Ravna Gora, Croatia
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Ravna Gora is a village and a municipality in western
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
, located between
Delnice Delnice () is a town in western Croatia, the largest settlement in the mountainous region of Gorski Kotar, in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The town has a population of 3861, and total municipality population is 5135 (2021). Delnice is Gorsk ...
and Vrbovsko in the mountainous region of
Gorski Kotar Gorski Kotar () is the mountainous region in Croatia between Karlovac and Rijeka. Because 63% of its surface is forested it is popularly called ''the green lungs of Croatia'' or ''Croatian Switzerland''. The European route E65, which connects B ...
.


History

The
volunteer fire department A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respo ...
DVD Ravna Gora was founded in 1888, and is today part of the ''VZ općine Ravna Gora''. The current commander of both the ''VZ'' and the ''DVD'' as of 2013 is Dražen Krepenc. The local chapter of the HPS is ''HPD "Bjelolasica"'', which had 23 members in 1936 under the Ivan Marković presidency. At the time, it had a ski section. Membership fell to 21 in 1937. Membership fell to 15 in 1938, and the ski section became inactive. The next season, the entire chapter was inactive.


WWII

Along with
Mrkopalj Mrkopalj () is a village and a Municipalities of Croatia, municipality in the mountainous part of Croatia in the region of Gorski Kotar, located south-east of Delnice and some 50 km east of Rijeka and 831 meters above sea level. History On 1 ...
and Vrbovsko, Ravna Gora was one of the only places in
Gorski Kotar Gorski Kotar () is the mountainous region in Croatia between Karlovac and Rijeka. Because 63% of its surface is forested it is popularly called ''the green lungs of Croatia'' or ''Croatian Switzerland''. The European route E65, which connects B ...
that already had Ustaše when
Ante Pavelić Ante Pavelić (; 14 July 1889 – 28 December 1959) was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and was dictator of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a fasc ...
arrived in 1941. In July, when the deportations of Serbs to accommodate the Slovenes of the population exchange commenced, the ''logornik'' in Vrbovsko informed his superiors that all the Serbs were in Moravice apart from two retired
Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...
gunmen in Severin na Kupi. For the temporary accommodation of Slovenes in Ravna Gora, the ''Deutscher dom'' was offered for the housing of 100 people but for its occupation by the Italians. The Italians withdrew from Ravna Gora on 15 March 1942, on the same day as Sunger and
Mrkopalj Mrkopalj () is a village and a Municipalities of Croatia, municipality in the mountainous part of Croatia in the region of Gorski Kotar, located south-east of Delnice and some 50 km east of Rijeka and 831 meters above sea level. History On 1 ...
. The Italians did not leave those towns along the railway, which they fortified with barbed wire. At 11:00 on 22 March 1942, a large mass of Communists entered Ravna Gora under the Croatian flag, holding a meeting in front of the Općina house, blocked off all of Ravna Gora and set up a guard at the entrance and exit. In May 1942, following the success of arming Serbs to form auxiliary chete in Moravice,
Gomirje Gomirje is a settlement in north-western Croatia, situated at the far east of the mountainous region of Gorski kotar in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. It is part of the Vrbovsko municipality. The population is 343 (as of the 2011 census). H ...
and Lička Jesenica, the Italian army decided to form similar armed groups from among the Croats of Ravna Gora and
Mrkopalj Mrkopalj () is a village and a Municipalities of Croatia, municipality in the mountainous part of Croatia in the region of Gorski Kotar, located south-east of Delnice and some 50 km east of Rijeka and 831 meters above sea level. History On 1 ...
.


