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156-737: The county's seat is in Vukovar , a town on the Danube river while its biggest town and economic and transportation center is in Vinkovci , town with 33,328 inhabitants. Vinkovci served as a temporary de facto seat of the county during the Croatian War of Independence with some institutions still remaining in the town as of 2020. In 2011 the entire population of the county was 180,117. Other than Vukovar and Vinkovci, settlements with town status are Ilok , Otok and Županja . Vukovar-Srijem County

312-777: A Pan-Slavic congress in Prague between June 2 and June 12, 1848. It was primarily composed of Austroslavs who wanted greater freedom within the Empire, but their status as peasants and proletarians surrounded by a German middle class doomed their autonomy . They also disliked the prospect of annexation of Bohemia to a German Empire. Insurgents quickly lost in street fighting to King Ferdinand's troops led by General Radetzky , prompting several liberal government ministers to resign in protest. Ferdinand, now restored to power in Vienna , appointed conservatives in their places. These actions were

468-712: A Hungarian army. Jelačić then took military action against the Hungarian government without any official order. The national assembly of the Serbs in Austrian Empire was held between 1 and 3 May 1848 in Sremski Karlovci , during which the Serbs proclaimed autonomous Habsburg crownland of Serbian Vojvodina . The war started, leading to clashes as such in Srbobran , where on July 14, 1848, the first siege of

624-522: A Serbian paramilitary group led by Vojislav Šešelj , moved into the Serb-populated village of Borovo Selo just north of Vukovar. On 2 May in Battle of Borovo Selo , 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. On 19 May 1991, a Croatian nationwide referendum on sovereignty

780-606: A considerable blow to the revolutionaries, and by August most of northern Italy was under Radetzky's control. In Bohemia , the leaders of both the German and Czech nationalist movements were both constitutional monarchists, loyal to the Habsburg Emperor. Only a few days after the Emperor reconquered northern Italy, Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz took provocative measures in Prague to prompt street fighting . Once

936-429: A culture that criticized Metternich's government from the city's coffeehouses , salons, and even stages, but prior to 1848 their demands had not even extended to constitutionalism or freedom of assembly , let alone republicanism . They had merely advocated relaxed censorship, freedom of religion , economic freedoms, and, above all, a more competent administration. They were opposed to outright popular sovereignty and

1092-567: A desire to be part of an Italian confederacy of states; but for the Venetian government this lasted only five days, after the 1848 armistice between Austria and Piedmont . A new Hungarian government in Pest announced its intentions to break away from the Empire and elect Ferdinand its King, and a Polish National Committee announced the same for the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria . The victory of

1248-705: A hopeless situation Görgey, signed a surrender at Világos (now Şiria, Romania ) to the Russians, who handed the army over to the Austrians. Slovak Uprising was an uprising of Slovaks against Magyar (i.e. ethnic Hungarian) domination in the Western parts of Upper Hungary (present-day Western Slovakia ), within the 1848/49 revolution in the Habsburg Monarchy. It lasted from September 1848 to November 1849. During this period Slovak patriots established

1404-582: A mayor of Vukovar at that time. Croat refugees from the town were located at refugee centers around the country and the community published the Vukovarske Novine (Vukovar Newspaper) outside of the town. When the main portion of the RSK was defeated in 1995 Operation Storm the new agreement was reached for peaceful settlement of the conflict in Vukovar and the rest of Croatian Podunavlje area known as

1560-475: A nationalist Hungarian leader, Schwarzenberg faced uprisings by Hungarians. Playing on the long-standing Russian tradition of conservativism, he convinced Tsar Nicholas I to send Russian forces in. The Russian army quickly destroyed the rebellion, forcing the Hungarians back under Austrian control. In less than three years, Schwarzenberg had returned stability and control to Austria. However, Schwarzenberg had

1716-693: A nationalist war on March 23 in the Austrian held northern Italian provinces that would consume the attention of the entire peninsula. The German nationalist movement faced the question of whether or not Austria should be included in the united German state, a quandary that divided the Frankfurt National Assembly . The liberal ministers in Vienna were willing to allow elections for the German National Assembly in some of

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1872-603: A speech asserting that Croatian ethnic songs were not only better than Serbian ones but also the best among all the world's cultures. After 1941 Yugoslav coup d'état Luka Puljiz, editor of Srijemski Hrvat , received advance instructions on the procedure of the town capture following the Invasion of Yugoslavia . When the Independent State of Croatia was declared on April 10, 1941, following morning Puljiz group took control of Vukovar by seizing key locations such as

2028-474: A total of 8,000 Croatian civilians and POWs (many following the fall of Vukovar) went through Serb prison camps such as Sremska Mitrovica camp , Velepromet camp , Stajićevo camp , Begejci camp , Niš camp and many others where many were heavily abused and tortured. A total of 300 people never returned from them. A total of 4570 camp inmates have started legal action against the former Republic of Serbia and Montenegro (now Serbia ) for torture and abuse in

2184-512: A united federal Germany composed of only 'German' lands. This would have led to the relationship between Austria and Hungary (as a 'non-German' area) being reduced to a personal union under the Habsburgs, rather than a united state, an unacceptable arrangement for both the Habsburgs and Austro-German liberals in Austria. In the end, Friedrich Wilhelm refused to accept the constitution written by

2340-534: Is a city in Croatia , in the eastern regions of Syrmia and Slavonia . It contains Croatia's largest river port , located at the confluence of the Vuka and the Danube . Vukovar is the seat of Vukovar-Syrmia County and the second largest city in the county after Vinkovci . The city's registered population was 22,616 in the 2021 census, with a total of 23,536 in the municipality. The name Vukovar means 'town on

2496-774: Is according to the census data the county with the highest percentage of ethnic non-Croats in the entire country. Serbs are the largest minority community followed by Hungarians, Rusyns, Slovaks and Bosniaks. Historically large Yugoslav , Danube Swabians , Jewish , Vlachs , Turkish and other communities lived in the region. Census data on Roma in Croatia may not always be reliable due to stigma associated with free expression of ethnic identity in this community. Area of modern-day Vukovar-Srijem County experienced number of spontaneous or state organized voluntary and involuntary waves of violent and peaceful emigration , immigration and politically motivated population persecution. Members of

2652-489: Is at the same time. The Austrian Constituent Assembly was divided into a Czech faction, a German faction, and a Polish faction, and within each faction was the political left-right spectrum. Outside the Assembly, petitions, newspapers, mass demonstrations, and political clubs put pressure on their new governments and often expressed violently many of the debates that were occurring within the assembly itself. The Czechs held

2808-577: Is below the 5% required to be assigned any seats in the Assembly. Directly elected minority councils and representatives are tasked with consulting tasks for the local or regional authorities in which they are advocating for minority rights and interests, integration into public life and participation in the management of local affairs. At the 2023 Croatian national minorities councils and representatives elections Bosniaks , Hungarians , Pannonian Rusyns , Slovaks and Serbs of Croatia each fulfilled legal requirements to elect 25 members minority councils of

2964-488: Is composed of 37 elected representatives. Out of a total of 145,082 eligible voters 72,587 (50.03%) participated in the elections and 72,558 (50.01%) submitted their ballots. There were 68,401 (94.27%) valid and 4,157 (5.73%) invalid ballots. The Croatian Democratic Union got 27,460 (40.14%) ballots and 16 elected representatives, the Homeland Movement got 16,072 ballots (23.49%) and nine elected representatives,

