- Drvar
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Drvar
Дрвар— Municipality and town — View of the town
Location of Drvar within Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Location of Drvar
DrvarCoordinates: 44°22′N 16°23′E / 44.367°N 16.383°E Country 
Bosnia and HerzegovinaGovernment - Municipality president Anka Papak-Dodig (SNSD) Population (2009 estimate[1]. The Federation has blocked all attempts at census since 1995) - Total 11,286 Time zone CET (UTC+1) - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2) Area code(s) +387 34 Website Official website Drvar (Cyrillic: Дрвар) is a town and municipality in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, located on the road between Bosansko Grahovo and Bosanski Petrovac, also near Glamoč. It is administratively part of Canton 10 of the Federation.
Drvar lies in the vast valley, the southeastern part of Bosanska Krajina, between the Osječenica, Klekovača, Vijenca and Šator mountains of the Dinaric Alps. The southeast side of boundary extends from the Šator over Jadovnika, Uilice and descends to Lipovo and the Una River.
This extremely hilly region comprising the town of Drvar and the numerous outlying villages covers approximately 1030 square kilometers/640 square miles. The town itself is mainly spread out from the left side of the river Unac, and its elevation is approximately 480 meters/1574 feet.
Drvar is approximately 120 kilometers from Šibenik, Croatia, 80 kilometers from Bihać, and 125 kilometers to Banja Luka.
Contents
Name
The word Drvar stems from the Serbo-Croatian word 'drvo' which means 'wood'. During socialist Yugoslavia, Drvar was named Titov Drvar in honor of Josip Broz Tito.
Settlements
• Ataševac • Bastasi • Boboljusci • Bosanski Osredci • Brda • Bunčevac • Drvar • Drvar • Gornji Tiškovac • Gruborski Naslon • Kamenica • Ljeskovica • Mali Cvjetnić • Malo Očijevo • Martin Brod • Mokronoge • Motike • Mrđe • Očigrije • Palučci • Podić • Podovi • Poljice • Potoci • Prekaja • Srnetica • Šajinovac • Šipovljani • Trninić Brijeg • Trubar • Uvala • Veliki Cvjetnić • Veliko Očijevo • Vidovo Selo • Vrtoče • Zaglavic
Demographics
Serbian Orthodox Church
January 2007[2]
Total - Approximately 6,806:
- Serbs: 6 759 (99,31%)
- Croats: 7 (0,10%)
- Bosniaks: 40 (0,59%)
May 1996[3]
Total - Approximately 4,483, predominately Croat
Year of census total Serbs Muslims Croats Yugoslavs others 1991 17,126 16,608 (96.97%) 33 (0.19%) 33 (0.19%) 384 (2.24%) 68 (0.39%) 1981 17,983 15,896 (88.39%) 26 (0.14%) 62 (0.34%) 1,842 (10.24%) 157 (0.89%) 1971 20,064 19,496 (97.16%) 213 (1.06%) 141 (0.70%) 259 (3.21%) 140 (0.72%) History
EARLY HISTORY
The first writings on Drvar and the presence of Serbs in the region date back to the ninth century. In the first half of the sixteenth century (approximately 1530) residents of this area, under the leadership of a Vojnovića from Glamoc, migrated to the surroundings of Zagreb (Metlika Zumberak and four surrounding villages). The greater area was populated in Roman Times as evidenced by the remains of Roman roads and signposts.
DRVAR Under AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN RULE
In 1878 Drvar, along with the rest of Bosnia, was subjugated to Austro-Hungarian rule. Around 1893 Austrian industrialist Otto von Steinbeis de:Otto von Steinbeis leased the right to exploit fir and spruce forests in the mountains of Klekovača, Lunjevače, Srnetica and Osječenica. Steinbeis operated in the area until 1918 when, after the First World War, the company was taken over by the new Yugoslav state. During the 25 years that Steinbeis operated in the area, he created a complete infrastructure for processing forest products including the construction of modern lumber mills in Drvar and Dobrljin, and the construction of a network of roads and 400 km of narrow-gauge railway, and telephone and telegraph lines.[4] During this time Drvar grew into an industrial town employing approximately 2800 persons in which homes, hospitals, restaurants, cafe and retails shops were built. Additional factories appeared in Drvar, including a cellulose factory opened by Alphons Simunius Blumer.
