Kusonje is a
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
in
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 ...
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 a ...
,
Požega-Slavonia County
Požega-Slavonia County ( hr, Požeško-slavonska županija ) is a Croatian county in western Slavonia. Its capital is Požega. Its population was 78,034 at the 2011 census.
Alongside the City of Zagreb and Bjelovar-Bilogora County, it is one ...
. It is connected by the
D38 highway. Kusonje was the site of an ambush during the
Croatian War of Independence in 1991, when 20 Croatian policemen and soldiers were killed 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 a ...
were conquered by the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. 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 stop at the church were slaughtered and thrown into nearby wells.
In 1991, war broke out in
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 ...
, of which Kusonje and Pakrac were a part. The
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...
captured the town in March 1991, but it was soon retaken by Croatian forces.
See also
*
Battle of Kusonje
The Battle of Kusonje was a two-day clash fought in the village of Kusonje near the town of Pakrac on 8–9 September 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence. The battle was initiated when a platoon of the Croatian National Guard ( hr, Zb ...
References
Populated places in Požega-Slavonia County
Serb communities in Croatia
{{PožegaSlavonia-geo-stub