Western Slavonia was occupied in August 1991, following an advance by the Yugoslav forces north from Banja Luka across the Sava River. This was partially pushed back by
15604-432: The end of hostilities is not complete—a majority of Croat refugees returned, while fewer Serbs did. In addition, ethnic Croats moved to Slavonia from Bosnia and Herzegovina and from Serbia. The economy of Slavonia is largely based on wholesale and retail trade and processing industry . Food processing is one of the most significant types of the processing industries in the region, supporting agricultural production in
15770-496: The ethnic composition of Slavonian counties occurred between censuses conducted in 1991 and 2001. The 1991 census recorded a heterogenous population consisting mostly of Croats and Serbs—at 72 percent and 17 percent of the total population respectively. The Croatian War of Independence, and the ethnic fracturing of Yugoslavia that preceded it, caused an exodus of the Croat population followed by an exodus of Serbs. The return of refugees since
15936-521: The fall of the Avar Khaganate at the beginning of the 9th century, in Lower Pannonia there was a principality , governed by Slavic rulers who were vassals of Francs . The invasion of the Hungarian tribes overwhelmed this state. The eastern part of Slavonia in the 9th century may have been ruled by Bulgars . The first king of Croatia Tomislav defeated Hungarian and Bulgarian invasions and spread
16102-436: The fighting they often gave their house keys for safekeeping to their Serb neighbours, whom they trusted, rather than to the Croatian police. The political scientist Sabrina P. Ramet notes that a distinctive feature of the war in eastern Slavonia was "the mobilization of those who were not integrated into the multi-cultural life of the cities against urban multi-culturalism." Former Belgrade mayor Bogdan Bogdanović characterised
16268-510: The figure of 62,000 recorded in the 1953 census. The 1940s and the 1950s in Yugoslavia were marked by colonisation of settlements where the displaced Germans used to live, by people from the mountainous parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and migrations to larger cities spurred on by the development of industry. In the 1960s and 1970s, another wave of economic migrants left—largely moving to Canada , Australia , New Zealand and Western Europe . The most recent changes to
16434-505: The first decisive Ottoman defeat, and a more lasting stabilisation of the frontier. During the Great Turkish War (1683–1698), Slavonia was regained in between 1684 and 1691 when the Ottomans abandoned the region—unlike western Bosnia , which had been part of Croatia before the Ottoman conquest . The present-day southern border of Slavonia and the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
16600-420: The five counties represents 13.6% of Croatia's GDP. The cultural heritage of Slavonia represents a blend of historical influences, especially those from the end of the 17th century, when Slavonia started recovering from the Ottoman wars , and its traditional culture. Slavonia contributed to the culture of Croatia through art, writers, poets, sculptors, and art patronage . In traditional music, Slavonia comprises
16766-583: The fleeing Croats the Habsburgs called on the Orthodox populations of Bosnia and Serbia to provide military service in the Croatian Military Frontier. Serb migration into this region peaked during the Great Serb Migrations of 1690 and 1737–39. Following the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918, the Hungarian population declined, due to emigration and ethnic bias. The changes were especially significant in
16932-422: The force had initially been organised in an improvised manner. In late September 1991, it was formally reorganised as the 204th Vukovar Brigade , also known as the 124th Brigade. Volunteers arrived from other parts of Croatia, including 58 members of the far-right paramilitary Croatian Defence Forces (HOS), backed by Dobroslav Paraga 's extreme nationalist Croatian Party of Rights (HSP). The defenders were
17098-656: The formation of a stratovolcanic chain in the basin 17 – 12 Mya (million years ago) and intensified subsidence observed until 5 Mya as well as flood basalts about 7.5 Mya. Contemporary uplift of the Carpathian Mountains prevented water flowing to the Black Sea , and the Pannonian Sea formed in the basin. Sediments were transported to the basin from uplifting Carpathian and Dinaric mountains , with particularly deep fluvial sediments being deposited in
17264-615: The four historical regions of Croatia . Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties : Brod-Posavina , Osijek-Baranja , Požega-Slavonia , Virovitica-Podravina , and Vukovar-Syrmia , although the territory of the counties includes Baranya , and the definition of the western extent of Slavonia as a region varies. The counties cover 12,556 square kilometres (4,848 square miles) or 22.2% of Croatia, inhabited by 806,192—18.8% of Croatia's population. The largest city in
17430-413: The geographic region's definition even though this territory is part of a county otherwise associated with Slavonia. The western boundary of the geographic region is not specifically defined and it was variously defined through history depending on the political divisions of Croatia. The eastern Croatia, as a geographic term, largely overlaps most definitions of Slavonia. It is defined as the territory of
17596-569: The highest density recorded in Brod-Posavina county and the lowest in Virovitica-Podravina county. Osijek is the largest city in Slavonia, followed by Slavonski Brod, Vinkovci and Vukovar. Other cities in Slavonia have populations below 20,000. According to the 2001 census, Croats account for 85.6 percent of population of Slavonia, and the most significant ethnic minorities are Serbs and Hungarians , comprising 8.8 percent and 1.4 percent of
17762-561: The independence referendum. Repeated gun and bomb attacks were reported in the town and surrounding villages. Sporadic shelling of the city started in June, and increased in intensity throughout the summer. Borovo Naselje , the Croatian-held northern suburb of Vukovar, sustained a significant shelling on 4 July. Serb paramilitaries expelled thousands of non-Serbs from their homes in the municipality. Croatian paramilitaries, led by Tomislav Merčep , attacked Serbs in and around Vukovar (in what
17928-498: The influence of Croatian kings northward to Slavonia. The medieval Croatian kingdom reached its peak in the 11th century during the reigns of Petar Krešimir IV (1058–1074) and Dmitar Zvonimir (1075–1089). When Stjepan II died in 1091, ending the Trpimirović dynasty, Ladislaus I of Hungary claimed the Croatian crown. Opposition to the claim led to a war and personal union of Croatia and Hungary in 1102, ruled by Coloman . In
18094-630: The issue of Croatia's status to Hungary as a part of Transleithania —and the status was resolved by the Croatian–Hungarian Settlement of 1868, when the kingdoms of Croatia and Slavonia were united as the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia . After Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina following the 1878 Treaty of Berlin , the Military Frontiers were abolished and the Croatian and Slavonian Military Frontier territory returned to Croatia-Slavonia in 1881, pursuant to provisions of
18260-554: The joining of the Habsburg monarchy in 1527, the Hungarian and German speaking population of Croatia began gradually increasing in number. The processes of Magyarization and Germanization varied in intensity but persisted until the beginning of the 20th century. The Ottoman conquests initiated a westward migration of parts of the Croatian population; the Burgenland Croats are direct descendants of some of those settlers. To replace
18426-421: The latest revision taking place in 2006. Slavonia consists of five counties— Brod-Posavina , Osijek-Baranja , Požega-Slavonia , Virovitica-Podravina and Vukovar-Syrmia counties—which largely cover the territory historically associated with Slavonia. The western borders of the five-county territory lie in the area where the western boundary of Slavonia generally has been located since the Ottoman conquest, with
18592-423: The line. The JNA responded by launching a major offensive in eastern Slavonia , from where it intended to progress west via Vinkovci and Osijek to Zagreb. The JNA did not bypass Vukovar because its leadership wished to relieve the besieged barracks and to eliminate a possible threat to their supply lines. The JNA did not intend to make Vukovar the main focus of the offensive, but as happened with Stalingrad in
18758-434: The local radio station, Radio Vukovar, and Serb members of the station's ethnically mixed staff were fired and replaced with Croats. Serb militias systematically blocked transport routes in the predominantly Serb-inhabited countryside around Vukovar, and within days the town could only be reached by an unpaved track running through Croat-inhabited villages. The atmosphere in Vukovar was said to be "murderous". On 19 May 1991,
18924-529: The missing reservists. The commander of the Novi Sad corps was videotaped after the battle praising the Serb Volunteer Guard ("Tigers") of Željko Ražnatović , known as "Arkan": The greatest credit for this goes to Arkan's volunteers! Although some people accuse me of acting in collusion with paramilitary formations, these are not paramilitary formations here! They are men who came voluntarily to fight for
19090-444: The morning. JNA casualties were heavy. On one road, dubbed the "tank graveyard", about a hundred JNA armoured vehicles were destroyed, fifteen of them by Colonel Marko Babić . The high casualties had a debilitating effect on morale all the way up the chain of command. The JNA began launching artillery and rocket barrages against the town. By the end of the battle, over 700,000 shells and other missiles had been fired at Vukovar at
