Gospić () is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of

Lika Lika () is a traditional region of Croatia proper, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. It is the

administrative Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, administ ...

centre of

Lika-Senj County Lika-Senj County (, hr, Ličko-senjska županija) is a Counties of Croatia, county in Croatia that includes most of the Lika region and some northern coastline of the Adriatic near the town of Senj, including the northern part of the Pag (island ...

. Gospić is located near the Lika River in the middle of a

karst field Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the mine ...

( Ličko Polje). Gospić is the third smallest seat of a county government in Croatia. Its status as the county capital helped to spur some development in it, but the town as well as the entire region have suffered a constant decrease in population over the last several decades. Scientist and inventor

Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla ( ; ,"Tesla"
''

Smiljan Smiljan () is a village in the mountainous region of Western Lika in Croatia. It is located northwest of Gospić, and fifteen kilometers from the Zagreb-Split highway; its population is 418 (2011). Smiljan is the birthplace of inventor and engin ...

and grew up in Gospić.

Municipality

* Aleksinica, population 169 * Barlete, population 28 * Bilaj, population 162 * , population 25 * Brušane, population 134 * Budak, population 151 *

Bužim Bužim ( sr-cyrl, Бужим) is a town and municipality located in Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the most northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Geography Bu� ...

, population 74 * Debelo Brdo I, population 61 * Debelo Brdo II, population 8 * Divoselo, population 4 * Donje Pazarište, population 125 * Drenovac Radučki, population 0 * Gospić, population 6,575 * Kalinovača, population 94 * Kaniža Gospićka, population 401 * Klanac, population 100 * Kruščica, population 0 * Kruškovac, population 20 * Kukljić, population 13 * Lički Čitluk, population 4 * Lički Novi, population 298 *

Lički Osik Lički Osik is a village in Croatia situated 8 km north-east from Gospić. It is connected by the D25 highway. Demographics According to the 2011 census, the village of Lički Osik has 1914 inhabitants. This represents 66.34% of its pre-war po ...

, population 1,914 * Lički Ribnik, population 93 * Mala Plana, population 7 *

Medak Medak is a town in Medak district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Medak mandal in Medak revenue division. And There is a river named srujan which is big in length. Etymology and History Medak wa ...

, population 62 * Mogorić, population 110 * Mušaluk, population 228 * Novoselo Bilajsko, population 112 * Novoselo Trnovačko, population 84 *

Ornice Ornice is a village in the Gospić municipality in the Lika region of central Croatia, Lika-Senj County. It is located near Gospić, connected by the D25 (Croatia), D25 highway. The 2011 census registered 6 residents. Demographics :NOTE: The 18 ...

, population 6 * Ostrvica, population 16 * Oteš, population 99 * Pavlovac Vrebački, population 33 * Počitelj, population 4 * Podastrana, population 51 * Podoštra, population 177 * Popovača Pazariška, population 93 * Rastoka, population 33 * Rizvanuša, population 29 *

, population 418 * Smiljansko Polje, population 135 * Široka Kula, population 116 * Trnovac, population 96 * Vaganac, population 30 *

Velika Plana Velika Plana ( sr-Cyrl, Велика Плана, pronounced ) is a town and municipality located in the Podunavlje District of Serbia. As of 2011, the town has 16,088 inhabitants, while the municipality has 40,902. Velika Plana lies on the left b ...

, population 52 * , population 47 * Vranovine, population 43 * Vrebac, population 44 * Zavođe, population 4 * Žabica, population 163

History

The first organised inhabitation of the area was recorded in 1263 as ''Kaseg'' or ''Kasezi''. The name ''Gospić'' is first mentioned in 1604, which likely originates from the Croatian word for "lady" (''gospa'') or another archaic form, ''gospava''. It was ruled by Ottoman Empire as part of

Sanjak Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ) * Armenian language, Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province") * Bulgarian language, Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region") * el, Διοίκησι� ...

of Lika initially in

Rumeli Eyalet The Eyalet of Rumeli, or Eyalet of Rumelia ( ota, ایالت روم ایلی, ), known as the Beylerbeylik of Rumeli until 1591, was a first-level province ('' beylerbeylik'' or '' eyalet'') of the Ottoman Empire encompassing most of the Balkans ( ...

(1528–1580), later in

Bosnia Eyalet The Eyalet of Bosnia ( ota, ایالت بوسنه ,Eyālet-i Bōsnâ; By Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan Masters ; sh, Bosanski pašaluk), was an eyalet (administrative division, also known as a ''beylerbeylik'') of the Ottoman Empire, mostly based o ...

(1580–1686). Today's town was built around two Ottoman forts (the towers of

Aga Aga or AGA may refer to: Business * Architectural Glass and Aluminum (AGA), a glazing contractor, established in 1970 * AGA (automobile), ''Autogen Gasaccumulator AG'', 1920s German car company *AGA AB, ''Aktiebolaget Svenska Gasaccumulator'', a ...

