Brinje is a municipality in

Lika-Senj County Lika-Senj County (, hr, Ličko-senjska županija) is a 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. Its center is ...

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 = , capi ...

, located about 35 miles from Gospić. The town is formed around a castle called ''Sokolac'', which contains one of the most well preserved

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

chapels in Croatia,

St. Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

s, which dates back to the 14th century. The Sokolac Castle in the town is named after the Croatian word for falcon (''sokol''), which appears on the town's coat of arms.

History

Brinje's history dates back to

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

times, while the town was held by the noble Frankopan and

Gorjanski Garai or Garay ( hr, Gorjanski) were a Hungarian-Croatian noble family, a branch of the Dorozsma (Durusma) clan, with notable members in the 14th and 15th centuries. They were lords of Csesznek. Origin The family was descended from the Doroz ...

families. Brinje was important medieval fortified city held by Frenkopan family. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Brinje 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 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 ...

. It is some 60 km north of Gospić, on once important road, the " Josephina", passing from the hinterland through the Kapela pass towards the coast in Senj. The new highway that is built brought much needed prosperity to Brinje.

Villages

According to 2001 census, Brinje had 4,108 inhabitants, out of which 92% were

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic ...

. The municipality is one of several in the Lika region where Čakavian dialect is spoken. * Brinje - 1,708 * Glibodol - 41 * Jezerane - 375 * Križ Kamenica - 286 * Križpolje - 655 * Letinac - 222 * Lipice - 254 * Prokike - 122 * Rapain Klanac - 10 * Stajnica - 301 * Vodoteč - 98 * Žuta Lokva - 37

Notable natives and residents

* Josif Rajačić * Franjo Brozinčević * Davor Lasić

References

Bibliography

External links

Brinje
Municipalities of Croatia Populated places in Lika-Senj County {{LikaSenj-geo-stub