19256-1056: The most representative ones among them being manor house in Virovitica and the Pejačević manor house in Našice . Further east, along the Danube, there are Odescalchi manor house in Ilok, and Eltz manor house in Vukovar—the latter sustained extensive damage during the Battle of Vukovar in 1991, but it was reconstructed by 2011. In the southeast of the region, the most prominent are Kutjevo Jesuit manor house , and Cernik manor house , located in Kutjevo and Cernik respectively. The period also saw construction of Tvrđa and Brod fortifications in Osijek and Slavonski Brod. Older, medieval fortifications are preserved only as ruins —the largest among those being Ružica Castle near Orahovica . Another landmark dating to
19422-433: The nations of Yugoslavia", they eventually recognised that they had no chance of achieving their original goals, and threw their support behind the rebel Serbs of Croatia. Yugoslav and Serb propaganda portrayed Croatian separatists as genocidal Ustaše , who had illegally taken over Yugoslav territory and were threatening Serb civilians in a reprise of the anti-Serb pogroms of the Second World War. Kadijević later justified
19588-506: The new kingdom. The political situation in the new kingdom deteriorated, leading to the dictatorship of King Alexander in January 1929. The dictatorship formally ended in 1931 when the king imposed a more unitarian constitution transferring executive power to the king, and changed the name of the country to Yugoslavia. The Cvetković–Maček Agreement of August 1939 created the autonomous Banovina of Croatia incorporating Slavonia. Pursuant to
19754-559: The new ruler of Croatia, under the condition that he provide protection to Croatia against the Ottoman Empire, while respecting its political rights. The period saw the rise to prominence of a native nobility such as the Frankopans and the Šubićs , and ultimately to numerous bans from the two families. The present coat of arms of Slavonia, used in an official capacity as a part of the coat of arms of Croatia , dates from this period—it
19920-446: The newly created Croatian National Guard, including 400 members of the 3rd Guards Brigade and the 1st Guards Brigade . The 4th Battalion of the 3rd Guards Brigade was stationed in the city from the beginning, while elements of the 1st Guards Brigade arrived retreating from elsewhere in western Syrmia. In addition to the guardsmen there were 300 police officers and 1,100 civilian volunteers from Vukovar and nearby communities. The bulk of
20086-633: The political situation in Yugoslavia deteriorated with national tension fanned by the 1986 Serbian SANU Memorandum and the 1989 coups in Vojvodina, Kosovo and Montenegro . In January 1990, the Communist Party fragmented along national lines, with the Croatian faction demanding a looser federation. In the same year, the first multi-party elections were held in Croatia, with Franjo Tuđman 's win raising nationalist tensions further. The Serbs in Croatia , intent on achieving independence from Croatia, left
20252-521: The population respectively. The largest portion of the Serb minority was recorded in Vukovar-Syrmia county (15 percent), while the largest Hungarian minority, in both relative and absolute terms, was observed in Osijek-Baranja county. The census recorded 85.4% of the population declaring themselves as Catholic , with further 4.4% belonging to Serbian Orthodox Church and 0.7% Muslims . 3.1% declared themselves as non-religious , agnostics or declined to declare their religion. The most widely used language in
20418-556: The power of the Yugoslav government. In 1990, Slovenia and Croatia held elections that ended communist rule and brought pro-independence nationalist parties to power in both republics. In Croatia, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) of Franjo Tuđman took power, with Tuđman as president. Tuđman's programme was opposed by many members of Croatia's Serb minority, towards whom he was overtly antagonistic. Croatia's Serb Democratic Party (SDS), supported by Milošević, denounced
20584-569: The present-day 317.6-kilometre (197.3 mi) border between Serbia and Croatia in Syrmia, and along the Danube River between Ilok and mouth of the Drava and further north to the Hungarian border, the section south of confluence of the Drava matching the border between the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia and the Bács-Bodrog County that existed until 1918 and the end of World War I. In the 1980s
