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Knin

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Knin
Knin is located in Croatia
Knin
Knin
Knin (Croatia)

Knin (Serbian: Книн) is a historical town in the Šibenik-Knin county of Croatia, located near the source of the river Krka at 44°02′18″N 16°11′59″E / 44.03833°N 16.19972°E / 44.03833; 16.19972, in the Dalmatian hinterland, on the railroad Zagreb–Split. Knin rose to prominence twice in history, as a one-time capital of both the medieval Croatian state and briefly of the unrecognized, and now defunct Republic of Serbian Krajina. The city is of extreme importance for infrastructural reasons, as the railroads from Zadar, Split and Sibenik pass through Knin, going north to towards Zagreb.

History

In the vicinity of today's muschi Knin there was a town called Burnum which served as an Illyrian and Roman military camp in the 1st century BC.

Knin is mentioned in the 10th century in the history of Constantine Porphyrogenitus as the centre of a parish. A Croatian diocese was founded 1040 and its jurisdiction extended to the Drava river, with the "Croatian bishop" at its head.

Knin was also the capital of the Kingdom of Croatia around 1080 during the rule of King Dmitar Zvonimir. Between the 10th and the 13th century, Knin was a notable military fort.

Its strategic position played an important role in many wars and power changes — beginning with the Croatian rulers, then Kingdom of Hungary, the Venetians, Turks, to the Austrians and the French.

On May 29, 1522, the fort of Knin fell to the Ottoman Empire, and Croatian folk massively left the town. The town was populated with Serb refugees by the Ottomans. Century and a half later, on September 11, 1688, it was captured by the Venetian Republic. Subsequently, the Croatian population partially returned and the Franciscans built a monastery and a church there in 1708.

Knin passed on to the Habsburgs together with Dalmatia in 1797 according to the Treaty of Campoformio. After the peace in Pozun in 1805, the French Empire gained the city and incorporated it into the Illyrian Provinces in 1809. By 1813, the Austrians regained the control over the town. By the end of the 19th century, as a part of the Habsburg domain of Dalmatia, Knin grew steadily becoming an important commercial as well as the road and railway center. In 1867, Knin became a part of Dalmatia - a territorial entity within Cisleithania. After the First World War Knin became a part of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs in 1918, which subsequently became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Kingdom of Yugoslavia since 1929).

1990s

In the beginning of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, when Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia, Knin became the main stronghold of separatist Serbs of the Krajina region. When the internationally unrecognised Republic of Serbian Krajina was formed in 1991, Knin became its capital.[1] The leaders of Krajina were Knin locals Milan Martić, a former police inspector, and Milan Babić, a dentist.[2] Croatian forces took over the town during Operation Storm on August 5, 1995[3] (the date is today marked as a national holiday Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day).

The majority of the population had already fled by the time the Croatian Army took control of Knin.[4][5][6] There were Serbian civilian deaths caused by the shelling of Knin by the Croatian Army during Operation Storm. Martić was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in 1995, several days before the operation, as was Babić in 2004, who pled guilty to numerous war crimes.[7][8] Croatian army officers Ivan Čermak, Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač have been indicted and are currently awaiting trial at ICTY.

At the end of the war, Knin's population changed greatly with the influx of Croat refugees from Bosnia and former Croat militia members, along with lower population due to the Serbs that fled during Operation Storm.[9] Over time, very few of the Serbs returned and the population is now barely mixed.

