Vocin
Encyclopedia
Voćin is a village and municipality in western Slavonia
, Croatia
, located southwest of Slatina
and east of Daruvar
. The population of the municipality is 2,500, with 1,161 people living in Voćin itself (census 2001).
Voćin is a famous pilgrimage place in the nice and peaceful valley of the small river Voćinska Rijeka at the foot of Papuk Mountain. The village features a nice park, protected as a horticultural monument. The attractive surroundings is notable for the arboretum
Lisičine (one of the three arboretums in Croatia, the other two being Trsteno
(near Dubrovnik
) and Opeka (near Varaždin
)), the special forest vegetation reserve Sekulinačke Planine, which includes the large primaeval forest of mountain beech, and the unique geological monument of Rupnica, famous for the secretion of albite (white feldspar) riolite.
The major annual event is related to the Birth of Mary (September 8), when a number of pilgrims visit the ruins of the late Gothic Catholic church of St. Mary.
The church was destroyed during World War II
and rebuilt in 1973. It was destroyed again on December 13, 1991 by Serbian paramilitaries. In the events surrounding this incident Voćin was a site of a war crime, which was later well documented. 53 Croatians were killed by Serbian irregulars.
In 1992, some Croatians from Letnica, a Croatian Catholic village in Kosovo
, were brought to Croatia by president Franjo Tuđman and settled in homes abandoned by Serbs fleeing the villages of Voćin and Varešnica in western Slavonia.
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
, 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 ...
, located southwest of Slatina
Slatina, Croatia
Slatina is a town in Slavonia, Croatia. It is located in the Virovitica-Podravina county, at the contact of the Drava valley and the foothills of Papuk mountain, in the central part of the region of Podravina, southeast of Virovitica; elevation 127 m...
and east of Daruvar
Daruvar
Daruvar is a town in central Croatia, population 9,815 , total municipality population 13,243 ....
. The population of the municipality is 2,500, with 1,161 people living in Voćin itself (census 2001).
Voćin is a famous pilgrimage place in the nice and peaceful valley of the small river Voćinska Rijeka at the foot of Papuk Mountain. The village features a nice park, protected as a horticultural monument. The attractive surroundings is notable for the arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
Lisičine (one of the three arboretums in Croatia, the other two being Trsteno
Trsteno
Trsteno is a village northwest of Dubrovnik in southern Croatia, population 237 . The name probably comes from the word trska which means reed. It is located on the magistral road between the villages Orašac and Slano.-Trsteno Arboretum:...
(near Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
) and Opeka (near Varaždin
Varaždin
Varaždin is a city in north Croatia, north of Zagreb on the highway A4. The total population is 47,055, with 38,746 on of the city settlement itself . The centre of Varaždin county is located near the Drava river, at...
)), the special forest vegetation reserve Sekulinačke Planine, which includes the large primaeval forest of mountain beech, and the unique geological monument of Rupnica, famous for the secretion of albite (white feldspar) riolite.
The major annual event is related to the Birth of Mary (September 8), when a number of pilgrims visit the ruins of the late Gothic Catholic church of St. Mary.
The church was destroyed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and rebuilt in 1973. It was destroyed again on December 13, 1991 by Serbian paramilitaries. In the events surrounding this incident Voćin was a site of a war crime, which was later well documented. 53 Croatians were killed by Serbian irregulars.
In 1992, some Croatians from Letnica, a Croatian Catholic village in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, were brought to Croatia by president Franjo Tuđman and settled in homes abandoned by Serbs fleeing the villages of Voćin and Varešnica in western Slavonia.
Demographics
According to the 2001 Census, the village had 2,421 inhabitants of whom:- CroatsCroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
: 2 069 / 85.46 % - SerbsSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
: 315 / 13.01 %