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. 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 ...

, at the time in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

. He joined the

Communist Party of Yugoslavia The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, known until 1952 as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, was the founding and ruling party of SFR Yugoslavia. It was formed in 1919 as the main communist opposition party in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats a ...

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

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...

, 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, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

, 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 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 places in Yugoslavia Mayors of Zagreb Recipients of the Order of the People's Hero League of Communists of Croatia politicians Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery