Kusonje is a
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
in
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
in the town of
Pakrac
Pakrac is a town in western Slavonia, Croatia, population 4,842, total municipality population 8,460 (census 2011). Pakrac is located on the road and railroad connecting the regions of Posavina and Podravina.
Name
In Croatian the town is known ...
,
Požega-Slavonia County
Požega-Slavonia County ( ) is a Croatian county in western Slavonia. Its capital is Požega, Croatia, Požega. Its population was 78,034 at the 2011 census.
Alongside the City of Zagreb and Bjelovar-Bilogora County, it is one of three Croatian ...
. It is connected by the
D38 highway. Kusonje was the site of an ambush during the
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...
in 1991, when 20 Croatian policemen and soldiers were massacred by Serb rebels.
Demographics
According to the 2011 population census,
the village of Kusonje had 308 inhabitants.
This represents 27.97% of its pre-war population according to the 1991 census.
Population by ethnicity:
History
Kusonje was part of
Croatian medieval state. In 1543, Kusonje and the nearby town of
Pakrac
Pakrac is a town in western Slavonia, Croatia, population 4,842, total municipality population 8,460 (census 2011). Pakrac is located on the road and railroad connecting the regions of Posavina and Podravina.
Name
In Croatian the town is known ...
were conquered by the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
. The Ottoman rule lasted until it was seized and reconquered by the Austrians in 1691.
Village had Serbian ethnic majority.
On August 13, 1942, the croat Ustashe took the Serbian inhabitants of this village to the village church.
After they pushed them inside, they locked the church from the outside, and then set it on fire. In that way, 473 Serbs died. Those who did not fit in the church were slaughtered and thrown into nearby wells.
In 1991, war broke out in
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
, of which Kusonje and Pakrac were a part. The
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...
captured the town in March 1991, but it was soon retaken by Croatian forces.
See also
*
Battle of Kusonje
References
Populated places in Požega-Slavonia County
Serb communities in Croatia
{{PožegaSlavonia-geo-stub