Eventually poor labor conditions led to the first organized strikes in Drvar in 1906. These strikes continued until 1911 when the Austro-Hungarian Empire banned all such activities.
DRVAR Under the KINGDOM OF SERBS, CROATS and SLOVENES
1918 saw the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the rise of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, but this did not help the plight of the workers in Drvar, who became better organized and rose up to strike again in 1921. In 1932, economic crisis resulted in the layoff of 2,000 workers.
DRVAR in WORLD WAR II
In more recent history, Drvar is perhaps most famous as the location of a daring airdrop Raid on Drvar, codenamed "Operation Rösselsprung", on May 25, 1944 by Nazi German invaders in an attempt to assassinate Tito. Tito, the main Partisan commander, was sheltered in the Partisan General Staff headquarters in what is now called "Tito's Cave" in the hills near Drvar at the time.
During the 4 years and 1 months of the war, Drvar was under occupation for just 390 days. 767 Drvar civilians were killed and only 13 pre-war houses still stood. Approximately 93% of the infrastructure of the town was destroyed, and the livestock population had been reduced by more than 80%.
Drvar was first occupied by the German army in April of 1941, followed shortly thereafter by the Italians. Drvar continued to experience fierce fighting through mid-1942 when the last of the German and Italian forces were expelled. The Germans re-entered Drvar in 1943 and left it a burned ruin when they departed.
On April 10th, Zagreb Croatia, aligned with aligned with Nazi Germany, declared the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) and claimed as part of its territory the entire area known as Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Drvar, this resulted in the beginning of the presence of the Ustaše government, the movement chiefly responsible for the World War II Holocaust in the Independent State of Croatia in which approximately three hundred thousand (estimates vary widely) Serbs, Jews, Roma, Croat resistance members and political opponents were sent to Nazi concentration camps and killed or killed in concentration camps such as Jasenovac in Croatia. In the beginning the Ustaše contingent in Drvar was consisted of the Croatian population residing in Drvar, but they were soon reinforced by others who came from outside Drvar. In June of 1941 Ustaše arrested a large group of prominent Drvar citizens, and took them to Risovac near Bosanski Petrovac, where they were tortured, killed and thrown into a pit. Drvar citizens fought the Ustaše, forming highly organized guerrilla detachments with Kamenički, Javorje, Crljivičko-zaglavički, Boboljusko-cvjetnički, Trubarski, Mokronog and Tičevski, and Grahovo area Grahovsko-resanovski.
DRVAR POST WORLD WAR II
In the years following the war, Drvar was rebuilt, its timber industry restored, and new metal, fabrication, and carpet industries developed. Eventually, electricity was brought to outlying villages. Over time, it became a tourist destination attracting approximately 200,000 visitors a year, primarily to Tito's Cave, and on November 24, 1981, Drvar changed its name to Tito Drvar.
Leading up to 1995, Drvar was populated primarily by Bosnian Serbs. During the Bosnian War that began in 1991-1992 and up until 1995, Drvar was controlled by what is now called the Republika Srpska.
DRVAR in the WAR in BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA
In 1995, Drvar (as well as other municipalities) was taken over by Croatian forces, and the Serbs expelled, many fleeing to Banja Luka. During this time, Drvar was nearly deserted.
On August 3rd, 1995 Croatian Government armed forces with the help of Bosnian Croats began shelling Drvar from the tops of Šator mountain. Two Drvar citizens were killed and older men and women began to evacuate to Petrovac. One day later, the Croatian Government armed forces began "Operation Storm", called by European Union Special Envoy to the Former Yugoslavia Carl Bildt, "the most efficient military operation we've seen in the Balkans, and probably the best"[5], in the "Dalmatinska zagora" region of Croatia, and columns of hundreds of thousands of refugees in cars, on tractors, wagons and on foot began to pass through Drvar as they fled their homes in Croatia. The shelling on the outlying areas of Drvar by Croatian Government forces was renewed and continued for days.