3120-490: Is ethnically most diverse county in Croatia with Croat majority and significant Serb , Hungarian , Pannonian Rusyns , Bosniak , Ukrainian and Slovak communities. The county was one of the most affected regions by the Croatian War of Independence and today belongs to the group of the least developed counties in Croatia with significant part of it being classified as an Areas of Special State Concern . The name of

3276-610: Is Čukala, on the Fruška Gora , at 294 meters (965 ft), and its lowest point is on the Spačva River at 78 meters (256 ft) within the Spačva basin. Vukovar-Srijem County has a moderate continental climate , with a yearly average of 11 °C (52 °F). The county has an average annual rainfall of 650 mm (26 in) in the east, up to 800 mm (31 in) in western parts (25.6 to 31.5 in). The Vukovar-Srijem County borders

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3432-604: The 2011 Croatian census , the Serb population of the city has exceeded one third, which is the legal prerequisite for the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet to gain constitutionally protected co-official status. In 2013, this re-ignited political discussion on the matter, which had already arisen in 2009 after the local promulgation of Serbian Cyrillic as available for public use. According to the 2021 census, Serbs make up less than one third which removes constitutional guarantees on

3588-553: The 2013 enlargement of the European Union all communities in the county were affected by significantly increased levels of emigration to Western Europe ( Germany , Ireland , Austria , United Kingdom ). Vukovar-Srijem County was one of the Croatian counties most directly exposed to European migrant crisis yet it served almost exclusively as a transit point. As a response to this development new permanent immigration center

3744-559: The Austrian Empire from March 1848 to November 1849. Much of the revolutionary activity had a nationalist character: the Empire, ruled from Vienna , included ethnic Germans , Hungarians , Poles , Bohemians ( Czechs ), Ruthenians ( Ukrainians ), Slovenes , Slovaks , Romanians , Croats , Italians , and Serbs ; all of whom attempted in the course of the revolution to either achieve autonomy , independence , or even hegemony over other nationalities. The nationalist picture

3900-742: The Bridge of Independent Lists with Croatian Sovereignists 8,755 ballots (12.79%) and five elected representatives, the Social Democratic Party of Croatia got 5,113 ballots (7.47%) and three elected representatives, the Independent Democratic Serb Party got 4,943 ballots (7.22%) and two elected representatives, and independent politician Tomislav Panenić's list got 3,664 ballots (5,35%) and two elected representatives. Ethnic Serb independent politician Dragan Crnogorac 's list got 2,394 ballots (3.49%), which

4056-773: The Croatian Peasant Party (HSS), its editor, Luka Puljiz, was a committed Ustaša and leader in the movement's local cell. On 15 November 1939 Srijemski Hrvat discussed local Germans' support for the central government in Belgrade and invited them to back the Croatian Peasant Party-led regime in Zagreb instead. While it mentioned Germans, Hungarians, Czechs, Ukrainians, and Slovaks as relevant national minorities, Jews, Serbs, and Roma were notably excluded. On November 5, 1939 Nikola Andrić gave

4212-561: The Diet (parliament) of Lower Austria at Niederösterreichisches Landeshaus (Estates House of Lower Austria) in March demanded the resignation of Prince Metternich , the conservative State Chancellor and Foreign Minister. With no forces rallying to Metternich's defense, nor word from Ferdinand I of Austria to the contrary, he resigned on 13 March. Metternich fled to London, and Ferdinand appointed new, nominally liberal, ministers. By November,

4368-569: The Erdut Agreement . By 1996, Vukovar became demilitarised after local Serb units demobilised and transferred their heavy weapons across the border to Yugoslavia. The agreement led to the establishment of the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) which effectively governed the region from its seat in Vukovar until 1998 when the region

4524-521: The Habsburg lands, but it was undetermined which Habsburg territories would participate. Hungary and Galicia were clearly not German; German nationalists (who dominated the Bohemian Diet ) felt the old crown lands rightfully belonged to a united German state, despite the fact that the majority of the people of Bohemia and Moravia spoke Czech — a Slavic language . Czech nationalists viewed

4680-553: The Habsburg Monarchy (until 1804), Austrian Empire (1804–1867) and Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). The historical Slavonian Syrmia County , with its seat also in Vukovar, existed for most of the period between 1745 and 1922. During the revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire the historical county and parts of the Military Frontier, including most of modern Vukovar-Srijem County, briefly became part of

4836-455: The Habsburg monarchy , Slavonia ( Transleithania after the compromise of 1867 ), and soon after in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia , created when the Kingdom of Slavonia and the Kingdom of Croatia were merged in 1868. Vukovar was left with an almost empty town, with only about fifty houses. The indigenous population is returning to the devastated area, as well as new residents. Because of

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4992-465: The October Crisis in Vienna, when insurgents attacked a garrison on its way to Hungary to support Croatian forces under Jelačić. After Vienna was recaptured by imperial forces, General Windischgrätz and 70,000 troops were sent to Hungary to crush the Hungarian revolution and as they advanced the Hungarian government evacuated Pest. However the Austrian army had to retreat after heavy defeats in

5148-541: The Operation Flash Serbian refugees from western Slavonia settled in the region yet majority of them together with some of the locals emigrated during and after the reintegration process. After the war Croatia state organized return of expelled Croats and provided housing for significant number of ethnic Croat refugees from Bosnian Posavina which became part of the Republika Srpska . After

5304-476: The Osijek-Baranja County to the north and west, Brod-Posavina County to the west, Bosnian and Herzegovinian entity of Republika Srpska to the south and south-west and Brčko District to south, Posavina Canton to south-west and Serbian Srem District to south-east and South Bačka District to north-east. The Croatian Government has claims on the islands of Šarengrad and Vukovar on

5460-723: The Slovak National Council as their political representation and military units known as the Slovak Volunteer Corps. The political, social and national requirements of the Slovak movement were declared in the document entitled "Demands of the Slovak Nation" from April 1848. The Serb Revolution of 1848 was an uprising of Serbs living in Délvidék against Magyar domination. The majority of

5616-571: The Vučedol locality, is particularly significant for the Vukovar area. In 1938, the Vučedol dove was found at that location, which later became a symbol of the town. The Vučedol Orion, also found on Vučedol, is equally important and is considered the oldest Indo-European calendar. In the area of Vukovar, there are numerous archaeological sites from the Bronze , Early and Younger Iron Ages , from which we can see

5772-425: The forced labour of detainees; the "extermination or murder of hundreds of Croat and other non-Serb civilians" in ten Croatian towns and villages including Vukovar; and the "torture, beatings and killings of detainees", including 264 victims seized from Vukovar Hospital. His trial was abandoned in 2014 after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer ; he died two years later at the age of 57. The battle exhausted

5928-417: The universal franchise . More to the left was a radicalized, impoverished intelligentsia . Educational opportunities in 1840s Austria had far outstripped employment opportunities for the educated. The industrial revolution , which spread to Austria in the 1840s, has been cited as a key factor leading up to the 1848 revolution, and argued to be a far greater contributor than intellectual developments in

6084-488: The 1948 census, Vukovar had over 17,000 inhabitants. Croats and Serbs tensions in the town escalated during the latter half of the 1930s. An incident in 1937 involved a Serb student bringing a pistol to Vukovar High School and threatening to kill a Croat classmate. At the time of 1938 Yugoslavian parliamentary election , Vukovar's Ustaša used a slogans referencing an Ustaša paramilitary training camps in Hungary. After