20750-534: The regime during World War II. During World War II and in the period immediately following the war, there were further significant demographic changes, as the German-speaking population, the Danube Swabians , were either forced or otherwise compelled to leave—reducing their number from the prewar German population of Yugoslavia of 500,000, living in Slavonia and other parts of present-day Croatia and Serbia, to
20916-652: The region includes numerous landmarks , especially manor houses built by the nobility in largely in the 18th and the 19th centuries. Those include Prandau-Normann and Prandau-Mailath manor houses in Valpovo and Donji Miholjac respectively, manor houses in Baranja—in Bilje , at a former Esterházy estate in Darda, in Tikveš , and in Kneževo . Pejačevićs built several residences,
21082-475: The region is Croatian , declared as the first language by 93.6% of the total population, followed by Serbian (2.6%) and Hungarian (1.0%). The demographic history of Slavonia is characterised by significant migrations, as is that of Croatia as a whole, starting with the arrival of the Croats, between the 6th and 9th centuries. Following the establishment of the personal union of Croatia and Hungary in 1102, and
21248-515: The region is Osijek , followed by Slavonski Brod and Vinkovci . Slavonia is located in the Pannonian Basin , largely bordered by the Danube , Drava , and Sava rivers. In the west, the region consists of the Sava and Drava valleys and the mountains surrounding the Požega Valley , and plains in the east. Slavonia enjoys a moderate continental climate with relatively low precipitation. After
21414-1050: The remaining borders being at the international borders of Croatia . This places the Croatian part of Baranya into the Slavonian counties, constituting the Eastern Croatia macroregion . Terms Eastern Croatia and Slavonia are increasingly used as synonyms. The Brod-Posavina County comprises two cities —Slavonski Brod and Nova Gradiška —and 26 Municipalities of Croatia . The Osijek-Baranja County consists of seven cities— Beli Manastir , Belišće , Donji Miholjac , Đakovo, Našice, Osijek and Valpovo—and 35 municipalities. The Požega-Slavonia County comprises five cities— Kutjevo , Lipik , Pakrac, Pleternica and Požega—and five municipalities. The Virovitica-Podravina County covers three cities—Orahovica, Slatina and Virovitica—and 13 municipalities. The Vukovar-Srijem County encompasses five cities—Ilok, Otok , Vinkovci, Vukovar and Županja—and 26 municipalities. The whole of Slavonia
21580-525: The republic. In February 1991, the Krajina Serbs declared independence from Croatia and announced that they would unite with Serbia. Other Serb communities in Croatia also announced that they would secede and established their own militias. The conflict between Serbs and Croats spread to eastern Slavonia in early 1991. On 1 April, Serb villagers around Vukovar and other towns in eastern Slavonia began to erect barricades across main roads. The White Eagles ,
21746-513: The role of the administrative and military centre of the newly formed Kingdom of Slavonia from Požega. The 1830s and 1840s saw romantic nationalism inspire the Croatian National Revival , a political and cultural campaign advocating unity of all South Slavs in the empire. Its primary focus was the establishment of a standard language as a counterweight to Hungarian , along with the promotion of Croatian literature and culture. During
21912-491: The second half of September, the number of wounded reached between 16 and 80 per day, three-quarters of them civilians. Even though it was marked with the Red Cross symbol, the hospital was struck by over 800 shells during the battle. Much of the building was wrecked, and the staff and patients had to relocate to underground service corridors. The intensive care unit was moved into the building's nuclear bomb shelter. On 4 October,
22078-588: The second half of the 16th century Vlachs from Slavonia were no longer an exclusive part of population because the Vlach privileges were attractive for many non-Vlachs who mixed with the Vlachs in order to get their status. To replace the fleeing Croats, the Habsburgs called on the Orthodox populations of Bosnia and Serbia to provide military service in the Croatian Military Frontier. Serb migration into this region peaked during
22244-425: The signing of the Erdut Agreement . It has since been rebuilt but has less than half of its pre-war population and many buildings are still scarred by the battle. Its two principal ethnic communities remain deeply divided and it has not regained its former prosperity. Vukovar is an important regional centre on Croatia's eastern border, situated in eastern Slavonia on the west bank of the Danube river. The area has
22410-521: The spot. A JNA officer who served at Vukovar later described how his men refused to obey orders on several occasions, "abandoning combat vehicles, discarding weapons, gathering on some flat ground, sitting and singing Give Peace a Chance by John Lennon." In late October, an entire infantry battalion from Novi Sad in Serbia abandoned an attack on Borovo Naselje and fled. Another group of reservists threw away their weapons and went back to Serbia on foot across