In the fall and winter of 1998, multi-national Stabilization Force troops from Norway and the United States and stationed in Zagreb were united with United Nations South African deminers to begin land mine cleanup. Approximately 60 km of raliroad tracks between Knin and Martin Brod, which traverses the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina were cleared in preparation to reopen rail lines. In this operation, under command of Norwegian Major Stein Stolen, the full extent of the war damage was uncovered, including complete removal of 60 km in each direction of overhead copper electrical wire to power electric trains and digging up the communications lines which ran parallel to the raills and severing the cables every 100-200 meters for the entire length. The cleanup and restoration process is ongoing.[citation needed]

Demography

University of Zadar's Geography department published the following data for the population of the town Knin. [10]

Year total Serbs Croats Others
1880 ? 82.3% 15.1% 2.6%
1890 ? 84.5% 14.5% 1.0%
1900 ? 83.5% 14.3% 2.2%
1910 ? 84.2% 14.4% 1.5%
1948 2,242 84.7% 14.6% 0.7%
1953 3,543 84.1% 14.5% 1.5%
1961 5,116 82.1% 15.3% 2.6%
1971 7,300 80.7% 15.2% 4.1%
1981 10,933 72.8% 11.3% 15.9%
1991 12,331 85.5% 10.3% 4.2%
2001 11,128 20.8% 76.5% 2.7%

Before the Croatian War of Independence 87% of the population of the municipality and 79% of the city were Serbs.[11] During the war most of the non-Serb population left Knin, while in the last days of the war the Serbs fled the city before it was taken by the Croatian forces.[4][12][5]

In the 2001 census, the population of Knin was 11,128 in the city and 15,190 in the municipality, and the majority of its citizens were Croats with 76.45% and Serbs with 20.8%.[13]

Knin's population is in more flux than that of other Croatian cities given that it has a major refugee problem: both with a large number of Croats who immigrated there and Serbs from Knin who are still refugees. By average resident age, Knin is the youngest city in Croatia. Immigrant Croats form the majority in the city with only a scattered Serbs presence in villages around.[14] [15]

Heritage

Known as the city of Croatian kings. Also sometimes called Zvonimir's city (Zvonimirov grad), after the well-known king from Knin.[16]

The huge medieval fortress Spas (from the 10th century) dominates the centre of town, its present aspect dates back to the beginning of the 18th century. It is one of the largest fortification buildings in Dalmatia. It is divided into the upper, medium and lower town, connected by drawbridges.

The recently discovered Roman town Burnum is 18 km far from Knin in direction of Kistanje. There are the remainings of the biggest amphitheater in Dalmatia built in 77 BC, during the rule of Vespasian which could host 8000 people.[17]

Nearby villages Biskupija and Kapitul are extremely interesting archeological sites from 10th century where the many remainings of the medieval Croatian culture are found: churches, graves, decorations, and epigraphs.[18]

The Sinobadi were a well know Serbian family in Knin who fought againist the Ottoman advances. Jovan Vitez Sinobad was well known fighter and had a number of victories agaisnt the Turks and was killed by the Turks in 1715 near Glamoc. He was buried at the St.George's (Sv. Djordja) church at Sinobadova glavica (hill).[citation needed]

The area near Knin is the source of the river Krka (Krčić) which flows in the direction Šibenik and the Krka National Park.

Sport

The main football club in Knin is NK Dinara.

Towns and Villages in Municipality

Notable people from Knin

References

  1. ^ Knin-Domovinski Rat
  2. ^ Tanner, Marcus (1997) Croatia: a nation forged in war
  3. ^ HR news
  4. ^ a b Peter Galbraith
  5. ^ a b Pečat Vremena, Vesna Kljajić, OTV 11.05.2007
  6. ^ The New York Times, 11 August 1995, p A1
  7. ^ Martić Indictment
  8. ^ Babić Crimes
  9. ^ O Kninu; Povijest
  10. ^ Department of Geography, University of Zadar
  11. ^ 1991 Yugoslav census
  12. ^ The New York Times, 6 August 1995, p A1
  13. ^ 2001 Croatian census
  14. ^ http://www.countryguidebook.com/Europe/Croatia/Croatia-Attractions-Sibenik-Knin%20county.htm
  15. ^ Croatia-Knin
  16. ^ 2001 Info Adriatic
  17. ^ 2001 Burnum
  18. ^ Sv. Ante Knin
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