Macelj
Encyclopedia
Macelj is the name of a village and a forest in northern Croatia
bordering on Slovenia
. There is an official border crossing in Macelj, and the end of the A2 highway
.
, were shot by soldiers of the Yugoslav army (the Partisans)
. This was in connection to the Bleiburg massacre
.
In 1992, after Croatia became independent, 1163 bodies were excavated from mass graves in the region. DNA analysis
was conducted on a few hundred of them. The names of identified persons were not officially published, but it is clear that they were victims of a mass execution. A large number of the bodies were dropped into the area's many pits, making it difficult to locate all casualties. Further investigation on this issue was not conducted, and final conclusions about the excavations cannot be drawn yet. Some of those executions have been investigated, but no one has ever been prosecuted.
Among those executed in Macelj were 25 Catholic priests
from a Franciscan
monastery
in Široki Brijeg
which were temporarily hidden in nearby Krapina
. In 2008, the Croatian Ministry of the Interior launched an investigation into Stjepan Hršak's possible involvement in that event.
Reburial of excavated bodies in 2005 was followed by public mass led by Cardinal Josip Bozanić
, at the time Archbishop of Zagreb.
Further excavations are planned, .
Rightist
Sources close to Catholic church and right-wing politicians state that 12,000 people were killed in Macelj, mostly in June 1945. Other estimates place the number at closer to 17,000.
These high number claims are generally unsupported by the available facts.
They also claim that killed persons were innocent victims of communist regime, and for them it would not make any difference if the executions were preceded by court martial or not, since they would consider it to be show trial
as in case of Alojzije Stepinac.
Leftist
According to the promoted book of Juraj Hrženjak "Bleiburg i Križni put 1945" ("Bleiburg and The way of the cross 1945"), executed persons were Chetniks
. Book does not debate on the number of executed people.
No other sources other than Hrženjak claim that the executed were Chetniks.
It is also claimed by leftists that almost all executions were preceded by court martial. It is unknown whether executions were, partially or completely, preceded by court martial or not.
It is almost certain that executions, whether they were legally covered or not, were, in fact, revenge for the war crimes of local betrayers and collaborators.
It is unknown whether executions were exclusively perpetrated on the captured soldiers, or also on civilians. Generally, in most cases they were not directly politically motivated.
n border. The Slovenian village opposite Macelj is Gruškovje.
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 ...
bordering on Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. There is an official border crossing in Macelj, and the end of the A2 highway
A2 (Croatia)
The A2 motorway is a motorway in the Hrvatsko Zagorje region of northern Croatia, connecting Zagreb to the Macelj border crossing and Slovenia. The A2 motorway is part of the European route E59 and the Pan-European Corridor Xa...
.
Macelj in 1945
In May and June 1945, Macelj was the location where a large number of persons who were soldiers of NDH or closely associated with NDHIndependent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
, were shot by soldiers of the Yugoslav army (the Partisans)
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
. This was in connection to the Bleiburg massacre
Bleiburg massacre
The Bleiburg massacre, which also encompasses Operation Keelhaul is a term encompassing events that took place during mid-May 1945 near the Carinthian town of Bleiburg, itself some four kilometres from the Austrian-Slovenian border....
.
In 1992, after Croatia became independent, 1163 bodies were excavated from mass graves in the region. DNA analysis
Genetic fingerprinting
DNA profiling is a technique employed by forensic scientists to assist in the identification of individuals by their respective DNA profiles. DNA profiles are encrypted sets of numbers that reflect a person's DNA makeup, which can also be used as the person's identifier...
was conducted on a few hundred of them. The names of identified persons were not officially published, but it is clear that they were victims of a mass execution. A large number of the bodies were dropped into the area's many pits, making it difficult to locate all casualties. Further investigation on this issue was not conducted, and final conclusions about the excavations cannot be drawn yet. Some of those executions have been investigated, but no one has ever been prosecuted.
Among those executed in Macelj were 25 Catholic priests
Involvement of Croatian Catholic clergy with the Ustaša regime
Catholic clergy involvement with the Ustaše covers the role of the Croatian Catholic Church in the Independent State of Croatia , a Nazi puppet state created on the territory of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia in 1941...
from a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in Široki Brijeg
Široki Brijeg
-Name:The name of the city means "the wide hill" in Croatian . The city is also sometime referred to as "Široki Brig" and among the inhabitants of Herzegovina simply as "Široki" . Between 1945 and 1990, the name was officially Lištica, after the river that flows through it.-Geography:The river...
which were temporarily hidden in nearby Krapina
Krapina
Krapina is a town in northern Croatia and the administrative centre of Krapina-Zagorje County with a population of 4,482 and a total municipality population of 12,479...
. In 2008, the Croatian Ministry of the Interior launched an investigation into Stjepan Hršak's possible involvement in that event.
Reburial of excavated bodies in 2005 was followed by public mass led by Cardinal Josip Bozanić
Josip Bozanic
Josip Bozanić is a Croatian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the eighth and current Archbishop of Zagreb, having previously served as Bishop of Krk from 1989 to 1997. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2003....
, at the time Archbishop of Zagreb.
Further excavations are planned, .
RightistRight-wing politicsIn politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
controversies
Sources close to Catholic church and right-wing politicians state that 12,000 people were killed in Macelj, mostly in June 1945. Other estimates place the number at closer to 17,000.These high number claims are generally unsupported by the available facts.
They also claim that killed persons were innocent victims of communist regime, and for them it would not make any difference if the executions were preceded by court martial or not, since they would consider it to be show trial
Show trial
The term show trial is a pejorative description of a type of highly public trial in which there is a strong connotation that the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal to present the accusation and the verdict to the public as...
as in case of Alojzije Stepinac.
LeftistLeft-wing politicsIn politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
controversies
According to the promoted book of Juraj Hrženjak "Bleiburg i Križni put 1945" ("Bleiburg and The way of the cross 1945"), executed persons were ChetniksChetniks
Chetniks, or the Chetnik movement , were Serbian nationalist and royalist paramilitary organizations from the first half of the 20th century. The Chetniks were formed as a Serbian resistance against the Ottoman Empire in 1904, and participated in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II...
. Book does not debate on the number of executed people.
No other sources other than Hrženjak claim that the executed were Chetniks.
It is also claimed by leftists that almost all executions were preceded by court martial. It is unknown whether executions were, partially or completely, preceded by court martial or not.
It is almost certain that executions, whether they were legally covered or not, were, in fact, revenge for the war crimes of local betrayers and collaborators.
It is unknown whether executions were exclusively perpetrated on the captured soldiers, or also on civilians. Generally, in most cases they were not directly politically motivated.
Border crossing
Macelj hosts the most frequently congested border crossing in Croatia on the SloveniaSlovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n border. The Slovenian village opposite Macelj is Gruškovje.