Većeslav Holjevac (22 August 1917 – 11 July 1970) was a Croatian and Yugoslav soldier and communist politician. Holjevac was born in

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. According to the 2011 census, its population was 55,705. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located on the Zagreb-Rijeka highway and railway line, south-west of Zagre ...

, at the time in

Austria-Hungary 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 ...

. He joined the

Communist Party of Yugoslavia The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, mk, Сојуз на комунистите на Југославија, Sojuz na komunistite na Jugoslavija known until 1952 as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, sl, Komunistična partija Jugoslavije mk ...

in 1939. Following the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia and establishment of

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist It ...

, Holjevac was active in resistance movement and in July 1941 he was one of the founders of Partisan units in Kordun and Banovina regions of Croatia. He served as political commissar of Partisan units in that region, including the 4th Croatian Corps, until the end of war. The most famous action which Holjevac commanded in 1941, happened on November 17 in

. He was in command of the platoon whose assignment was to liberate partisan Marijan Čavić, who was wounded by Ustashe, captured and set to healthcare in Karlovac hospital. Holjevac's platoon was redressed in Homeguard uniforms, so they entered Karlovac without problems. Unfortunately, Čavić was taken from hospital before their arrival, so the assignment was not completely executed. However, this action made a high impression within the population of Karlovac and neighbouring places. After the war Holjevac served in many important posts in Tito's Yugoslavia. For his war service he received the title of People's Hero of Yugoslavia on Jul 23, 1951. The following year he was named mayor of

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

, a post he held until 1963. As such, he is credited with many important construction projects that modernised the city, most notably the creation of Novi Zagreb. He also successfully lobbied for establishment of Zagreb trade fair. Holjevac died in 1970 in

. His daughter

Tatjana Holjevac Tatiana (or Tatianna, also romanized as Tatyana, Tatjana, Tatijana, etc.) is a female name of Sabine-Roman origin that became widespread in Eastern Europe. Variations * be, Тацця́на, Tatsiana * bg, Татяна, Tatyana * germ ...

used his legacy to launch her own political career during the 2005 local elections in Zagreb. A major thoroughfare of Zagreb, Većeslav Holjevac Avenue is named after Većeslav Holjevac.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holjevac, Veczzeslav 1917 births 1970 deaths People from Karlovac Yugoslav Partisans members Mayors of Zagreb Recipients of the Order of the People's Hero League of Communists of Croatia politicians Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery