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Battle of the Barracks

1991 in CroatiaBarracks in CroatiaBattles of the Croatian War of IndependenceConflicts in 1991November 1991 events in Europe
October 1991 events in EuropeSeptember 1991 events in Europe
Serb T 55 Battle of the Barracks
Serb T 55 Battle of the Barracks

The Battle of the Barracks (Croatian: Bitka za vojarne) was a series of engagements that occurred in mid-to-late 1991 between the Croatian National Guard (ZNG, later renamed the Croatian Army) and the Croatian police on one side and the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) on the other. The battle took place around numerous JNA posts in Croatia, starting when Croatian forces blockaded the JNA barracks, weapons storage depots and other facilities. It formally began on 14 September; its objective was to neutralise the JNA positions in ZNG-held territory and to secure arms and ammunition supplies for the poorly equipped ZNG. The Battle of the Barracks was an escalation of the conflict between Croatian authorities and the Croatian Serbs who openly revolted in August 1990 and the JNA's efforts to preserve the Yugoslav federation. At the same time, Croatia made moves towards achieving independence from Yugoslavia. The Battle of the Barracks briefly preceded the start of the JNA's campaign in Croatia—itself amended in early September to add relief of the blockaded barracks to the operation plans. However, the JNA's advance was largely curbed by the ZNG and it relieved few JNA facilities. The ZNG and the police captured small, isolated JNA posts, and a number of large weapons depots and barracks—including the entire 32nd (Varaždin) Corps of the JNA. The move provided the Croatian forces with a sizable stock of weapons—including 250 tanks, hundreds of artillery pieces and a large supply of small arms and ammunition—which proved crucial in defending against JNA advances in the early stage of the Croatian War of Independence. Some of the JNA facilities surrendered without fighting, while others put up armed resistance to the takeover. In some places, this caused civilian casualties because the barracks were situated in urban areas. Legal charges of abuse of or killing captured JNA personnel, and charges of war crimes against civilian populations were filed in Croatia, but most defendants remain at large. In November, the JNA and Croatia reached several agreements to end the blockade and withdraw JNA from Croatia. The pullout was completed by 4 January 1992, except in areas around Dubrovnik and on the islands of Vis and Lastovo. The JNA maintained its presence there until the summer of 1992. As the JNA withdrew from the areas it controlled in Croatia, it was replaced by the UN peacekeepers agreed upon by the Vance plan.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Battle of the Barracks (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Battle of the Barracks
Hallerova aleja, Grad Varaždin Centar (Varaždin)

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N 46.309 ° E 16.328 °
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Geotehnički fakultet

Hallerova aleja 7
42000 Grad Varaždin, Centar (Varaždin)
Croatia
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gfv.unizg.hr

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Serb T 55 Battle of the Barracks
Serb T 55 Battle of the Barracks
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Church of St. George, Varaždin
Church of St. George, Varaždin

The Church of St. George in Varaždin is Serbian Orthodox church in Croatia. The church is dedicated to Saint George. Work on church were completed in 1884. The church is located inside of Varaždin's main market place. The Serbian Orthodox Church of St. George in Varaždin is one of the youngest Orthodox sacral buildings constructed in Croatian urban areas in the 19th century. After the 1781 Patent of Toleration issued by Joseph II, the first larger Orthodox churches began to be built in towns and cities of Croatia (Karlovac, Zagreb, Rijeka, Bjelovar, Koprivnica) and the Habsburg empire as a whole. Complete removal of limitations for non-Catholic religions in the 1850s and 1860s led to a new wave of church construction immediately after the mid-19th century in the Eparchy of Osječko polje and Baranja, not to mention Otočac, Ogulin and other places of the empire where Serbs are considered people of a constituent state. Since the Varaždin Serbian Orthodox community was rather small, the church was constructed fairly late, in 1884, primarily owing to the circumstances such as the Orthodox religion of the officials who then had high positions in the county and city administration: Ognjeslav Utješenović Ostrožinski was the head of Varaždin County and Milan Vrabčevića was the mayor of the city of Varaždin. Belonging to the political and cultural elite of Croatia of the time, they ensured all necessary permits and funds for the church construction. Their efforts were also supported by the very emperor Franz Joseph I.The church, built according to the designs of Žigo Baločanski (and executed by Radoslav Atzinger) is a special interpretation of Neo-Byzantine style, with strong Neo-Romanesque elements. The interior equipment is incomparably more interesting. The donation the church received consisted of old Biedermeier equipment from the early decades of the 19th century (probably between 1813 and 1828) that was moved from the Orthodox church in Zagreb and included an iconostasis, two choir stalls, pews, three small window panes, and a big crystal chandelier. The only change being made on the iconostasis after its move to Varaždin was the removal of one vertical row of icons on each of its wings due to the smaller width of the church.

Siege of Varaždin Barracks

The siege of Varaždin Barracks, also referred to locally as Varaždin's days of war (Croatian: Varaždinski dani rata), was the blockade and capture of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) barracks and other facilities in and around the city of Varaždin during the Croatian War of Independence. The blockade began on 14 September 1991, quickly escalated into fighting, and ended on 22 September with the surrender of the JNA garrison. It was part of the Battle of the Barracks—an effort by Croatian armed forces to isolate JNA units based at barracks in Croatia, or capture the barracks to provide arms for Croatia's nascent army. The besieging force outnumbered the JNA garrison in Varaždin, which was divided among several barracks, storage depots and other facilities, but the JNA possessed substantially greater firepower. The balance shifted in favour of the Croatian forces after smaller JNA posts were captured in the first few days of the siege, until only one barracks along with the headquarters of the JNA 32nd Corps remained under JNA control. At that point, the commander of the 32nd Corps, Major General Vladimir Trifunović, and the civilian authorities in Varaždin agreed that the remaining JNA forces in the city would surrender, but all those wishing to leave would be permitted to do so, leaving their weapons behind. The capture of the 32nd Corps' weapons was the most significant achievement of the Battle of the Barracks, and greatly augmented the capabilities of the Croatian military. After he left Croatia, Trifunović was indicted for war crimes by Croatia, tried in absentia and convicted for the combat deaths of six Croatian soldiers and the wounding of dozens of Croatian citizens before and during the siege. He was also prosecuted by Yugoslav authorities for treason, but subsequently pardoned. In 2013, he requested a re-trial on his Croatian war crimes conviction, but died before proceedings could commence.

Stadion Varteks
Stadion Varteks

Stadion Varteks is a football stadium in Varaždin, Croatia. It is the home ground of the Croatian Football League club NK Varaždin and the lower division club NK Varteks. The stadium was built in 1931 as the home ground for a different NK Varaždin team, which overlapped with the current tenant with a similar name until its disbandment in 2015. Stadion Varteks has undergone several renovations since 1931, and currently has an all-seating capacity of 8,818. It consists of three stands, with the main stand being the only one with a roof. Since 1993, the Croatia national football team and the Croatia national under-21 football team have occasionally played their home games at the venue. For some of these games, and for some club-level UEFA competitions, rules against advertising of stadium sponsors has seen the generic name Gradski Stadion ("City Stadium") used. The stadium is located near the Varteks clothing factory, and also features a Varteks fan shop and a café. From 1958 to 2010, the clothing factory was the main sponsor of the original NK Varaždin team, which changed its name to NK Varteks (no relation to the club founded in 2011) during those 52 seasons. Varteks clothing factory general manager Anđelko Herjavec also served as the president of the original NK Varteks, and was a member of the executive board of the Croatian Football Federation. After his death in a traffic accident in 2001, Stadion Varteks was unofficially renamed Stadion Anđelko Herjavec by fans of NK Varteks; this name still occasionally appears in media coverage.On 31 May 2017, the stadium hosted the 2017 Croatian Football Cup final between Rijeka and Dinamo Zagreb.