Kusonje
Kusonje | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Church of Saint George in Kusonje was built in 1732–34 and destroyed in 1942 | |
 Interactive map of Kusonje | |
| Coordinates: 45°28′N 17°14′E / 45.467°N 17.233°E | |
| Country |  Croatia |
| County |  Požega-Slavonia |
| Town | Pakrac |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.8 sq mi (14.9 km2) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 257 |
| • Density | 44.7/sq mi (17.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 34550 Pakrac |
Kusonje (Serbian Cyrillic: Кусоње) is a village in Croatia in the town of Pakrac, Požega-Slavonia County. It is connected by the D38 road.
On 13 August 1942, during the Genocide of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia in World War II, the local Serbian Orthodox Church was a site of Ustaše war crime in which 163 male residents over the age of 12 years from Kusonje and Dragović were murdered while women and children were sent to Stara Gradiška concentration camp.
Kusonje was the site of an ambush during the Croatian War of Independence in 1991, when 20 Croatian policemen and soldiers were massacred by Serb rebels.
Demographics
According to the 2011 population census, the village of Kusonje had 308 inhabitants. This represents 27.97% of its pre-war population according to the 1991 census.
Population by ethnicity:
| Year of census | total | Serbs | Croats | Yugoslavs | others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 308 | 187 (60.71%) | 101 (32.79%) | - | 20 (6.49%) |
| 2001 | 200 | n/a | n/a | - | n/a |
| 1991 | 1 101 | 891 (80.93%) | 99 (8.99%) | 72 (6.54%) | 39 (3.54%) |
| 1981 | 1 047 | 685 (65.43%) | 96 (9.17%) | 247 (23.59%) | 19 (1.81%) |
| 1971 | 744 | 605 (81.32%) | 123 (16.53%) | 4 (0.54%) | 12 (1.61%) |
| 1961 | 658 | 555 (84.35%) | 86 (13.07%) | 1 (0.15%) | 16 (2.43%) |
| population | 432 | 480 | 523 | 598 | 767 | 909 | 886 | 916 | 450 | 519 | 658 | 744 | 1047 | 1101 | 200 | 308 |
| 1857 | 1869 | 1880 | 1890 | 1900 | 1910 | 1921 | 1931 | 1948 | 1953 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 |
History
Kusonje was part of Croatian medieval state. In 1543, Kusonje and the nearby town of Pakrac were conquered by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman rule lasted until it was seized and reconquered by the Austrians in 1691. Village had Serbian ethnic majority.
World War II
On 13 August 1942, during the Genocide of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia in World War II, the local Serbian Orthodox Church was a site of Ustaša war crime in which 163 male residents over the age of 12 years from Kusonje and Dragović were murdered while women and children were sent to Stara Gradiška concentration camp. Learning about Ustaše atrocities in Pakrac region started hiding in nearby forests but were forced to return to villages to take care of their crops, animals and to take food which was used by authorities to capture them. After male residents over the age of 12 years were captured they were pushed inside the church, locked from the outside, and then the building was set it on fire. Those who did not fit in the church were slaughtered and thrown into nearby wells. The Ustaša crimes triggered revange violence against predominantly Croat village of Španovica where 129 residents were murdered.
Croatian War of Independence
In 1991, war broke out in Croatia, of which Kusonje and Pakrac were a part. The Yugoslav People's Army captured the town in March 1991, but it was soon retaken by Croatian forces.
See also
References
- ↑ Danijela Havranek (28 August 2015). "Dan kada su Kusonje prepolovljene" [The day when Kusonje population was halved]. Novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ Register of spatial units of the State Geodetic Administration of the Republic of Croatia. Wikidata Q119585703.
- ↑ "Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements" (xlsx). Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 Škiljan, Filip (n.d.). Istraživanje Drugog svjetskog rata metodom usmene povijesti u pojedinim regijama Hrvatske (primjeri iz Hrvatskog zagorja, zapadne Slavonije i Gorskog kotara) (PDF) (Report) (in Croatian). Zagreb: Serb National Council.
- 1 2 3 "Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements, 2011 Census: Kusonje". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. December 2012.
- ↑ Izdanje Državnog zavoda za statistiku RH: Narodnosni sastav stanovništva RH od 1880-1991. godine.
- ↑ Naselja i stanovništvo Republike Hrvatske 1857-2001, www.dzs.hr
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