Senković and of Aga Alić). The Turkish incursion was repelled by the end of the 17th century and Gospić became an administrative centre of the

region within the

Military Frontier The Military Frontier (german: Militärgrenze, sh-Latn, Vojna krajina/Vojna granica, Војна крајина/Војна граница; hu, Katonai határőrvidék; ro, Graniță militară) was a borderland of the Habsburg monarchy and l ...

. Until 1918, Gospić (named ''GOSPICH'' before 1850) was part of the

Austrian monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

(

Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia The Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia ( hr, Kraljevina Hrvatska i Slavonija; hu, Horvát-Szlavónország or ; de-AT, Königreich Kroatien und Slawonien) was a nominally autonomous kingdom and constitutionally defined separate political nation with ...

after the

compromise of 1867 The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (german: Ausgleich, hu, Kiegyezés) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereignty and status of the Kingdom of Hungary ...

), in the

Croatian Military Frontier The Croatian Military Frontier ( hr, Vojna krajina or ') was a district of the Military Frontier, a territory in the Habsburg monarchy, first during the period of the Austrian Empire and then during Austria-Hungary. History Founded in the late 1 ...

, Likaner Regiment N° I. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Gospić was part of the

Lika-Krbava County Lika-Krbava County ( hr, Ličko-krbavska županija; sr, Личко-крбавска жупанија; hu, Lika-Korbava vármegye) was a historic administrative subdivision of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. Croatia-Slavonia was an autonom ...

of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. During the Genocide of Serbs by the Ustaše in

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the district of Gospić experienced the first large-scale massacres which occurred in the Lika region, as some 3,000

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

civilians were killed between late July and early August 1941. A concentration camp was established in Gospić in which (together with other camps that belonged to the same complex) the Ustaše might have killed between 24,000-42,000 people, most of them being

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

and

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, but some of the prisoners were also Croatian. In the 1990s, during the course of the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...

, Gospić suffered greatly during the

Battle of Gospić The Battle of Gospić ( hr, Bitka za Gospić) was fought in the environs of Gospić, Croatia, from 29 August until 22 September 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence. The battle pitted the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), stationed in five ...

. The town was held by Croatian

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

forces throughout the war, while the

rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

Serb forces of the

Republic of Serbian Krajina The Republic of Serbian Krajina or Serb Republic of Krajina ( sh, Република Српска Крајина, italics=no / or РСК / ''RSK'', ), known as the Serbian Krajina ( / ) or simply Krajina, was a self-proclaimed Serb proto-state, ...

occupied positions directly to the east and often bombarded the town from there. In February 1992, a statue of the Serb scientist

Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla ( ; ,"Tesla"
''

The town was the site of the

Gospić massacre The Gospić massacre was the mass killing of 100–120 predominantly Serb civilians in Gospić, Croatia during the last two weeks of October 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence. The majority of the victims were ethnic Serbs arrested i ...

, where between 100-120 predominantly Serb civilians were killed by Croatian military units. Control of the area finally devolved to the Croatian government with the success of

Operation Storm }) 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 for the Croatian Army (HV), which attacked across a front against the self-declared proto-state R ...

in August 1995. Gospic is also the site of one of the regional branches of the Croatian State Archives, the Državni arhiv Gospić, at Kaniška 17. It was founded 30 September 1999 and officially opened 1 September 2000 in a renovated building and now houses historical documents of relevance to the Lika-Senj region which were formerly housed in the Regional Archive at Karlovac. In 2013, Croatian

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Zoran Milanović Zoran Milanović (; born 30 October 1966) is a Croatian politician serving as President of Croatia since 19 February 2020. Prior to assuming the presidency, he was prime minister from 2011 to 2016 and president of the Social Democratic Party f ...

urged the town's authorities to allow for a replica of the Tesla statue that had been destroyed in 1992 to be reinstated. The mayor of Gospić, Nikola Kolić, refused to give his approval for such a move and instead vowed to erect a statue of wartime Croatian President

Franjo Tuđman Franjo Tuđman (; 14 May 1922 – 10 December 1999), also written as Franjo Tudjman, was a Croatian politician and historian. Following the country's independence from Yugoslavia, he became the first president of Croatia and served as p ...

on the spot where the Tesla statue had once stood.

People

Šime Starčević Šime Starčević (18 April 1784 – 14 May 1859) was a Croatian priest and linguist. He was born in Žitnik, near Gospić. He worked as a pastor in Gospić, Lički Novi, Udbina, and since 1814 in Karlobag. He knew Latin, French, Italian and Ger ...

, priest and linguist *

Josip Filipović Josip Filipović, ''Freiherr'' (Baron) von Philippsberg, also Josef von Philippovich or Joseph Philippovich (April 1818 – 6 August 1889), was an Austro-Hungarian general (''Feldzeugmeister''). Life and career Filipović was born in the Milita ...

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

general *

Ante Starčević Ante Starčević (; 23 May 1823 – 28 February 1896) was a Croatian politician and writer. His policies centered around Croatian state law, the integrity of Croatian lands, and the right of his people to self-determination. As an important memb ...

, politician and writer * Ferdinand Kovačević, engineer and inventor *

Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla ( ; ,"Tesla"
''

Miroslav Kraljević Miroslav Kraljević (14 December 1885 – 16 April 1913) was a Croatian painter, printmaker and sculptor, active in the early part of the 20th century. He is one of the founders of modern art in Croatia. Kraljević studied painting in Vienna an ...

, painter *

Marko Orešković Marko Orešković (3 April 1895 – 20 October 1941) was a Croatian and Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Partisans (Yugoslavia), Partisan commander. He was also known by his nickname ''Krntija''. He was born in Široka Kula, Gospić municipality, which w ...

, Partisan and

People's Hero of Yugoslavia The Order of the People's Hero or the Order of the National Hero ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Orden narodnog heroja, Oрден народног хероја; sl, Red narodnega heroja, mk, Oрден на народен херој, Orden na ...

Kata Pejnović Kata Pejnović (; sr-Cyrl, Ката Пејновић, ; 21 March 1899 – 1966) was a Croatian Serb feminist and politician. Life Kata Pejnović was born on 21 March 1899 in the village of Smiljan in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, then part ...

, feminist and politician *

Edo Kovačević Edo Kovačević (16 November 1906 – 15 March 1993) was a Croatian artist, best known for his colourful landscapes and views of suburban Zagreb. He worked mainly in oils and pastels, using subtle colour harmonies and lively brush strokes to bring ...

, artist *

Milan Mandarić Milan Mandarić ( sr-Cyrl, Милан Мандарић; born 5 September 1938) is a Serbian-American businessman who has owned a string of businesses and association football clubs, including Portsmouth, Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday. ...

, businessman *

Josip Čorak Josip Čorak (14 June 1943 – 28 November 2023) was a Croatian wrestler. Competing as a senior in the 90 kg Greco-Roman division he won gold medals at the 1969 European Championships and 1967 Mediterranean Games and a silver medal at the 1 ...

, wrestler *

Nikica Valentić Nikica Valentić (; born 24 November 1950) is a Croatian entrepreneur, lawyer and politician who served as Prime Minister of Croatia from 1993 to 1995. He is to date the youngest person to have served in that capacity, being 42 years old when taki ...

, politician *

Darko Milinović Darko Milinović (born 25 April 1963) is a Croatian politician and gynecologist who served as Minister of Health and Social Welfare from 2008 until 2011. Biography Milinović was born in Gospić. After graduating from the University of Zagreb ...

, gynecologist and politician

Gallery

File:Ante Starcevic Platz in Gospic.JPG, Ante Starčević Square File:Defender´s Memorial in Gospic.JPG, Defenders memorial File:Nikola Tesla Smiljan 04.jpg,

Nikola Tesla Memorial Center The Nikola Tesla Memorial Center is a Historic site, cultural-historical site and museum located in Smiljan, Croatia, Smiljan, Croatia, located at the birthplace of Nikola Tesla, one of the world's foremost engineers and inventors. It is dedicated ...

in the nearby village of

File:Gospić, katedrala Navještenja blažene Djevice Marije.jpg, Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary cathedral File:Gospić fontana.jpg, Vila Velebita Fountain File:Poprsje kardinala Stepinca u Gospiću.jpg, Cardinal

Alojzije Stepinac Aloysius Viktor Cardinal Stepinac ( hr, Alojzije Viktor Stepinac, 8 May 1898 – 10 February 1960) was a senior-ranking Yugoslav Croat prelate of the Catholic Church. A cardinal, Stepinac served as Archbishop of Zagreb from 1937 until his dea ...

bust in city park File:Kolakovac.jpg, Kolakovac park File:Gospić, središte - kafić.jpg, Coffeehouse in the town centre File:Gospić - kip Nikole Tesle.jpg,

Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla ( ; ,"Tesla"
''

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

bust

Climate

Gospić has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

, Dfb by Köppen climate classification, with mean temperatures varying from in January to in July. Being situated higher than

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

, the area experiences high diurnal ranges, especially in summer, and frost has been recorded in every month except for July. The record low and high temperatures are and , respectively. Gospić is also quite a rainy city, with a slight summer minimum, but it experiences plentiful precipitation all year long, with the maximum being in autumn. During winter, Gospić can get strong blizzards, with on average 5.1 days a year when more than falls, and 16.1 days when more than falls. Its record snow cover was , and it was measured in February 1916.

Demographics

References

External links

City of Gospić
(Croatian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gospic Cities and towns in Croatia Populated places in Lika-Senj County 13th-century establishments in Croatia 1263 establishments in Europe

Municipality

History

People

Gallery

Climate

Demographics

See also

References

External links