22576-470: The territory occupied by modern-day Slavonia, the area became a part of the Ostrogothic Kingdom by the end of the 5th century. However, control of the area proved a significant task, and Lombards were given increasing control of Pannonia in the 6th century, which ended in their withdrawal in 568 and the arrival of Pannonian Avars and Slavs, who established control of Pannonia by the year 582. After
22742-399: The time to lay mines, bring in reinforcements and consolidate JNA control of the road out of Vukovar. When the convoy arrived, it delivered medical supplies to Vukovar's hospital and evacuated 114 wounded civilians. On 16 October, the JNA mounted a major attack against Borovo Naselje. It made some progress, but became bogged down in the face of determined Croatian resistance. On 30 October,
22908-463: The total population of the five counties of Slavonia was 806,192, accounting for 19% of population of Croatia. The largest portion of the total population of Slavonia lives in Osijek-Baranja county, followed by Vukovar-Syrmia county. Požega-Slavonia county is the least populous county of Slavonia. Overall the population density stands at 64.2 persons per square kilometre. The population density ranges from 77.6 to 40.9 persons per square kilometre, with
23074-453: The town's defences. During the battle, he went by the nom de guerre Jastreb ("Hawk"). Gojko Šušak, by now Croatia's Minister of Defence , used Dedaković as an example of how Serbs were also taking part in Vukovar's defence. The claim was later reprinted by independent sources, but was false. Dedaković's second-in-command, Branko Borković, was another former JNA officer who had volunteered for service in Vukovar. The two men established
23240-417: The traditional culture. A particular impact was made by Baroque art and architecture of the 18th century, when the cities of Slavonia started developing after the Ottoman wars ended and stability was restored to the area. The period saw great prominence of the nobility, who were awarded estates in Slavonia by the imperial court in return for their service during the wars. They included Prince Eugene of Savoy ,
23406-408: The two sides were commonly referred to as "Croatian" and "Serbian" or "Yugoslav", Serbs and Croats as well as many other of Yugoslavia's national groups fought on both sides. The first commander of the attacking force was Macedonian. Serbs and members of other ethnicities made up a substantial portion of the Croatian defenders. The Croatian force in Vukovar comprised 1,800 men assembled from units of
23572-433: The use of anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns. On 2 November, the JNA reached the strategic suburb of Lužac, between Borovo Naselje and Vukovar, cutting one of the two roads linking the town centre with its northern suburb. After the fall of Lužac, 69 local civilians were killed by Arkan's "Tigers". Meanwhile, the ZNG (which had been renamed the Croatian Army ) attempted to retake the villages of Marinci and Cerić to reopen
23738-401: The village of Marinci , on the route out of the town, was captured on 1 October. Shortly afterwards, the Croatian 204th Brigade's commander, Mile Dedaković, broke out with a small escort, slipping through the Serbian lines to reach the Croatian-held town of Vinkovci. His deputy, Branko Borković, took over command of Vukovar's defences. General Anton Tus , commander of the Croatian forces outside
23904-570: The war, the new Yugoslav government interned local Germans in camps in Slavonia, the largest of which were in Valpovo and Krndija, where many died of hunger and diseases. After World War II, Croatia—including Slavonia—became a single-party Socialist federal unit of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia , ruled by the Communists , but enjoying a degree of autonomy within the federation. The autonomy effectively increased after
24070-681: Was Academia Posegana operating in Požega between 1761 and 1776, as an extension of a gymnasium operating in the city continuously, since it opened in 1699 as the first secondary education school in Slavonia. The cuisine of Slavonia reflects cultural influences on the region through the diversity of its culinary influences. The most significant among those were from Hungarian , Viennese , Central European, as well as Turkish and Arab cuisines brought by series of conquests and accompanying social influences. The ingredients of traditional dishes are pickled vegetables, dairy products and smoked meats . The most famous traditional preserved meat product