Recent

Ravna Gora was hit by the 2014 Dinaric ice storm. From 31 January to 2 February 2014, while S and SW
geostrophic wind In atmospheric science, geostrophic flow () is the theoretical wind that would result from an exact balance between the Coriolis force and the pressure gradient force. This condition is called '' geostrophic equilibrium'' or ''geostrophic balanc ...
dominated,
freezing rain Freezing rain is rain maintained at temperatures below melting point, freezing by the ambient air mass that causes freezing on contact with surfaces. Unlike rain and snow mixed, a mixture of rain and snow or ice pellets, freezing rain is made en ...
fell on Gorski Kotar, glazing the entire region. It wrecked roofs, power lines an forests, causing power loss for about 14,000 households households in Gorski Kotar, or about 80% of its population. Because of power lines falling on the A6, the highway was closed in of
Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...
between
Bosiljevo Bosiljevo is a village and municipality in Karlovac County, Croatia. It is located in the Gorski Kotar region, 25 km south-west from Karlovac, on the highways A1 and A6 leading to Zagreb, Rijeka and Split. Settlements The total popula ...
and Kikovica, and between Kikovica and Delnice in the direction of Zagreb. It took about 10 days to restore essential infrastructure to the region, and within months electricity was back in most of its former range, but at a cost of about 84.4 million HRK to HEP. At the time it was the largest peacetime damage since its Secession from Yugoslavia, even without counting the forestry losses. The ''Šumarija Ravna Gora'' fared well relative to western forestry branches, losing mainly diseased and very poorly anchored trees. Clearing blocked forestry roads and forest paths would take years, and thanks to the declining population some were never cleared. On 28 October 2018, strong convective precipitation led to flash flooding, causing all roads in and out to be closed. One night in mid-June 2019, the restaurant ''Breza'' caught on fire. Three firefighters from the local volunteer fire department arrived on scene at 3:49, followed by six more, but efforts were focused on preventing its spread to adjacent injabited rooms and all 12 bottles of air were used up, leading to cessation of firefighting until the ''JVP Delnice'' could arrive, joined by the volunteer fire departments of Stara Sušica and Kupjak. The fire was under control by 6:15 and had been put out by 10:00. 30 firefighters participated with 5 vehicles. The fire caused about a million HRK in damage. On 16 September 2022, heavy rain led to the A6 interchange at Ravna Gora being closed due to flooding.


Demographics

In the 2021 census, the total municipality population was 2028: In 1870, Ravnagora općina, in
Delnice Delnice () is a town in western Croatia, the largest settlement in the mountainous region of Gorski Kotar, in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The town has a population of 3861, and total municipality population is 5135 (2021). Delnice is Gorsk ...
''podžupanija'', had 423 houses, with a population of 3193. Its 4 villages were divided into 3 ''porezne obćine'' for taxation purposes. Ravnagora had its own parish. In 1890, the ''općina'' of Ravna Gora (court at Ravna Gora), with an area of , belonged to the ''kotar'' and
electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...
of Vrbovsko ( Vrbovsko court) in the ''županija'' of Modruš-Rieka (
Ogulin Ogulin () is a town in central Croatia, in Karlovac County. It has a population of 7,389 (2021) (it was 8,216 in 2011), and a total municipal population of 12,251 (2021). Ogulin is known for its historic stone castle, known as Kula, and the nearby ...
court and financial board). There were 454 houses (518 in 1910), with a population of 2622: 1038 male and 1584 female; 2684 in 1913. The majority were Croatian or Serbian speakers, but 14 spoke
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, 10 Slovak, 7 Slovene, 2
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...
, 1 Hungarian, 1
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
and 2 spoke other languages. The majority were
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, but 21 were
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
and 2 were
Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...
. Its 3 villages and 3 hamlets were divided for taxation purposes into 3 ''porezne općine'' (Ravna Gora, Stari Laz, Sušica), under the
Delnice Delnice () is a town in western Croatia, the largest settlement in the mountainous region of Gorski Kotar, in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The town has a population of 3861, and total municipality population is 5135 (2021). Delnice is Gorsk ...
office. It had 1 market (the only other in the kotar being in Vrbovsko). In 1910, the entire općina had no resident soldiers. Militarily, Ravna Gora fell under the and 26th Landsturm Infantry Brigade, both at
Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northeast of Rijeka, and is connected to them via the ...
. In 1890, Ravna Gora itself had 227 houses and 1282 people. Vrh had 27 houses and 115 people. They attended the school in and were administered and taxed by Ravna Gora, which also had a post office.


Further reading

* Page 32.


Settlements

The following settlements are under Ravna Gora: * Kupjak, population 176 * Leskova Draga, population 8 * Ravna Gora, population 1477 * Stara Sušica, population 205 * Stari Laz, population 147 * Šije, population 15 In the same census, the population was over 97%
Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...
.