6240-721: The 19th century. The industrial revolution had hurt small businesses and brought poor working conditions, which made ordinary citizens - namely the middle and lower classes - more receptive to revolutionary thought. In 1845, potato blight arrived in Belgium from North America, thus starting the Hungry Forties . As the disease quickly spread throughout Europe, the major calorie source for the poorer population failed and food prices soared. In 1846 there had been an uprising of Polish nobility in Austrian Galicia , which

6396-704: The 6th century. In the 9th century the region was part of the Slavic Principality of Lower Pannonia ruled by prince Pribina , and part of the Bulgarian Empire . In the first half of the 10th century, the Vukovo fortress was looted by the Hungarians . In the 11th–12th century, the region was part of the Kingdom of Croatia ; from the 13th to 16th century part of the Kingdom of Hungary ; and between 1526 and 1687 under Ottoman rule. Vukovar

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6552-522: The Assembly. Schwarzenberg dissolved the Hungarian Parliament in 1849, imposing his own constitution that conceded nothing to the liberal movement. Appointing Alexander Bach head of internal affairs, he oversaw the creation of the Bach system, which rooted out political dissent and contained liberals within Austria and quickly returned the status quo. After the deportation of Lajos Kossuth ,

6708-436: The Austrian Empire saw several short-lived liberal governments under five successive minister-presidents of Austria : Count Kolowrat (17 March–4 April), Count Ficquelmont (4 April–3 May), Baron Pillersdorf (3 May–8 July), Baron Doblhoff-Dier (8 July–18 July) and Baron Wessenberg (19 July–20 November). The established order collapsed rapidly because of the weakness of the Austrian armies. Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky

6864-520: The Austrian Empire. Lombardy-Venetia was quickly brought back under Austrian rule in the mainland, even because popular support for the revolution vanished: revolutionary ideals were often limited to part of middle and upper classes, which failed both to gain "hearts and minds" of lower classes and to convince the population about Italian nationalism . Most part of lower classes indeed were quite indifferent, and actually most part of Lombard and Venetian troops remained loyal. The only widespread support to

7020-533: The Croat-led coalition won the town election, a group of Croat high school students celebrated the victory by chanting pro-Croatian and anti-Yugoslav sentiments in the streets. The local newspaper Srijemski Hrvat , which was published in Vukovar from November 1939 to January 1941, showed a clear increase in Ustašist influence as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia approached its collapse. Although it was officially aligned with

7176-523: The Cyrillic Script was introduced on April 25, 1941. Ustaša regime spread its ideology in Vukovar through various means, including the weekly newspaper Hrvatski Borac (" Croat Fighter "), which circulated from December 1941 to June 1942. The paper was edited by Dr. Vilko Anderlić, a Catholic priest from a nearby village of Sotin . In the Vukovar area, Ustaša authorities did not immediately launch large-scale killings against Serb communities in

7332-472: The Danube Valley through the Vukovar area. After steam ships were introduced in the mid-19th century, and with the arrival of present-day tourist ships, Vukovar is connected with Budapest and Vienna upstream and all the way to Romania downstream. The Vukovar harbour is an important import and export station. The Danube has always been and remains the connection of the people of Vukovar with Europe and

7488-494: The Danube countries by ship. Numerous guild organizations were founded to protect craftsmen. Vukovar is the main center of trade for the entire western Srijem. The Vukovar area has very good conditions for agriculture. Almost 80% of the population lived from agriculture. In addition to basic grain production, viticulture is also important, and horse studs are also famous. Since 1840, Vukovar has had permanent steamboat lines on

7644-427: The Danube river, which are under Serbian control. The population of Vukovar-Srijem County at the time of 2011 Census was 179,521 making it the 7th most populous county of Croatia . Historically, the population was highest in 1991 when it peaked at little over 230 thousand inhabitants. According to the 2001 census, Croats with 160,227 individuals constitute 78.27% of the county's entire population. Ethnic Serbs are

7800-458: The Danube, and since 1878 it has been connected to the railway. The port of Vukovar is the largest port in Croatia. The industry developed slowly due to lack of capital. According to the population census from 1900, Vukovar has 10,400 inhabitants, including about 4,000 Croats, 3,500 Germans, about 1,600 Serbs, 950 Hungarians, etc. In 1905, the first major industrial enterprise, the spinning mill, began operating in Vukovar. In 1745, Vukovar became

7956-557: The Fifth Vojvodina Strike Brigade and 62 Red Army soldiers. In 2008 an unexploded bomb was found in the city from this period. Between 1945 and 1991, Vukovar was part of the Socialist Republic of Croatia within the new Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . During this period Vukovar developed into a multicultural community and an important industrial centre with a standard of living among

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8112-530: The Hungarian government ministers attempted to gain Habsburg support against Jelačić by offering to send troops to northern Italy. Additionally, they attempted to come to terms with Jelačić himself, but he insisted on the recentralization of Habsburg authority as a pre-condition to any talks. By the end of August, the imperial government in Vienna officially ordered the Hungarian government in Pest to end plans for

8268-615: The Hungarian nobility. These demands were not easy for the imperial court to accept, however, its weak position provided little choice. One of the first tasks of the Diet was abolishing serfdom, which was announced on March 18, 1848. The Hungarian government set limits on the political activity of both the Croatian and Romanian national movements. Croats and Romanians had their own desires for self-rule and saw no benefit in replacing one central government for another. Armed clashes between

8424-483: The Hungarians and the Croats , Romanians , Serbs , along one border and Slovaks on the other ensued. In some cases, this was a continuation and an escalation of previous tensions, such as the 1845 July victims in Croatia. The Habsburg Kingdom of Croatia and the Kingdom of Slavonia severed relations with the new Hungarian government in Pest and devoted itself to the imperial cause. Conservative Josip Jelačić , who

8580-408: The Independent State of Croatia and Romani genocide by destruction of Vinkovci Synagogue , devastation of Vukovar Synagogue , Dudik Killings , Ivanci massacre and other crimes in the region. Yugoslav Partisans , Europe's most effective anti- Axis resistance movement , was active at the Fruška Gora mountain and in villages alongside Zagreb–Belgrade railway (today M105 railway ). The region

8736-402: The Independent State of Croatia during the World War II in Yugoslavia . The monument at the Dudik Memorial Park, built from 1978 to 1980, is designed by Bogdan Bogdanović , for which he won the International Piranesi Award . At least 1027 soldiers of the Bulgarian Armed Forces who fought on Syrmian Front died during the liberation of Vukovar and related fights and are today commemorated at

8892-415: The JNA and proved a turning point in the Croatian War of Independence . A ceasefire was declared a few weeks later. Vukovar served as de facto seat of the self-proclaimed Serbian Autonomous Oblast SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia , the entity which joined the separatist self-declared proto-state Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK) in 1992 as an exclave. Vojislav Stanimirović served as

9048-408: The Piedmontese return to war. Renewed military conflicts cost the Empire the little that remained of its finances. Another challenge to Habsburg authority came from Germany and the question of either "big Germany" (united Germany led by Austria) or "little Germany" (united Germany led by Prussia). The Frankfurt National Assembly proposed a constitution with Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia as monarch of

9204-497: The President of the Presidency from SR Croatia Ivo Latin , president of the Trade Union of Yugoslavia Marjan Orožen and the President of the Assembly Dušan Popovski . After that, they returned to Dom Sindikata from where they returned to Vukovar late at night. 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 ,

9360-489: The Republic Square in front of the Workers’ Hall . On evening of 5 July 1988 a group of workers decided to travel to Belgrade to share their dissatisfaction with the federal institutions, with formal union buses and trucks joining this action once the initial group already reached Tovarnik . At 3 am next day a group of 1,500 workers arrived at the Dom Sindikata where they kept trying to present their case until 9 am, to no avail. They decided to move their action to

9516-557: The Republic of Serbian Krajina there was no direct physical connection between the Krajina and Eastern Slavonia, and no later than 1994 there was effective detachment and schism between Pale -aligned and more hardline Knin administration and more compromising and Belgrade aligned Vukovar administration. Complete military defeat of Krajina during the Operation Storm and perception that similar or more devastating fate may follow up in Eastern Slavonia increased willingness to compromise and commitment on all sides to pursue peaceful resolution of

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9672-426: The Serbs there sided with the Austrians. However, there were also some exceptions, e.g. General János Damjanich of the Hungarian Revolutionary Army . Revolutionary movements of 1849 faced an additional challenge: to work together to defeat a common enemy. Previously, national identity allowed Habsburg forces to conquer revolutionary governments by playing them off one another. New democratic initiatives in Italy in

9828-422: The Slavonian Military Frontier was abolished and large parts of it were merged into Syrmia County. Between 1881 and 1922 it covered the contemporary county and the area of modern-day Srem District (except Mačvanska Mitrovica ), Zemun , Surčin and New Belgrade subdivisions of Belgrade , easternmost parts of Brod-Posavina County and Petrovaradin , Beočin , Neštin , Vizić and Sremski Karlovci . Some of

9984-404: The Spring Campaign of the Hungarian Army from March to May 1849. Instead of pursuing the Austrian army, the Hungarians stopped to retake the Fort of Buda and prepared defenses. In June 1849 Russian and Austrian troops entered Hungary heavily outnumbering the Hungarian army. Kossuth abdicated on August 11, 1849, in favour of Artúr Görgey , who he thought was the only general who was capable of saving

10140-402: The Vuka River' ( Vuko from the Vuka River, and vár from the Hungarian word for 'fortress'). The river was called "Ulca" in antiquity, probably from an Illyrian language. Its name might be related to the name of the river "Volga". In other languages, the city in German is known as Wukowar and in Hungarian as Vukovár or Valkóvár . In the late 17th century, the medieval Croatian name Vukovo

10296-418: The Vukovar suburb Borovo Naselje. Vukovar is located in the Eastern part of Croatia and is the centre of the Vukovar-Syrmia County defined part of the Pannonian Plain . Its location places it at the border of historical provinces Eastern Slavonia and Western Syrmia . The city is positioned on important transport routes. Since time immemorial transport routes from the northwest to the southeast were active in

10452-559: The Vukovar-Srijem County is derived from the name of its seat town of Vukovar and the standard Croatian name of the region of Syrmia . The name is formed out of the possessive adjective for the two eponymous with literal English translation being the Vukovarian-Syrmian County. The larger historical Syrmia County also covered large parts of modern Serbia and the easternmost part of Brod-Posavina County (see § Habsburg Empire and Austria-Hungary ). In other minority languages used officially in certain towns, municipalities or villages of

10608-533: The Vukovar-Srijem County the entity is known as: Serbian Cyrillic : Вуковарско-сријемска жупанија / Вуковарско-сремска жупанија , Hungarian : Vukovár-Szerém megye , Slovak : Vukovarsko-sriemska župa , Rusyn : Жупа Вуковар-Срѣм and Ukrainian : Вуковарсько-Сремська жупанія . In historically relevant languages the county is known as German : Gespanschaft Vukovar-Syrmien , Latin : Cornacensis-Sirmiensis , Hebrew : מחוז ווקובאר-סריימיה and Church Slavonic : Вльковарьскосрємьскꙑ жоупаниѩ . The area of

10764-550: The Vukovar-Srijem County while Albanians , Germans and Ukrainians of Croatia electing individual representatives with Roma representative remaining unelected due to the lack of candidates. Numerous municipalities, towns or cities in the county elected their own local minority councils as well. Vukovar-Srijem County has 85 settlements, and is divided into five towns and 26 municipalities. Vukovar Vukovar ( pronounced [ʋûkoʋaːr] ; Serbian Cyrillic : Вуковар , Hungarian : Vukovár , German: Wukowar )

10920-413: The already conservative Austrian Empire moved further away from ideas of the Age of Enlightenment , restricted freedom of the press, limited many university activities, and banned fraternities. Conflicts between debtors and creditors in agricultural production as well as over land use rights in parts of Hungary led to conflicts that occasionally erupted into violence. Conflict over organized religion

11076-413: The arrival of Hungarian troops as the only force able to stand up against the court and ministry. The radicals took control of the city for only a short period of time. Windisch-Grätz led soldiers from Prussia to quickly defeat the insurgents. Windisch-Grätz restored imperial authority to the city. The reconquering of Vienna was seen as a defeat over German nationalism. At this point, Ferdinand I named

11232-649: The barricades went up, he led Habsburg troops to crush the insurgents. After having taken back the city, he imposed martial law, ordered the Prague National Committee dissolved, and sent delegates to the "Pan-Slavic" Congress home. These events were applauded by German nationalists, who failed to understand that the Habsburg military would crush their own national movement as well. Attention then turned to Hungary. War in Hungary again threatened imperial rule and prompted Emperor Ferdinand and his court to once more flee Vienna. Viennese radicals welcomed

11388-481: The battle for the town, 1,800 self-organised lightly armed defenders and civilian volunteers (the army of Croatia was still in its infancy at this time) defended the city for 87 days against approximately 36,000 troops of the Serb-dominated JNA equipped with heavy armour and artillery who lost 110 vehicles and tanks and dozens of planes during the battle. The city suffered heavy damage during the siege and

11544-469: The camps. The damage to Vukovar during the siege has been called the worst in Europe since World War II , drawing comparisons with Stalingrad . The city's water tower , 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

11700-467: The city was bombed by the Allies. The first Yugoslav Partisans uprising in the district ( kotar ) of Vukovar happened on 26 August 1941 in the village of Bobota with subsequent continued dominant role of ethnic Serbs in the uprising who will constitute 75% of Yugoslav Partisans in the area as of late 1943. Today, Dudik Memorial Park commemorates 455 individuals who were executed by the authorities of

11856-470: The city was recorded in documents as Walco, Vlcou, Volkow, Walko, Wlkoy, and then the Hungarian variant of the city's name – Wolcowar (for the first time in 1323) was mentioned more and more often. Since 1691, the town has been developing on the right bank of the Vuka, initially under the name Vukovarski otok (Insula Vukovariensis); since then, the Hungarian name Vukovar has supplanted the medieval Croatian name of

12012-573: The city. The administrative municipal area of the city contains the following settlements : In SFR Yugoslavia , the municipalities were generally larger, and the Vukovar municipality spanned the region from Vera and Borovo in the north, Ilok in the east and Tovarnik in the south, but it has since been divided into several municipalities. Historically, Vukovar was divided into the Old Vukovar, New Vukovar and former workers' Bata village with Bata Shoes (now Borovo) factory, today known as

12168-665: The conflict. As the result of the War Vukovar became known in majority Croat community as the Hero City and is today a common emotional patriotic or nationalist reference commemorated officially as a Remembrance Day public holiday on November 18. On 12 November 1995 Erdut Agreement between the authorities of the Republic of Croatia and the local Serb authorities of the Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia

12324-462: The country. At its peak, the company contributed 3/4 of the municipal tax revenue. Following the 1970s energy crisis the company started producing for other companies in the world including for Puma in 1979. As the economic crisis in the country deepened workers from Borovo started their first strike action, which lasted between 19 and 24 August 1987. The " Large Strike " ( Croatian : Veliki štrajk ) started on 2 July 1988 with daily rallies at

12480-575: The county has been inhabited since Neolithic times famous for its Vučedol culture and La Tène culture sites. It includes exceptionally rich archaeological sites, listed among the most important sites of southern Europe many of which are preserved today at the Vučedol Culture Museum . During the classical times, the Danube river was a part of the Danubian Limes . It was a birthplace of Roman emperors Valentinian I and Valens while

12636-644: The county, including the Joint Council of Municipalities , the Independent Democratic Serb Party , and Radio Borovo . There is one elementary school in Korođ offering education in Hungarian language . The oldest mosque in Croatia in continuous use is Gunja Mosque located in the village of Gunja . Following the 2021 Croatian local elections the Assembly of the Vukovar-Srijem County

12792-463: The deportation of Serb agricultural colonists. On April 19, 1941 the regime appointed commissioners to Jewish and Serb firms. Additionally local Ustašas executed several individuals suspected of anti-Croat activities. More decrees suspended judiciary staff and public employees, giving the state the power to dismiss Jews, Serbs, and Croats with Yugoslav affiliations. Decree on the Prohibition of

12948-459: The empire nearly bankrupt and in continual need of soldiers. Draft commissions led to brawls between soldiers and civilians. All of this further agitated the peasantry, who resented their remaining feudal obligations. Despite lack of freedom of the press and association, there was a flourishing liberal German culture among students and those educated in German universities. They published pamphlets and newspapers discussing education and language;

13104-705: The entire region was oriented towards the nearby Sirmium , a city declared one of four capitals of the Roman Empire in 294. During the Ottoman Hungary period the region was a part of the Sanjak of Syrmia with seat in contemporary town of Ilok . The Ottoman Empire retreated from the region after the signing of the 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz . The region became a part of the Habsburg Kingdom of Slavonia and Slavonian Military Frontier as part of

13260-445: The establishment of self-proclaimed SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia which subsequently joined the as well self-declared Republic of Serbian Krajina . The region was ethnically cleansed of its Croat and some other non-Serb population leading to some of the most serious violation of human rights including Erdut killings , Lovas killings , Dalj massacre , Tovarnik massacre , Vukovar massacre and other crimes . Within

13416-542: The fall of the city to commemorate those who were killed during the siege. A museum dedicated to the siege was opened in the basement of a now rebuilt hospital that had been damaged during the battle. On 27 September 2007 the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted two former JNA officers, Mile Mrkšić and Veselin Šljivančanin , for their involvement in the Vukovar massacre . The International Criminal Tribunal for

13572-617: The far northeastern part of Croatia , in the regions of eastern Slavonia and west Syrmia . Total area of the county is 2,454 km. Two major rivers run through the county, the Danube and the Sava , and two smaller rivers, the Bosut and the Vuka . The Bosut is a tributary of the Sava river, while the Vuka is a tributary of the Danube. Small Bosut tributaries within the water-land Spačva basin are Spačva and Studva . The county's highest point

13728-443: The final break between Vienna and Pest occurred when Field Marshal Count Franz Philipp von Lamberg was given control of all armies in Hungary (including Jelačić's). In response to Lamberg being attacked on arrival in Hungary a few days later, the imperial court ordered the Hungarian parliament and government dissolved. Jelačić was appointed to take Lamberg's place. War between Austria and Hungary had officially begun. The war led to

13884-521: The first mass killing phase from April to May 1941 which targeted area that lacked significant economic value. Wealthier regions such as Vukovar saw a more restrained approach, as peace and order were crucial for the continuity of industry and agriculture. Mass shootings in town began in late July 1941 after the first act of resistance in the Serb village of Bobota . The following day, the Ustaša forces encircled

14040-418: The former Yugoslavia's last remaining fugitive, Goran Hadžić, was captured by Serbian authorities in 2011. Hadžić was indicted on 14 counts, including multiple related to Vukovar. The charges included criminal involvement in the "deportation or forcible transfer of tens of thousands of Croat and other non-Serb civilians" from Croatian territory between June 1991 and December 1993, including 20,000 from Vukovar;

14196-411: The further development of the city. The citizens of Vukovar received privileges from King Ludovik of Anjou, which included the holding of weekly fairs, which led to further stronger economic growth. Due to trade levies, the city's income also increases. The county was densely populated, and according to written sources, it had 33 forts, 34 shops and 1,182 villages, settlements and inhabited estates. Vukovar

14352-695: The highest in Yugoslavia. One of the symbols of this industrialization was the Borovo company with over 22,000 employees in late 1980s. The company already reached its prewar employment levels in 1949, with the number of employees growing to 5,215 in 1955 and 10,572 in 1965, many of whom were from surrounding villages as well as from the rest of Slavonia, Vojvodina and other parts of Yugoslavia. Separate production sites were open in Prijedor , Sombor , Donji Miholjac , Odžak and Lovas with 622 shops all around

14508-717: The language as far more significant, calling for a boycott of the Frankfurt Parliament elections in Bohemia, Moravia, and neighboring Austrian Silesia (also partly Czech-speaking). Tensions in Prague between German and Czech nationalists grew quickly between April and May. After the abolition of serfdom on April 17, Supreme Ruthenian Council was established in Galicia to promote the unification of ethnic Ukrainian lands of Eastern Galicia, Transcarpathia and Bukovina in one province. Ukrainian language department

14664-549: The largest ethnic minority making 15.45% or 31,644 individuals. Other ethnic groups are Hungarians 2,047 (1%), Rusyns 1,796 (0.88%), Slovaks 1,338 (0.65%), Bosniaks 1,138 (0.54%). The largest Hungarian community is in Tordinci (18% of total population in the municipality), for Rusyns is Bogdanovci (23%), and for Bosniaks is Gunja (34%); while 78% of total Slovak population in the county live in Ilok . Vukovar-Srijem County

14820-474: The leader of the lower gentry in the Diet. In 1848, news of the outbreak of revolution in Paris arrived as a new national cabinet took power under Kossuth, and the Diet approved a sweeping reform package, referred to as the " April laws " (also "March laws"), that changed almost every aspect of Hungary's economic, social, and political life: (The April laws based on the 12 points: In April 1848, Hungary became

14976-732: The local Bulgarian Military Cemetery . An additional monument was erected in Borovo Naselje to commemorate the soldiers of the Yugoslav and the Soviet Red Army who lost their lives in the liberation of the region between April 8 and 12 of 1944. The monument was built by workers from the Borovo factory. Vukovar's memorial ossuary contains the remains of 388 victims transferred from the Dudik memorial area, including 155 soldiers from

15132-409: The majority in most villages and in the region's eastern part, whereas the Serbs dominated in the northwest. Vukovar's population was ethnically mixed and had 28 ethnic groups before the war. Since the boundaries of the municipality have changed a few times, there are significant differences in the population census between 1961 and 1971, and 1991 and 2001. Particularly since the war in Croatia, much of

15288-623: The minority language protections with some commentators criticizing the abolition of already acquired rights including the President of the Constitutional Court of Croatia Miroslav Šeparović . Revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire Revolutionaries [REDACTED]   Austrian Empire The Revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire were a set of revolutions that took place in

15444-702: The modern Vukovar-Srijem County was mostly contained with Sava Banovina. In 1939 Sava Banovina was merged into the Banovina of Croatia and its borders extended, encompassing all of the modern county. During World War II the region was part of the Nazi puppet Independent State of Croatia , mostly within Vuka County , with southern parts falling within Posavje County . The puppet state and Nazi forces conducted criminal policy of Holocaust , Genocide of Serbs in

15600-510: The most bitter. Despite this, the Hungarian government hired a new commander and attempted to unite with Romanian democrat Avram Iancu , who was known as Crăişorul Munţilor ("The Prince of the Mountains"). However, division and mistrust were too severe. Three days after the start of hostilities in Italy, Charles Albert of Sardinia abdicated the throne of Piedmont-Savoy, essentially ending

15756-623: The nation. However, in May 1849, Czar Nicholas I pledged to redouble his efforts against the Hungarian Government. He and Emperor Franz Joseph started to regather and rearm an army to be commanded by Anton Vogl, the Austrian lieutenant-field-marshal. The Czar was also preparing to send 30,000 Russian soldiers back over the Eastern Carpathian Mountains from Poland. On August 13, after several bitter defeats in

15912-672: The native Croat population has moved to other areas of Croatia or emigrated to Western Europe (notably Germany or Austria) and many Serbs have either moved to Serbia or to Canada and Western Europe. Fifteen years after the war, in 2006, the city's ethnic makeup showed equal percentages of Croat and Serb residents. The city remains very divided, as a deeper sense of reconciliation has failed to take root. The ethnic communities remain separated by mistrust, divided institutions and disappointment. Separate schooling for Croat and Serb children remains in place. Incidents involving Croats and Serbs occur regularly, and public spaces have become identified not by

16068-470: The nearby building of the Parliament of Yugoslavia afterwards. After nobody addressed them for hours the group decided to push through the police cordons and to enter the building of parliament while singing " Druže Tito, da ti je ustati, pa da vidiš kako narod pati " ( Comrade Tito if only you could raise and see how the people suffer ). They stayed in the building until 5 pm, meeting with

16224-629: The need for basic liberal reforms was assumed. These middle class liberals largely understood and accepted that forced labor is not efficient, and that the Empire should adopt a wage labor system. The question was how to institute such reforms. Notable liberal clubs of the time in Vienna included the Legal-Political Reading Club (established 1842) and Concordia Society (1840). They, like the Lower Austrian Manufacturers' Association (1840) were part of

16380-603: The need for labor, Orthodox Serbs are settling. In the 18th and 19th centuries, a considerable number of Germans , Hungarians , Jews, Ruthenians , Slovaks and Ukrainians arrived. Thus, Vukovar becomes a multinational city. After the end of the Ottoman domination (in the 16th and 17th centuries), the German Counts of Eltz bought a large part of the Vukovar area which was known as the Lordship of Vukovar and for

16536-459: The next two centuries they would have a great influence on the economy and culture of Vukovar. Counts Eltz , German nobility, come into possession of the manor in Vukovar. Philip Karl Eltz, Archbishop of Mainz , in 1736 buys this huge property with more than 30 inhabited places. At the beginning of this period, almost half of the inhabitants of Vukovar were craftsmen and merchants. Crafts, trade, shipbuilding are developing. Goods are shipped to

16692-460: The noble Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg head of government. Schwarzenberg, a consummate statesman, persuaded the feeble-minded Ferdinand to abdicate the throne to his 18-year-old nephew, Franz Joseph . Parliamentarians continued to debate, but had no authority on state policy. Both the Czech and Italian revolutions were defeated by the Habsburgs. Prague was the first victory of counter-revolution in

16848-492: The official status of Serbian Cyrillic in the town. Croatian law, however, explicitly permits local authorities to introduce co-official languages even when there is less than one third of minority population (notably, but not exclusively, Istria County ) with domestic and internal stakeholders calling upon the town of Vukovar to consider this option even before 2011 census. Following the publication of 2021 census results, mayor of Vukovar nevertheless announced intention to scrap

17004-413: The ones who supported the broadest franchise, lost under the system they advocated because they were not the locally influential and affluent men. The mixed results led to confrontations similar to the "June Days" uprising in Paris. Additionally, these constituent assemblies were charged with the impossible task of managing both the needs of the people of the state and determining what that state physically

17160-711: The party of movement was looked at as an opportunity for lower classes to renew old conflicts with greater anger and energy. Several tax boycotts and attempted murders of tax collectors occurred in Vienna . Assaults against soldiers were common, including against Radetzky's troops retreating from Milan . The archbishop of Vienna was forced to flee, and in Graz, the convent of the Jesuits was destroyed. The demands of nationalism and its contradictions became apparent as new national governments began declaring power and unity. Charles Albert of Sardinia , King of Piedmont-Savoy, initiated

17316-469: The people of Vukovar. From the contents of the charter, it can be seen that at that moment, an ethnically diverse population was already living in Vukovar. The inhabitants of Vukovar were engaged in trade and crafts. Vukovo County was quite densely populated in the Middle Ages. Vukovar entered the Middle Ages as a suburb with roads, and then a fortress was built. The royal administration is important for

17472-556: The post office, police station, and town hall. The Ustaša authorities across the NDH began issuing anti-Jewish and anti-Serb laws, effectively placing both groups outside the law. On April 10, 1941, a decree barred Serbs and Jews from serving in the NDH army. A subsequent decree on April 17, 1941 allowed for arrests based on "anti-Croat" activities without specifying exact crimes. Further decrees on April 18, 1941 targeted Serbs and Jews, nullifying legal contracts involving Jews and preparing for

17628-497: The process of reintegration where she was attacked by the Serbian population with eggs and stones at the local market. UNTAES facilitated reintegration by gradual transition and invitation of Croatian officials so that in late 1996 President of Croatia Franjo Tuđman visited Vukovar for the first time where he participated in the meeting between Serb and Croat delegation. President Tuđman visited Vukovar again on 8 June 1997 in what

17784-470: The revolution was in the cities of Milan and Venice , with the Republic of San Marco lasting under siege until 28th of August, 1849 . The Hungarian Diet was reconvened in 1825 to handle financial needs. A liberal party emerged in the Diet. The party focused on providing for the peasantry in mostly symbolic ways because of their inability to understand the needs of the laborers. Lajos Kossuth emerged as

17940-419: The right to levy taxes on passages along the Danube and the Vuka. In 1231, Vukovar received the status of a royal free city . Duke Koloman gave Vukovar the status of a free royal city, in order to encourage further development of the city. His charter meant that the residents of Vukovar were directly subject to the king, not the landowner. The charter of Duke Koloman confirmed the privileges that protected

18096-570: The same ethnic group in addition to social class may often distinguish themselves according to the time spent in the region (autochthonous or new and relatively new communities) and place of origin. Many of villages in the county are result of colonization. Among other, Austria-Hungary supported colonization of Mikluševci and Petrovci , Protestant Germans settled in Banovci , Kingdom of Yugoslavia supporting colonization of Karadžićevo , World War II puppet Independent State of Croatia established

18252-462: The seat of the Syrmia County of the Kingdom of Slavonia and from 1868 Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia . In 1918, Vukovar became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes ( Yugoslavia in 1929). Between 1918 and 1922, Vukovar was the administrative seat of the county of Syrmia (Srijem), and between 1922 and 1929 it was the administrative seat of Syrmia Oblast . Despite

18408-591: The services they offer but by the ethnicity of those who gather there. Even coffee shops are identified as Croat or Serb. In 2013, the government's intention to implement in Vukovar the Constitutional Law on the Rights of Ethnic Minorities in Croatia that allowed for minorities, where they made up more than a third of a city's population, to be entitled to have their language used for official purposes, provoked considerable popular opposition. According to

18564-516: The short-lived self-declared Serbian Vojvodina . In the aftermath, from 1849, the Military Frontier was restored and the historical county was split: the eastern part became part of the Neusatz ( Novi Sad ) district of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar crown land; the western part, which broadly corresponded to the northern part of modern Vukovar-Srijem County, including Vukovar,

18720-418: The spring of 1848 led to a renewed conflict with Austrian forces in the provinces of Lombardy and Venetia. At the very first anniversary of the first barricades in Vienna, German and Czech democrats in Bohemia agreed to put mutual hostilities aside and work together on revolutionary planning. Hungarians faced the greatest challenge of overcoming the divisions of the previous year, as the fighting there had been

18876-546: The status of administrative center the settlement will get the city status only on 23 November 1919 by the decision of regent of the new state Peter I of Serbia . After the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and in the wake of communism gaining popularity throughout Europe, Vukovar became the location of the 2nd congress of the Socialist Labor Party of Yugoslavia (Communists) ( Socijalistička radnička partija Jugoslavije – komunista ), where it

19032-513: The summer of 1991, Tomislav Merčep , at the time a leading official in the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and Secretary of People's Defense, was put in charge of the town. Ethnic Serbs in Vukovar were subjected to forced interrogations, kidnappings and summary executions in addition to having their homes and cafes blown up. NGOs in the city state that a total of 86 Serbs were killed or disappeared during Merčep's control of

19188-414: The swamps. One Scordisci archaeological site in Vukovar dating back to late La Tène culture was excavated in the 1970s and 1980s as a part of rescue excavations in eastern Croatia. Archaeological site was a part of the settlement network of Scordisci in the area of Vinkovci. The history of today's Vukovar begins very early, according to archaeological data. Slavic tribes settled in this area in

19344-409: The third country of Continental Europe (after France , in 1791, and Belgium , in 1831) to enact a law implementing democratic parliamentary elections. The new suffrage law (Act V of 1848) transformed the old feudal parliament ( Estates General ) into a democratic representative parliament. This law offered the widest right to vote in Europe at the time. The April laws utterly erased all privileges of

19500-612: The town by Hungarian forces began under Baron Fülöp Berchtold. The army was forced to retreat due to a strong Serbian defense. With war raging on three fronts (against Romanians and Serbs in Banat and Bačka, and Romanians in Transylvania ), Hungarian radicals in Pest saw this as an opportunity. Parliament made concessions to the radicals in September rather than let the events erupt into violent confrontations. Shortly thereafter,

19656-496: The town of Vukovar and municipalities of Negoslavci, Markušica, Trpinja and Borovo, as well as in the villages of Banovci and Vinkovački Banovci, Serbian language and Serbian Cyrillic script is introduced in official use alongside Croatian. There are in total 12 elementary schools with eight additional local schools and four secondary schools offering education in Serbian . A number of Serb minority organizations are centered in

19812-427: The town particularly. The region's population distribution changed notably too when the town of Ilok became the second largest town in the region. The most significant change was the forced displacement and internment of the German civilian population after World War II . The confiscated houses and properties were given to Croat and Serb colonists during the years of Socialist Yugoslavia . The Croats were in

19968-577: The town. Serbs have long voiced their concerns about the crimes committed against them in the months before the JNA took over the town after its fall in November of that year and the lack of accountability for the perpetrators. The matter has remained unresolved, with Merčep only being sentenced in 2017 for crimes committed by his units elsewhere. He died in November 2020. The Battle of Vukovar began on 25 August 1991 and lasted until 18 November 1991. During

20124-504: The two year period. It enabled the return of Croat refugees and provided inter-communal power-sharing mechanisms in police and other institutions as well as the establishment of minority institutions such as the Serb National Council and regional Joint Council of Municipalities . In the aftermath of the direct United Nations Administration OSCE Mission to Croatia was present in the region. Vukovar-Srijem County lies in

20280-489: The village of Bokšić , Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia supported resettlement of the World War II persecuted Serb communities from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Dalmatia in the region. The Croatian War of Independence represent one of the last major demographic developments in the region. Croat communities were initially expelled from the self-proclaimed SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia . After

20436-674: The village, interrogated and terrorized the inhabitants, and arrested 45 people. Thirty of them were sent to the Jadovno concentration camp , while 15 were sentenced to death by a hastily convened traveling summary court and execution being carried at the Dudik site. Over 500 people will be executed at the site during the war with the place being turned into the Dudik Memorial Park subsequently. Represion led to further resistance and imprisonment of 500 residents of Bobota, Trpinja and Vera in September 1941. During World War II

20592-418: The villages in the region were settled by Salonica front Serbian soldiers and families as a reward for their contribution to war efforts. The old Habsburg Syrmia County remained a subdivision of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia from 1929) until 1922; it then became an oblast (with the same borders) until 1929. From 1929 it was split between the Sava and Danube Banovinas until 1939;

20748-516: The way of life of the Illyrians and Celts , the original inhabitants of the Vukovar area. During the last decades of BC, the Romans reached the Danube in their conquests and built many forts on the border (the so-called Danube limes ) as a protection against the barbarian tribes . The Romans influenced the economy of the Vukovar region because they planted the first vineyards and drained

20904-524: The world. Vukovar is located 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Vinkovci and 36 km (22 mi) southeast of Osijek , with an elevation of 108 m (354 ft). Vukovar is located on the main road D2 Osijek—Vukovar— Ilok and on the Vinkovci—Vukovar railway (and road D55 ). The area of Vukovar has been continuously inhabited for five thousand years, which we know based on numerous archaeological sites. The Vučedol culture, which developed in

21060-591: Was an 87-day siege of Vukovar 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

21216-510: Was an important church seat and a fortified city. The city occupied between 20 and 25 hectares of the city area. At the end of the 14th century, Vukovar was one of the largest medieval Slavonic towns with 350 houses and 2,000 to 2,500 inhabitants. During administration of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary , the town was a seat of Valkó (Croatian: Vuka) county, which was located between the Drava and Sava rivers, while during Ottoman administration it

21372-404: Was appointed the new ban of Croatia-Slavonia in March by the imperial court, was removed from his position by the constitutional monarchist Hungarian government. He refused to give up his authority in the name of the monarch. Thus, there were two governments in Hungary issuing contradictory orders in the name of Ferdinand von Habsburg. Aware that they were on the path to civil war in mid-1848,

21528-415: Was dissatisfied with the inclusion in the new autonomous Banovina leading them to present their disagreement in the 1939 Vukovar resolution . The interwar period in Vukovar was marked with a significant growth of the shoe and textile industry that began operating in the town, including the shoe factory Bata in 1931, which was later renamed Borovo . This consequently led to a population growth–according to

21684-580: Was eventually overrun. It is estimated that 1,800 defenders of Vukovar and civilians were killed, 800 went missing and 22,000 civilians were forced into exile. Several war crimes were committed by Serb forces after the battle, including the Vukovar massacre of up to 264 wounded patients and medical staff, taken from the Vukovar hospital. According to the Croatian Association of Prisoners in Serbian Concentration Camps ,

21840-670: Was fully reintegrated into Croatia. UNTAES headquarters were initially located at the United Nations Protection Force headquarters in Zagreb but the idea of priority of the administration was to move it to eastern Croatia . Croatian Government offered Osijek for that purpose but the administration refused it since it wanted to locate it on the territory under its control leading to selection of Vukovar. United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited Vukovar in early 1996 to express her support to

21996-457: Was further complicated by the simultaneous events in the German states , which moved toward greater German national unity. Besides these nationalists , liberal , and even socialist currents resisted the Empire's longstanding conservatism . The events of 1848 were the product of mounting social and political tensions after the Congress of Vienna of 1815. During the "pre-March" period,

22152-518: Was held in which 94% voted in favor. Violence in and around Vukovar worsened after the independence referendum, with gun and bomb attacks reported in the town and surrounding villages in June 1991. 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. In

22308-502: Was known as the Train of Peace . As a result of the conflict, a deep ethnic divide exists between the Croat and Serb populations. OSCE Mission to Croatia was active in Vukovar and surrounding areas until 2007. In the years from 1948 until 1991 Vukovar's population increased quickly due to industrial development. Primarily it was immigration that fed the growth in the Vukovar region and in

22464-652: Was liberated after the Syrmian Front was broken. In the period of the Socialist Republic of Croatia Vukovar became an important industrial center. For a long period during the existence of the Socialist Republic of Croatia the area of the modern day county was organized in three municipalities of Vinkovci, Vukovar and Županja. At the time Croatian municipalities were on average significantly larger units (both in territory and population) than contemporary municipalities of Croatia . The Battle of Vukovar

22620-434: Was mentioned first in the 13th century as Volko , Walk , Wolkov, Wolcou, Walkov and numerous other versions (original Croatian/Slavic name of the town was Vukovo ). All these different forms of the city's name were used until the 14th century, when the name Vukovar began to be used more and more, to which the Hungarian suffix -var was added, which denotes a fortress. In 1231, Vukovo obtained its first privileges and later

22776-410: Was merged into the Essek ( Osijek ) county of Slavonia. The border between the two was broadly similar, but not identical, to the modern Croatia-Serbia border; notably, Ilok lay just to the east of the border, and it ran through what is today Bapska , dividing Bapska-proper (in Neusatz) and Novak (in Essek). In 1860 the pre-1848 divisions, including the historical Syrmia County, were restored. In 1881

22932-461: Was only countered when peasants, in turn, rose up against the nobles. The economic crisis of 1845–47 was marked by recession and food shortages throughout the continent. At the end of February 1848, demonstrations broke out in Paris . Louis Philippe of France abdicated the throne, prompting similar revolts throughout the continent. After news broke of the February victories in Paris, uprisings occurred throughout Europe, including in Vienna , where

23088-589: Was open in the village of Tovarnik . Serbs form majority population in municipalities of Negoslavci (97.19%), Markušica (90.10%) ( Gaboš , Karadžićevo , Ostrovo , Podrinje ), Trpinja (89.75%) ( Bobota , Bršadin , Pačetin , Vera , Ludvinci ) and Borovo (89.73%). Outside of these municipalities Serbs form majority in villages Banovci , Vinkovački Banovci , Orolik , Srijemske Laze and Mlaka Antinska . Serbian minority communities live in Vukovar , Mirkovci , Tovarnik , Stari Jankovci , Novi Jankovci , Ilok , Bogdanovci , Tompojevci and Vinkovci . In

23244-725: Was opened in Lviv University , and the first Ukrainian newspaper Zoria Halytska started publishing in Lviv on May 15, 1848. On July 1, serfdom was also abolished in Bukovina. By early summer, conservative regimes had been overthrown, new freedoms (including freedom of the press and freedom of association) had been introduced, and multiple nationalist claims had been exerted. New parliaments quickly held elections with broad franchise to create constituent assemblies, which would write new constitutions. The elections that were held produced unexpected results. The new voters, naïve and confused by their new political power, typically elected conservative or moderately liberal representatives. The radicals,

23400-404: Was part of the Sanjak of Syrmia . The Turkish rule brought great changes to the Vukovar region. On their campaign in 1526, the Turks occupied Ilok and Vukovar. Vukovar lost its significance, but still remained an important trade center on an important trade route. Before liberation from the Turks, Vukovar had close to 3,000 inhabitants. After the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699, Vukovar was part of

23556-455: Was pervasive in pre-1848 Europe. Tension came both from within Catholicism and between members of different confessions. These conflicts were often mixed with conflict with the state. Important for the revolutionaries were state conflicts including the armed forces and collection of taxes. As 1848 approached, the revolutions the Empire crushed to maintain longstanding conservative minister Klemens Wenzel von Metternich 's Concert of Europe left

23712-446: Was reached enabling peaceful resolution to the Croatian War of Independence in eastern Croatia. The agreement was acknowledged by the United Nations Security Council in its Resolution 1023 and subsequent resolutions dealing with the newly established United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium . The mission successfully demilitarized the region and returned it to government's control over

23868-407: Was renamed the Communist Party of Yugoslavia ( Komunistička partija Jugoslavije ). In 1920, ahead of the local elections, the Jewish Party was established in the town while Zionist Association was founded in 1926. After 1929, Vukovar was part of the Sava Banovina , and beginning in 1939 it was part of the Banovina of Croatia . Part of the Serb community in the town and neighbouring villages

24024-436: Was started by Croatian Serb militias, supported by the Serbian government and paramilitary groups, who seized control of Serb-populated areas of Croatia. Battle of Borovo Selo was one of the first armed clashes which led to the War. Despite the battle the events in Eastern Slavonia developed slower than in Krajina and were under much stronger and more direct influence from the central government in Belgrade . They however led to

24180-408: Was supplanted by the Hungarian Vukovár . In the Middle Ages , Vukovar was the seat of the great Vukovo County , which was first mentioned in 1220 as "Comitatus de Wolcou". On the right bank of the Vuka was the royal fortress castrum Walkow. A settlement developed in its suburb (suburbium), which was granted the privileges of a free royal city in 1231 by Duke Slavonia Koloman. Until the XIV century,

24336-549: Was unable to keep his soldiers fighting Venetian and Milanese insurgents in Lombardy-Venetia , and instead had to order the remaining troops to evacuate. Social and political conflict as well as inter and intra confessional hostility momentarily subsided as much of the continent rejoiced in the liberal victories. Mass political organizations and public participation in government became widespread. However, liberal ministers were unable to establish central authority. Provisional governments in Venice and Milan quickly expressed

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