Vukovar's main street
Vukovar
'Vukovar' (Hungarian: ''Vukovár'') is a city and municipality in eastern
Croatia, and the biggest
river port in Croatia located at the
confluence of the
Vuka river into the
Danube. Vukovar is the center of the
Vukovar-Srijem county. The city's registered population was 30,126 in the 2001 census, up to 31,670 in the municipality.
Name
The name Vukovar (Vukovár, Valkóvár) means "the town on the river Vuka" ('Vuko' from the river Vuka, and 'vár' from the Hungarian word for 'town'). The name of the river Vuka itself originates from the Slavic word "vuk", which means "wolf" in English.
Geography
It is located 20
km east of
Vinkovci, 36 km southeast of
Osijekwith the elevation of 108
m. Vukovar is located on the main road (M7)
Osijek —Vukovar—
Ilok and on the
Vinkovci—Vukovar railway.
Municipality
The municipality contains the villages of
Lipovača,
Sotin (Szata), and
Grabovo.
History
Early history
Slavic tribes settled in this area in the 6th century. In the 9th century, the region was part of the Slavic
Balaton Principality ruled by prince
Pribina, part of the
Pannonian Croatia ruled by prince
Ljudevit, and part of the
Bulgarian Empire, while in the 11th-12th century, the region was part of the
Kingdom of Croatia, while from the 13th to 20th century was part of the
Hungarian Kingdom.
Vukovar was mentioned first in the 13th century as ''Volko'', ''Walk'', ''Wolkov'' (original Croatian/Slavic name of the town was ''Vukovo''). Since the 14th century, the most common name used for the town was ''Vukovár''. In the
Hungarian Kingdom, Vukovár was a seat of the Szerém (Syrmia) county, which was located between rivers
Drava and
Sava. In the 16th-17th century, the town was occupied by the
Ottoman Empire. In the end of the Ottoman rule, its population numbered about 3,000 inhabitants.
Since the end of the 17th century, Vukovar was part of the
Habsburg Monarchy and was included into
Kingdom of Slavonia, a Habsburg province that formally was part of both, the
Kingdom of Croatia and the
Kingdom of Hungary. During this time, Vukovar was a seat of the
Syrmia county. Since 1868, when Kingdom of Slavonia and Kingdom of Croatia were joined into the single Kingdom called
Croatia-Slavonia, Vukovar was part of this kingdom. In 1910, the population of Vukovar numbered 10,359 people, including 4,092 (39.50%)
Croats, 3,503 (33.80%)
Germans, 1,628 (15.70%)
Serbs, 954 (9.20%)
Hungarians, and 183 (1.80%) others.
Since 1918, Vukovar was part of the newly formed
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later known as
Yugoslavia). Between 1918 and 1922, Vukovar was administrative seat of Syrmia (Szerém) county, and between 1922 and 1929 administrative seat of Syrmia oblast. Since 1929, it was part of the
Sava Banovina, and since 1939 part of the
Banovina of Croatia. Between 1941 and 1944, Vukovar was part of the
Independent State of Croatia, and since 1945, it was part of the People's Republic of Croatia within new
socialist Yugoslavia.
Vukovar during the Croatian War of Independence
The water tower in Vukovar, 2005. Heavily damaged in the battle, it has been preserved as a symbol of the town's suffering.
Vukovar was completely devastated during the
Croatian War of Independence. The town with no army had for months warded off the
JNA-supported
Serb paramilitary attacks on the city. 2,000 self-organised defenders (the army of Croatia was still in an embryonic stage at that time) defended the city for approximately 87 days when it was eventually overrun, with the city destroyed almost beyond recognition. It is estimated that 2,000 defenders of Vukovar and civilians were killed, 800 went missing and 22,000 were forced into exile. Serb forces rounded up the wounded (around 200 of them) who were unable to flee the Vukovar Hospital and took them to
Ovčara, where they were executed. This war crime was the subject of an indictment and ongoing trial at the
ICTY in the Hague.
[1]
Vukovar is notorious for the devastation it suffered, the worst in Europe since the
World War II, whilst the defence of Vukovar is famous among military analysts with comparisons made to the
siege of Stalingrad, although Vukovar was on a much smaller scale. The watertower riddled with bullet holes, was retained by city planners to serve as a testimony to the events of the early 1990s.
On
18 November 2006 approximately 25,000 people from all over the country gathered in Vukovar for the 15th anniversary of the fall of the city, where they commemorated those who were killed. A museum dedicated to the siege was opened in the basement of the hospital that was attacked, which has now been rebuilt.
[2]
Demographics
Vukovar municipality within Vukovar-Syrmia County
In the period
1948-
1991 Vukovar's population increased quickly due to industrial development. Primarily it was immigration that fed the growth in the Vukovar region and in the town particularly. The population structure changed significantly too as the number of
Serbs went up considerably compared to the Croat populace. The region's population distribution changed notably too when the town of
Ilok (Újlak) became the second largest town in the region.
The Croats were in the majority in most villages and in the region's eastern part, whereas the Serbs dominated in northwest. Serbs moved to Vukovar from
Kordun,
Banija,
Lika, and
Bosnia and Herzegovina but Vukovar still had a Croatian plurality in 1991, when Croats made up 43% of the population and Serbs 37%. Vukovar's population was ethnically mixed and had 28 nations before the war.
In 2001, the municipality of Vukovar had a population of 31,670 people, including:
[3]
★
Croats (57.46%)
★
Serbs (32.88%)
★
Rusyns (1.79%)
★
Hungarians (1.22%)
Particularly since the war in Croatia, much of the native Croat population has moved to other areas of Croatia or emigrated to
Western Europe (notably
Germany) or
Australia and many Serbs have either moved to
Serbia or to
Canada and Western Europe.
Economy
Vukovar is the largest Croatian town and river
port on the
Danube. Its economy is based on
trade,
farming,
viticulture,
livestock breeding,
textile and
food-processing industry,
footwear industry and
tourism.
Cultural heritage
A restored wooden building
Among a number of attractive buildings, severely damaged in the recent war, the most interesting are the
Eltz Manor of the
Eltz noble family from 18th century,
Baroque buildings in the centre of the town, the
Franciscan monastery, the parish church of
St. James, the
Orthodox church of
St. Nicholas, the birth house of the
Nobel prize winner
Lavoslav Ružička, etc. Since 1998 and peaceful reintegration under Croatian control, many buildings have been rebuilt, but there are many ruins still in the town.
Outside the town, on the banks of the
Danube toward
Ilok (Újlak), lies a notable archaeological site,
Vučedol. The ritual vessel called the
Vučedol Dove (''vučedolska golubica'') is considered the symbol of Vukovar. Vučedol is also a well-known excursion destination, frequented by anglers and bathers, especially the beautiful sand beach on ''Orlov Otok'' (Eagle's Island).
Sports and recreational opportunities are provided at the attractive
confluence of the
Vuka river into the
Danube, on the promenades along the Danube and maintained beaches. Bathing is possible in the summer months.
Angling is very popular both on the
Vuka and the
Danube (
catfish,
European perch,
carp,
pike,
sterlet).
Education
Vukovar has seven
primary schools and five
high schools (including one
gymnasium and one
music school). The city is also home to the Lavoslav Ružička
polytechnic, which offers study opportunities in the fields of
economics and
trade,
law and
kinesitherapy. Additionally, the
University of Split runs dislocated studies in
information technology, economics and law in Vukovar. Similarly, the
University of Osijek offers programmes in economics and law.
Famous people from Vukovar
★
Lavoslav Ružička -
Nobel winner in
chemistry
★
Zaharije Orfelin - Serbian poet
★
Ante Miše - Croatian
football player
★
Dario Zahora - Croatian
football player
★
Tomislav Mikulić - Croatian
football player
★
Siniša Mihajlović - Serbian
football player
★
General Woo - Croatian
rap music singer
★
Blago Zadro - Croatian general
★
Siniša Glavašević - Croatian reporter
★
Pavao Pavličić - Croatian
writer
★
Franjo Benzinger - Croatian pharmacist
★
Tomislav Merčep - Croatian politician
★
Vladimir Štengl - Member of
Croatian parliament
★
Vlado Štefančić - Radio and TV presenter, actor, singer and dancer, theatre director
★
Petar Mlinarić - Member of Croatian parliament
★
Jakob Eltz - German nobleman and former member of Croatian parliament
Twin cities
★ '
Bač',
Serbia [4]
★ '
Dubrovnik',
Croatia
External links
★
Official site
★
Tourist office Vukovar
★
HRT film footage of the 1991 siege and bombardment of Vukovar
★
Vukovar Youth Peace Group "Danube"
★
Tourist office of the Vukovar-Sirmia County
★
Tens of thousands gather for 15th anniversary of Vukovar siege
★
Vukovar Still Divided 15 Years On,''
Institute for War and Peace Reporting'', 24 November 2006
★
Sotin borough
★
HNK Borovo unofficial site
★
HNK Radnicki Official site
★
Village of Sotin in English
★
Sotin - Wiki in German
★
Vukovar, hrvatski grad heroj - istinita priča; Vukovar, heroic city in Croatia - the true story
★
Danube, the river
★
Vučedol culture
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