Gospic
Encyclopedia
Gospić is a town
in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika
, Croatia
. It is the administrative
centre of Lika-Senj county
. Gospić is located near the Lika River
in the middle of a karst field.
Gospić is the third smallest seat of a county government
in Croatia. Its status as the county capital helped to spur some development in it, but the town as well as the entire region have suffered a constant decrease in population over the last several decades.
In town: 9,025 total
word for "lady" (gospa) or another archaic form, gospava.
Today's town was built around two Ottoman
forts (the towers of Aga Senković and of Aga Alić). The Turkish incursion was repelled by the end of the 17th century and Gospić became an administrative centre of the Lika region within the Military Frontier
.
The municipality was the birthplace of such great men as the physicist
and engineer
Nikola Tesla
, pioneer in telegraphy Ferdinand Kovačević
and also national thinkers like Ante Starčević
.
In the 1990s, during the course of the Croatian War of Independence
, Gospić suffered greatly. The town was held by Croatian government
forces throughout the war, while the rebel
Serb forces of the Republic of Serbian Krajina
occupied positions directly to the east and often bombarded the town from there. Control of the area finally devolved to the Croatian government with the success of Operation Storm
in August 1995.
Gospic is also the site of one of the regional branches of the Croatian State Archives, the Državni arhiv Gospić, at Kaniška 17. It was founded 30 September 1999 and officially opened 1 September 2000 in a renovated building and now houses historical documents of relevance to the Lika-Senj region which were formerly housed in the Regional Archive at Karlovac.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika
Lika
Lika is a mountainous region in central Croatia, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by the Malovan pass...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. It is the administrative
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
centre of Lika-Senj county
Lika-Senj County
Lika-Senj county is a county in Croatia that includes most of the Lika region and some northern coastline of the Adriatic near the town of Senj, including the northern part of the Pag island...
. Gospić is located near the Lika River
Lika (river)
Lika River or Rijeka Lika is a stream in Croatia which gives its name to the Lika region. It is known as a sinking river because at the end of its course, it flows into a series of ponors or swallow-holes and disappears from the surface...
in the middle of a karst field.
Gospić is the third smallest seat of a county government
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
in Croatia. Its status as the county capital helped to spur some development in it, but the town as well as the entire region have suffered a constant decrease in population over the last several decades.
1991
29,049 total- Croats - 18.613 (64,07%)
- Serbs - 8.976 (30,89%)
- Yugoslavs - 513 (1,76%)
- Others - 947 (3,26%)
In town: 9,025 total
- Croats - 5,015
- Serbs - 3,243
- Yugoslavs - 282
- Others - 485
2011
The total population of the municipality is 12,729, divided into the following settlements:- Aleksinica, population 169
- Barlete, population 28
- Bilaj, population 164
- Brezik, population 29
- Brušane, population 135
- Budak, population 147
- BužimBužimBužim is a village and municipality situated in the most northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Administratively, it is part of the Una-Sana Canton.-Geography:...
, population 74 - Debelo Brdo I, population 60
- Debelo Brdo II, population 8
- Divoselo, population 2
- Donje Pazarište, population 131
- Drenovac Radučki, population 0
- Gospić, population 6,561
- Kalinovača, population 94
- Kaniža Gospićka, population 395
- KlanacKlanacKlanac is a village in the municipality of Kakanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
, population 98 - KruščicaKrušcicaKruščica is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Bela Crkva municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 989 people .-See also:...
, population 0 - KruškovacKruškovacKruškovac is a type of rakija made by distilling fermented pears, and has an alcohol content of around 25%. It is characterized by its sweet pear aroma and distinctive yellow color. It is a popular drink in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and in other states of the former Yugoslavia...
, population 19 - Kukljić, population 14
- Lički Čitluk, population 4
- Lički Novi, population 297
- Lički OsikLički OsikLički Osik is a village in Croatia. It is connected by the D25 highway....
, population 1,892 - Lički Ribnik, population 93
- Mala Plana, population 7
- MedakMedakMedak , is a municipality in Medak District in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is 100 km to the north of Hyderabad.-Geography:Medak is located at . It has an average elevation of 442 metres .-Demographics:...
