Topusko
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Topusko is a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
and settlement in
Sisak-Moslavina County Sisak-Moslavina County () is a Croatian county in eastern Central Croatia and southwestern Slavonia. It is named after the city of Sisak and the region Moslavina just across the river Sava. According to the 2021 census, it is inhabited by 140, ...
,
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 ...
. Topusko is an underdeveloped municipality which is statistically classified as the First Category Area of Special State Concern by the
Government of Croatia The Government of Croatia (), formally the Government of the Republic of Croatia (), commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government (), is the main executive branch of government in Croatia. It is led by the Prime Minister of Croatia, president o ...
.


Climate

Between 1981 and 2019, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station was , on 24 August 2012. The coldest temperature was , on 12 January 1985.


Demographics

The population of Topusko itself is 945, with a total of 2,985 people in the municipality (census 2011). There are 1865
Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...
(62.48%), 893
Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...
(22.27%) and 139
Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
(4.66%). The 1991 census recorded that 63.89% of the population of Topusko settlement were ethnic
Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...
(1014/1587), 26.15% were
Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...
(415/1587), 6.36% were
Yugoslavs Yugoslavs or Yugoslavians ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Jugoslaveni/Jugosloveni, Југославени/Југословени; ; ) is an identity that was originally conceived to refer to a united South Slavic people. It has been used in two connotations: ...
(101/1587) while 3.59% were of other ethnic origin (57/1587).


Settlements

In 2021, the municipality had 2222 residents in the following 16 settlements: *
Batinova Kosa Batinova Kosa is a village in central Croatia, in the municipality of Topusko, Sisak-Moslavina County. It is connected by the D6 highway. History Demographics According to the 2011 census, the village of Batinova Kosa has 50 inhabitants. This ...
, population 31 * Bukovica, population 0 * Crni Potok, population 100 *
Donja Čemernica Donja Čemernica ( sr-cyr, Доња Чемерница) is a village in central Croatia, in the municipality of Topusko, Sisak-Moslavina County. It is connected by the D6 highway. History The village of Čemernica (comprising Gornja Čemernica ...
, population 92 * Gređani, population 253 *
Hrvatsko Selo Hrvatsko Selo is a village 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 northea ...
, population 242 *
Katinovac Katinovac ( sr-Cyrl, Катиновац) is a village in central Croatia, in the municipality of Topusko, Sisak-Moslavina County. History Demographics According to the 2011 census, the village of Katinovac has 90 inhabitants. This represents 2 ...
, population 56 * Mala Vranovina, population 0 *
Malička Malička is a village in central Croatia, in the municipality of Topusko, Sisak-Moslavina County. Demographics According to the 2011 census, the village of Malička has 43 inhabitants. This represents 33.33% of its pre- war population according ...
, population 18 * Pecka, population 9 * Perna, population 85 * Ponikvari, population 229 *
Staro Selo Topusko Staro Selo Topusko is a village in central Croatia, in the municipality of Topusko, Sisak-Moslavina County. History During World War II, a large number of Serbs were massacred in the village by the Ustaše regime in June and July 1941. Demograp ...
, population 95 *Topusko, population 878 * Velika Vranovina, population 124 * Vorkapić, population 10


Politics


Minority councils and representatives

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 The 2023 Croatian national minorities councils and representatives elections () were held on 7 May in certain regional (counties) and local administrative units (municipalities and towns & cities). Background Elections were announced in Nar ...
Serbs of Croatia The Serbs of Croatia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Срби у Хрватској, Srbi u Hrvatskoj) or Croatian Serbs ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Хрватски Срби, Hrvatski Srbi) constitute the largest national minority in C ...
fulfilled legal requirements to elect 10 members minority council of the Municipality of Topusko.


History


Prehistory and Antiquity

The first traces of humans in the Topusko area were found around 2,500 B.C. Numerous idols, fragments of ceramic dishes were found. Through the millennia, the
Illyrians The Illyrians (, ; ) were a group of Indo-European languages, Indo-European-speaking people who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan languages, Paleo-Balkan populations, alon ...
, the
Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...
, and most of all, the Romans testified to their existence and their fascination with this area of impulsive vivacity, and they made a ''statio'', called Ad Fines. The excavation of pre-historical artifacts shows that Topusko and its surroundings were inhabited in the
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
(8-5 ct. BC). The line of the monuments built in the honour of the Illyrian divinities Vidas and Thiana (Thana), points to the presence of the Illyrians (tribes the Japodes and the Kolapijans, 3,000 years BC). In the area of Topusko we can also find traces of some other peoples, for example the Celts, the
Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...
, the French, the
Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...
etc. The real development of Topusko begins after the arrival of the Romans. The most crucial event in the history of Topusko would be the building of the Roman road Via Eksecirtualis, which in turn sparked the creation of the Roman colony Ad Fines, which ultimately turned into modern day Topusko. The remnants of the luxurious architecture, the devices for heating the houses with hot water, the painted walls of the houses, the discovered altars dedicated to the Roman and domestic divinities, the grave-monuments, tools, ornaments, money (which was thrown into the thermal springs) are very valuable artifacts that tell us about the persistence of the colony through the whole antiquity.


Middle Ages

Topusko flourishes again in 1192 as a thermal resort in the time of
Andrew II of Hungary Andrew II (, , , ; 117721 September 1235), also known as Andrew of Jerusalem, was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1205 and 1235. He ruled the Principality of Halych from 1188 until 1189/1190, and again between 1208/1209 and ...
, who in the time of his reign built a magnificent chapel of the Blessed
Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
of Pohod in a Gothic style. Its dilapidated front is being kept with all its monumentality in the park "Opatovina". This Cistercian portal today has the status of the unique symbol of Topusko. King Andrew II goes to the holy war to
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
at the beginning of the 13th century, and makes a vow that in case he comes back he will build a monastery and an abbey in Topusko, in token of gratitude. In 1233 he finishes the chapel and monastery and gives them to the Cistercians. This is their first monastery in Croatia, and the edifice itself is the first one built in Gothic style in the area south from France. The three hundred year dominance of the Cistercians began to weaken in wars with the Turks, who broke towards
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
through these areas. Under the leadership of the Bosnian pasha Makoc beg, the Turkish troops destroyed the abbey in 1558. Only the front of that monumental edifice remained.


18th century to the present

In the year 1784 Topusko and the abbey belong to the Croatian Military Border and remains under its conduct for about a hundred years. The real development of Topusko we can follow in a well-documented manner begins only after the arrival of colonel Ivan Nestor. Colonel Nestor started the development of Topusko, but the turning point was the arrival of the king Francis II in 1818, and the repeated donation of money for the construction. Therefore, Ivan Nestor is with good reason considered to be "the real father of Topusko". The next stronger phase in the development followed the arrival of ban Josip Jelačić (later the count and the governor of Croatia). At that time also the capital objects are built and Topusko stands out from the common bathing resort and becomes a fashionable bathing-place. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Topusko was a district capital in the
Zagreb County Zagreb County () is a county in Northern Croatia. It surrounds, but does not contain, the nation's capital Zagreb, which is a separate territorial unit. For that reason, the county is often nicknamed "Zagreb ring" (). According to the 2021 censu ...
of the
Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia The Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (; or ; ) was a nominally autonomous kingdom and constitutionally defined separate political nation within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was created in 1868 by merging the kingdoms of Kingdom of Croatia (Habs ...
. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the town was occupied by
Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...
troops and was included into the Pavelić's
Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...
(NDH). The fascist Ustashe regime committed the Genocide of the Serbs and
the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
. The NDH forces killed in a cruel way more than 600 Serbs in
Staro Selo Topusko Staro Selo Topusko is a village in central Croatia, in the municipality of Topusko, Sisak-Moslavina County. History During World War II, a large number of Serbs were massacred in the village by the Ustaše regime in June and July 1941. Demograp ...
, while and the largest massacre occurred between 28 July and 3 August 1941 when 250 villagers were executed. Topusko hosted 3rd session of
ZAVNOH The State Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Croatia (''Zemaljsko antifašističko vijeće narodnog oslobođenja Hrvatske''), commonly abbreviated ZAVNOH, was first convened on 13–14 June 1943 in Otočac and Plitvička Jezera ...
, the highest governing organ of the anti-fascist movement in Croatia, during which, on May 9, 1944, the Federal State of Croatia was formally founded. 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 ...
, Topusko was occupied by the unrecognized breakaway
Republic of Serbian Krajina The Republic of Serbian Krajina or Serb Republic of Krajina ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Република Српска Крајина, Republika Srpska Krajina, separator=" / ", ; abbr. РСК / RSK), known as the Serbian Krajina ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српск ...
. It was returned to Croatian control during
Operation Storm Operation Storm ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Operacija Oluja, separator=" / ", Операција Олуја) was the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence and a major factor in the outcome of the Bosnian War. It was a decisive victory f ...
. HQ Sector North
UNPROFOR The United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR; also known by its French acronym FORPRONU: ''Force de Protection des Nations Unies'') was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and ...
was located in Topusko in the period 1992 - 1995.


Notable people

* Joseph Schlessinger - biochemist and biophysician


See also

* Federal State of Croatia *
ZAVNOH The State Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Croatia (''Zemaljsko antifašističko vijeće narodnog oslobođenja Hrvatske''), commonly abbreviated ZAVNOH, was first convened on 13–14 June 1943 in Otočac and Plitvička Jezera ...


References


External links

* {{authority control Municipalities of Croatia Populated places in Sisak-Moslavina County Zagreb County (former) Spa towns in Croatia Hot springs of Croatia