24236-399: Was 47 percent Croat and 33 percent Serb. From 1945, Yugoslavia was governed as a federal socialist state comprising six newly created republics – Slovenia , Croatia , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Serbia , Montenegro and Macedonia . The current border between Serbia and Croatia was defined in 1945 by a Yugoslav federal government commission which assigned areas with a Serb majority to
24402-555: Was a new wave of colonization, about 10,000 families which are assumed to come from Sanjak of Klis or with less possibility from area of Sanjak of Bosnia . The areas acquired through the Treaty of Karlowitz were assigned to Croatia, itself in the union with Hungary and the union ruled by the Habsburgs. The border area along the Una , Sava and Danube rivers became the Slavonian Military Frontier . At this time, Osijek took over
24568-403: Was a part of Hungary. Croatia and Slavonia were in 1476 united under the same ban ( viceroy ), but kept separate parliaments until 1558. The Ottoman conquests in Croatia led to the 1493 Battle of Krbava field and 1526 Battle of Mohács , both ending in decisive Ottoman victories. King Louis II of Hungary died at Mohács, and Ferdinand I of the House of Habsburg was elected in 1527 as
24734-867: Was accompanied by increasing quality and growing recognition at home and abroad. Grape vines were first grown in the region of Ilok, as early as the 3rd century AD. The oldest Slavonian wine cellar still in continuous use for winemaking is located in Kutjevo—built in 1232 by Cistercians . Slavonian oak is used to make botti , large barrels traditionally used in the Piedmont region of Italy to make nebbiolo wines. 45°27′N 17°55′E / 45.450°N 17.917°E / 45.450; 17.917 Battle of Vukovar Pyrrhic Yugoslav People's Army victory [REDACTED] Yugoslav People's Army [REDACTED] Armed Forces of Croatia 1992 1993 1994 1995 The Battle of Vukovar
24900-436: Was among those attacked that day, but the JNA managed to defend it. In retaliation, Serb paramilitaries attacked areas to the southwest of Vukovar from the direction of Negoslavci , forcing about 2,000 people to flee. There were reports of mass killings and scores of civilian deaths. Croatian forces outside the Vukovar perimeter received large quantities of arms and ammunition from depots captured elsewhere, enabling them to hold
25066-616: Was an 87-day siege of Vukovar in eastern Croatia by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), supported by various paramilitary forces from Serbia , between August and November 1991. Before the Croatian War of Independence the Baroque town was a prosperous, mixed community of Croats , Serbs and other ethnic groups. As Yugoslavia began to break up , Serbia's President Slobodan Milošević and Croatia's President Franjo Tuđman began pursuing nationalist politics. In 1990, an armed insurrection
25232-462: Was an important source of resupply. The Croatians employed a strategy of "active defence", carrying out hit-and-run attacks to keep the JNA off balance. Anti-tank and anti-personnel mines hindered JNA manoeuvres. Unconventional tactics were used to undermine the JNA's morale, such as firing weather rockets and sabotaging JNA tanks by planting mines underneath them while they were parked at night, causing them to explode when their crews started them in
25398-679: Was barely able to enter Vukovar's narrow streets. Support from regular infantry was lacking, and the TO's poorly trained and motivated troops were inadequate substitutes. The JNA's soldiers appeared to have little understanding of how to conduct urban operations and its officers displayed slow and reactive decision-making on the ground. Croatian forces countered the JNA's attacks by mining approach roads, sending out mobile teams equipped with anti-tank weapons, deploying many snipers , and fighting back from heavily fortified positions. The JNA initially relied on massing armoured spearheads which would advance along
25564-535: Was defended by around 1,800 lightly armed soldiers of the Croatian National Guard (ZNG) and civilian volunteers, against as many as 36,000 JNA soldiers and Serb paramilitaries equipped with heavy armour and artillery. During the battle, shells and rockets were fired into the town at a rate of up to 12,000 a day. At the time, it was the fiercest and most protracted battle seen in Europe since 1945, and Vukovar
25730-550: Was due to a disastrously low level of mobilisation in the preceding months. Many reservists – who were drawn from all the Yugoslav republics, including Croatia – refused to report for duty, and many serving soldiers deserted rather than fight. Serbia was never formally at war and no general mobilisation was carried out. An estimated 150,000 Serbs went abroad to avoid conscription, and many others deserted or went into hiding. Only 13 percent of conscripts reported for duty. Another 40,000 staged rebellions in towns across Serbia;
25896-419: Was established, operating from a nuclear bunker beneath the municipal hospital. The committee assumed control of the town's management and organised the delivery of food, water and medical supplies. It kept the number of civilians on the streets to a minimum and ensured that each shelter was guarded and had at least one doctor and nurse assigned to it. Vukovar's hospital had to deal with hundreds of injuries. In
26062-485: Was granted to Slavonia by king Vladislaus II Jagiellon on 8 December 1496. Following the Battle of Mohács, the Ottomans expanded their possessions in Slavonia seizing Đakovo in 1536 and Požega in 1537, defeating a Habsburg army led by Johann Katzianer , who was attempting to retake Slavonia, at Gorjani in September 1537. By 1540, Osijek was also under firm control of the Ottomans, and regular administration in Slavonia
26228-479: Was introduced by establishing the Sanjak of Pojega . The Ottoman control in Slavonia expanded as Novska surrendered the same year. Turkish conquest continued— Našice were seized in 1541, Orahovica and Slatina in 1542, and in 1543, Voćin , Sirač and, after a 40-day siege, Valpovo . In 1544, Ottoman forces conquered Pakrac . Lessening hostilities brought about a five-year truce in 1547 and temporary stabilization of
26394-495: Was later accused of direct involvement. According to Veselin Šljivančanin , who was later convicted of war crimes committed at Vukovar, the order to shell Vukovar came "from Dedinje " – the elite Belgrade quarter where Milošević lived. At the start of the war in Slovenia, the army still saw itself as the defender of a federal, communist Yugoslavia, rather than an instrument of Serbian nationalism. Its head, General Veljko Kadijević ,
26560-488: Was later investigated as the 1991 killings of Serbs in Vukovar ). Between 30 and 86 Serbs disappeared or were killed, and thousands of others fled their homes. A Croatian government representative in Vukovar told the Zagreb authorities that "the city is again [the] victim of terror, armed strife and provocative shoot-outs with potentially unfathomable consequences. The policy pursued so far has created an atmosphere of terror among
26726-403: Was not yet dominated by ethnic Serbs, and these early goals reflected the Yugoslav outlook of its multiethnic leadership. Kadijević was half-Croat and half-Serb, his deputy was a Slovene, the commander of the JNA forces in the first phase of the battle was a Macedonian, and the head of the Yugoslav Air Force, which repeatedly bombed Vukovar during the battle, was a Croat. The loss of Slovenia in
26892-638: Was put in charge of the operation against Vukovar. He established new headquarters and command-and-control arrangements to resolve the disorganisation that had hindered the JNA's operations. Panić divided the JNA forces into Northern and Southern Areas of Responsibility (AORs). The northern AOR was assigned to Major General Mladen Bratić , while Colonel Mile Mrkšić was given charge of the south. As well as fresh troops, paramilitary volunteers from Serbia were brought in. They were well armed and highly motivated but often undisciplined and brutal. They were formed into units of company and battalion size as substitutes for
27058-445: Was recorded on 24 January 1963 in Slavonski Brod, and the highest temperature of 40.5 °C (104.9 °F ) was recorded on 5 July 1950 in Đakovo. The lowest level of precipitation is recorded in the eastern parts of Slavonia at less than 700 millimetres (28 inches) per year, mostly during the growing season . The western parts of Slavonia receive 900 to 1,000 millimetres (35 to 39 inches) precipitation. Low winter temperatures and
27224-642: Was signed in 1920, at the end of World War I , between the Allies of World War I and Hungary as one of the successor states to Austria-Hungary. The treaty established the southern border of Hungary along the Drava and Mura rivers, except in Baranya , where only the northern part of the county was kept by Hungary. The territorial acquisition in Baranya was not made a part of Slavonia, even though adjacent to Osijek, because pre-1918 administrative divisions were disestablished by
27390-422: Was started by Croatian Serb militias, supported by the Serbian government and paramilitary groups, who seized control of Serb-populated areas of Croatia. The JNA began to intervene in favour of the rebellion, and conflict broke out in the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia in May 1991. In August, the JNA launched a full-scale attack against Croatian-held territory in eastern Slavonia, including Vukovar. Vukovar
27556-430: Was the first major European town to be entirely destroyed since the Second World War . When Vukovar fell on 18 November 1991, several hundred soldiers and civilians were massacred by Serb forces and at least 20,000 inhabitants were expelled. Overall, around 3,000 people died during the battle. Most of Vukovar was ethnically cleansed of its non-Serb population and became part of the self-declared proto-state known as
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