, population 64 - Mogorić, population 118
- Mušaluk, population 216
- Novoselo Bilajsko, population 112
- Novoselo Trnovačko, population 83
- Ornice, population 6
- Ostrvica, population 16
- Oteš, population 107
- Pavlovac Vrebački, population 31
- PočiteljPočiteljPočitelj may refer to:*Počitelj, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a village near Čapljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina*Počitelj, Croatia, a hamlet near Gospić, Croatia...
, population 4 - Podastrana, population 51
- Podoštra, population 186
- Popovača Pazariška, population 93
- RastokaRastokaRastoka is a village in the municipality of Ključ, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
, population 32 - Rizvanuša, population 29
- SmiljanSmiljanSmiljan is a village in the mountainous region of Lika in Croatia. It is located northwest of Gospić, and fifteen kilometers from the Zagreb-Split highway; its population is 417 .-Tesla:...
, population 417 - Smiljansko Polje, population 136
- Široka Kula, population 120
- TrnovacTrnovacTrnovac is a village in the municipality of Knjaževac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 227 people....
, population 96 - Vaganac, population 30
- Velika PlanaVelika PlanaVelika Plana , is a town and municipality located in the Podunavlje District of Serbia. In 2011, the population of the municipality is 40,578 . It is estimated that about 5,500-6,500 IDP's from Kosovo & Metohija also live in Velika Plana but are unregistered...
, population 53 - Veliki Žitnik, population 47
- Vranovine, population 43
- Vrebac, population 45
- Zavođe, population 4
- Žabica, population 169
History
The first organized inhabitation of the area was recorded in 1263 as Kaseg or Kasezi. The name Gospić is first mentioned in 1604, which likely originates from the CroatianCroatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
word for "lady" (gospa) or another archaic form, gospava.
Today's town was built around two Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
forts (the towers of Aga Senković and of Aga Alić). The Turkish incursion was repelled by the end of the 17th century and Gospić became an administrative centre of the Lika region within the Military Frontier
Military Frontier
The Military Frontier was a borderland of Habsburg Austria and later the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, which acted as the cordon sanitaire against incursions from the Ottoman Empire...
.
The municipality was the birthplace of such great men as the physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
, pioneer in telegraphy Ferdinand Kovačević
Ferdinand Kovacevic
Ferdinand Kovačević was a Croatian inventor, engineer, and pioneer in telegraphy who originated from Gospić. He invented the duplex connection of telegraphic transmission, patented in 1876 in Vienna and Budapest.-References:...
and also national thinkers like Ante Starčević
Ante Starcevic
Ante Starčević , was a Croatian politician and writer whose activities and works laid the foundations for the modern Croatian state.His works are base for Croatian nationalism, he is often referred to as Father of the Fatherland by Croats.-Life:...
.
In the 1990s, during the course of the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
, Gospić suffered greatly. The town was held by Croatian government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
forces throughout the war, while the rebel
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
Serb forces of the Republic of Serbian Krajina
Republic of Serbian Krajina
The Republic of Serbian Krajina was a self-proclaimed Serb entity within Croatia. Established in 1991, it was not recognized internationally. It formally existed from 1991 to 1995, having been initiated a year earlier via smaller separatist regions. The name Krajina means "frontier"...
occupied positions directly to the east and often bombarded the town from there. Control of the area finally devolved to the Croatian government with the success of Operation Storm
Operation Storm
Operation Storm is the code name given to a large-scale military operation carried out by Croatian Armed Forces, in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to gain back control of parts of Croatia which had been claimed by separatist ethnic Serbs, since early...
in August 1995.
Gospic is also the site of one of the regional branches of the Croatian State Archives, the Državni arhiv Gospić, at Kaniška 17. It was founded 30 September 1999 and officially opened 1 September 2000 in a renovated building and now houses historical documents of relevance to the Lika-Senj region which were formerly housed in the Regional Archive at Karlovac.