DRVAR after the WAR in BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA
In late 1995 after the Dayton Peace Accord was signed, Drvar became part of the Federation after which Croat politicians enticed up to 6000 Croats, mainly displaced persons from Central Bosnia, to move to Drvar, by promising such things as jobs and keys to vacant homes. A further 2,500 Croat HVO troops and their families were stationed there, also occupying the homes of displaced Bosnian Serb citizens.[6] This drastically changed the population and from 1995-1999 the population was primarily Croatian.
In 1996, small numbers of Serbs began to try to return to their homes but faced harassment and discrimination by the Croats. The return continued nonetheless despite the ongoing looting and burning of their homes in 1996-1998.[7]
In 1998, Croat opposition to the return of displaced Bosnian Serb citizens culminated in riots and murders. Buildings and houses were torched, United Nations International Police Task Force personnel, SFOR personnel and Mayor, Mile Marceta (elected with Serb refugee votes) were attacked, and two displaced elderly Serbs who had recently returned to Drvar were murdered.[6][8]
Much of the damage done to the town of Drvar was done not during the war, but during its subsequent occupation by Croat civilians and military personnel as the homes and business of displaced Bosnian Serbs attempting to return to Drvar were looted and burned.
The local government and companies, the few that exist, are dominated by the Croats, and the Serbs have difficulty finding employment.
Economy
Drvar was already well known in the Austrian-Hungarian era due to the high-quality wood coming from that area. The Drvar area is still one of the largest logging and woodprocessing environments in BiH. One of the major problems in this area is the widespread corruption connected to this woodprocessing industry. It is estimated that during 2004 about 110.000m 3 of wood 'disappeared'. Average price of 1m 3 of timber (second class) is about 100 KM (100 Konvertible Mark = 50 Euros).
Features
'Desant na Drvar' is a film made about the German attack on Drvar. There are still some locations visitable, which were heavily fought over in that period, that still seem to be untouched by time.
Famous landmarks include 'Tito's Cave' and the so-called 'Citadel'. At the latter mentioned location one can find an Austrian-Hungarian cemetery (in a very poor state) which may contain some (unknown) number of German soldiers buried after the attack of 1944. On this spot there is also a Roman roadsign (+/- 100 AD). Another one can be found on the way to Bosanski Petrovac near Zaglavica.
Drvar is also renowned for its local rakija, a type of plum brandy, popular all over the Balkans.
See also
External links
References
- ^ Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Federal Office of Statistics "The estimate of the present population by age and sex", 30 June 2009*
- ^ UNHCR, Drvar Update, UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency, January 2007
- ^ International Crisis Group, The Return of Bosnian Serb Displaced Persons to Drvar, Bosansko Grahovo and Glamoc, 19 January 1998
- ^ [1], Helga Berdan: Die Machtpolitik Österreich-Ungarns und der Eisenbahnbau in Bosnien-Herzegowina 1872 – 1914, Magisterarbeit, Wien 2008
- ^ Pearl, Daniel (2002), At Home in the World: Collected Writings from The Wall Street Journal, Simon and Schuster, p. 224, ISBN 074324415X
- ^ a b International Crisis Group, Impunity in Drvar, 20 August 1998
- ^ International Crisis Group, House Burnings: Obstruction of the Right to Return to Drvar, 16 June 1997, accessed April 2011
- ^ UNHCR, Drvar: Bosnia's Don Quixote, Refugees vol 1, 1999, p 114, accessed April 2011
Hero Cities of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Bosansko Grahovo · Drvar · Glamoč · Kupres · Livno · Tomislavgrad
Categories:- Hero Cities of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
- Drvar
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