Brezovo Polje ( sr-cyrl, Брезово Поље) is a village in north-eastern

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

and is located within the

Brčko District Brčko District ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Brčko distrikt, Брчко дистрикт, separator=" / "), officially the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Brčko distrikt Bosne i Hercegovine, Брчко дистрикт Босне ...

. Brezovo Polje is located 14 km east of the city of

Brčko Brčko ) is a city and the administrative seat of Brčko District, in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies on the banks of Sava river across from Croatia. As of 2013, it has a population of 39,893 inhabitants. De jure, the Brčko District b ...

. It is situated by the River Sava which has provided the village with fishing and recreation.

Demographics

It is believed that Brezovo Polje was settled in the 1860s by Muslim refugees from Šabac and Užice, fleeing Serbia which was at war with the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. According to the 2013 census, its population was 1,292.

Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord

The Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord was built in the year 1933 by contributions of Serb traders of that time. In the beginning of the World War II, Croat paramilitary force, the Ustashe demolished it to the ground. It was rebuilt in 1948. There are myths circulating that during the era of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) it was forbidden to visit the church and that there were cases when the police used the force on religious Serb civilians. Religion didn't have high status in the SFRY, but police efforts were usually used when there were suspicions of anti Yugoslav actions, by fascist forces which haven't been definitely defeated in World War II. The inside of the church dates from year 1985 and the outside looks of the church date from year 1990.

Azizija Mosque

The Azizija Mosque was built in the 1860s in Brezovo Polje as a result of the settlement of Muslim refugees from Serbia. The

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

was the cultural and religious monument representing the local Muslim population. The mosque was a substantial structure, with a large dome and a 30 m tall minaret. It is the only mosque in Bosnia and Herzegovina that was built in the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian baroque style. The harem (graveyard) of the mosque contained a large number of tombstones (mezarje) from the late 19th century. In the summer of 1992, following the expulsion of the

Bosniak 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 ...

population of Brezovo Polje by Serb paramilitaries, the mosque was entirely demolished with dynamite. The rubble of this unique structure was removed to unknown locations and the site cleared completely.Commission to Preserve National Monuments – Bosnia and Herzegovina
/ref> However, the reconstruction efforts are under way in 2009 to rebuild the structure which is under UNESCO protection due to its rarity, cultural and religious significance, and association with the history of Brezovo Polje.

References

Sources

Commission to preserve national monuments

1991 Official Federal Census of Bosnia-Herzegovina
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brezovo Polje, Brcko Populated places in Bosnia and Herzegovina Villages in Brčko District