Hrvatska Kostajnica (; ; ), also referred to as simply Kostajnica, is a town in central Croatia. It is located on the Una river in the Sisak-Moslavina County, south of Petrinja and Sisak and across the river from Kostajnica in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the past, Hrvatska Kostajnica was called by different names, Koztainicha, Kaztanicha to Costgnanica. The name most likely comes from the word Kostanj (chestnut).

Climate

Since records began in 1981, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station was , on 18 July 2007. The coldest temperature was , on 13 February 1985.

History

Middle Ages

Kostajnica was first mentioned in the document by knights templar from 1240. This year is used as official birth year of this historic town. Its name is derived from the word kostanj ("chestnut"), as the nearby hills around the Una river are covered with forests of chestnut trees.

Time of the first settlement is unknown, but town lies on very important Roman roads that were used for transporting salt and cotton. Since Roman roads were merged in the vicinity of the city it is believed that settlement dates much earlier than the first written document known today. Position of town is very similar to the town from old Roman documents known as “Oeneum”. Five Roman milestones were located in the city dating back to the 3rd century A.D. The town was bombed by American forces on May 30, 1944.

thumb|right|View of the town

Kostajnica suffered greatly during the Croatian War of Independence. A large part of the Croatian population were expelled or killed by rebel Serbs in 1991 and the city was incorporated into the Republic of Serbian Krajina. Houses and buildings belonging to Croats were burned and looted, including the baroque church, the medieval apothecary, and the eighteenth-century Franciscan monastery. The only piece of the city's cultural heritage left was the castle by the river built by the Frankopans. Kostajnica was put back in Croatian control following military victories by the army in August 1995, and the Croat population expelled slowly began returning.

Population

The municipality population of 2,756 is composed of the following settlements:

  • Čukur, population 114
  • Hrvatska Kostajnica, population 2,127
  • Panjani, population 125
  • Rausovac, population 28
  • , population 192
  • Selište Kostajničko, population 102
  • Utolica, population 68

In the 2011 population census, Croats made up 69.34% of the municipal population and Serbs were 25.04%.

Population of Hrvatska Kostajnica town by ethnicity At the 2023 Croatian national minorities councils and representatives elections Serbs of Croatia fulfilled legal requirements to elect 15 members minority council of the Town of Hrvatska Kostajnica.

Economy

Today, chief occupations are farming, leather (footwear), textiles plant, printing, and wood processing mill. Fishing and hunting are very important tourist attractions in the city with some of the best natural habitats found in this part of Europe. Hrvatska Kostajnica is underdeveloped municipality which is statistically classified as the First Category Area of Special State Concern by the Government of Croatia.

Notable natives and residents

  • Svetozar Boroević (1856–1920) - Austro-Hungarian Field Marshal
  • Milislav Demerec (1895–1966) - geneticist, former director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
  • Adam Pribićević (1880–1957) - publisher, writer, and politician
  • Milan Pribićević (1877–1937) - politician
  • Svetozar Pribićević (1875–1936) - politician
  • Antun Vakanović (1808–1894) - politician and Ban of Croatia
  • Nikola Nina Maraković (1912–1943) - antifascist and People's Hero of Yugoslavia

References

Bibliography

  • Tanner, Marcus, Croatia: Yale University Press, 1997.

Further reading

Dialect

  • https://www.kostajnica.com/