Governance


National

Representatives of the Ravna Gora kotar at the
Croatian Parliament The Croatian Parliament () or the Sabor is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Croatia. Under the terms of the Constitution of Croatia, Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the nation, people and is vested with legislative power. ...
: * Tomislav Cuculić (1848, 1861) * Ante Cuculić (1861–1865) At the 1920 Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Constitutional Assembly election in Modruš-Rijeka County, Ravna Gora voted mainly for the
Croatian People's Peasant Party The Croatian Peasant Party (, HSS) is an agrarianism, agrarian List of political parties in Croatia, political party in Croatia founded on 22 December 1904 by Antun Radić, Antun and Stjepan Radić as Croatian Peoples' Peasant Party (HPSS). The ...
and to a lesser extent the Communist Party .


Judiciary

In 1875, the kotar court of
Delnice Delnice () is a town in western Croatia, the largest settlement in the mountainous region of Gorski Kotar, in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The town has a population of 3861, and total municipality population is 5135 (2021). Delnice is Gorsk ...
encompassed a population of 28,347, being responsible for the općine: Delnice, Lokve, Fužine,
Mrkopalj Mrkopalj () is a village and a Municipalities of Croatia, municipality in the mountainous part of Croatia in the region of Gorski Kotar, located south-east of Delnice and some 50 km east of Rijeka and 831 meters above sea level. History On 1 ...
, Ravna Gora, Brod,
Skrad Skrad is a village and a municipality in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. History Skrad was first mentioned on 22 February 1481 in a document freeing the citizens of Grič from tariffs in Skrad and elsewhere, unless the oth ...
, Vrbovsko.


Culture


Cuisine

In 2008, Blažica Sveticki, at the time director of the Ravna Gora branch of the National Tourist Board, founded the society ''Plodovi gorja Gorskog kotara'' for the sake of preserving local agricultural and culinary traditions and food products. The society consists of various
family farm A family farm is generally understood to be a farm owned and/or operated by a family. It is sometimes considered to be an Estate (land), estate passed down by inheritance. Although a recurring conceptual model, conceptual and archetype, archet ...
s, which participate in various manifestations, the oldest of which originated before the society was founded, back in 1998: the "Blueberry days" () and "Mushroom days" (). From year to year, other fruits were added: elder,
strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...
,
spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...
,
raspberry The raspberry is the edible fruit of several plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the Rosaceae, rose family, most of which are in the subgenus ''Rubus#Modern classification, Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Ras ...
and so on.


Infrastructure


Forestry

The forestry office for Vrbovsko srez was in Ravna Gora.


Sports


Bowling

Ravna Gora is home to the bowling clubs ' and ''Ravnogorac'', who meet at the ''SPC Goranka''. The best bowlers of ''Goranka'' have competed in the , winning ; having won of the 2nd League in 2018, and before that of the 3rd League in 2014. The local individual record at the
bowling alley A bowling alley (also known as a bowling center, bowling lounge, bowling arena, or historically bowling club) is a facility where the sport of bowling is played. It can be a dedicated facility or part of another, such as a clubhouse or dwelling ...
is 698, set in 2025 by Robert Skok.


Cycling

Beginning in 2013, the 7 stage long Cycling Trail of Gorski Kotar () passes through Hlevci. The "Gorski Kotar Bike Tour", held annually since 2012, sometimes goes through Ravna Gora, such as in the third leg for 2023 and the second leg for 2024, both of which started and ended in Ravna Gora.


Notable people

Notable people who were born or lived in Ravna Gora include: * (b. 17 January 1938), lawyer and columnist


Gallery

Pogled na dio Ravne Gore.jpg, Street in Ravna Gora Crkva svete Terezije Avilske u Ravnoj Gori.jpg, Kapelica svetog Florijana u Kosi.jpg, ''Sv. Florijana'' chapel in Ravna Gora.jpg, Panorama Pogled na Ravnu Goru zima 1.jpg, Ravna Gora in winter


Selected works

*


Notes


References


Bibliography


History

* * * {{authority control Populated places in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Municipalities of Croatia