Erdut
Encyclopedia
Erdut is a village and a municipality in eastern Croatia
. It is located in the Osijek-Baranja County
, eastern Slavonia
, 37 km east of Osijek
. The elevation of the village of Erdut is 158 m. Erdut development index is between 50-76% of the Croatian average, and therefore, the municipality is part of the Areas of Special State Concern.
. River Drava
(5.6km) and Danube
(34.825km) flows through the municipality. The territory of the municipality is completely flat very fertile black soil.
Municipality of Erdut include following settlements:
from Yugoslavia in 1991, eastern Slavonia was soon overrun by the Yugoslav National Army and Serb paramilitaries, led by the notorious warlord, Željko Ražnatović known by the name Arkan. The battle for Erdut quickly ended that summer as the entire Croatian population was expelled or killed along with other minorities including Czechs, Germans
, Hungarians, Ruthenians
and Ukrainians
in an act of ethnic cleansing
. Their homes were soon occupied by other Serbs. Many buildings and homes were destroyed, including the Roman Catholic Church
.
Arkan soon set up a training camp for his Serb Volunteer Guard
in Erdut, which became headquarters until the end of the war, when Croatian forces recaptured most of the land occupied by the Serb rebels.
in which the part of eastern Slavonia still occupied by Serbs would be integrated back into Croatia, gradually allowing some of the exiled refugees to return to their homes. This agreement was the basis for the establishment of Joint Council of Municipalities
. Erdut has been under Croatian control since 1998.
, 1,976 in Bijelo Brdo
and 610 in Aljmaš
. The majority of the population of municipality are Serbs
(54%). The largest village, Dalj, is populated mostly by Serbs. Other ethnic groups are Croats (37%) and Hungarians (5%). Dalj also has the privilege of being the seat of the Eparchy of Osečko polje and Baranja
of the Serb Orthodox Church.
s of the Erdut wine-cellars and large wooden casks are well-known among wine connoisseurs. The largest cask, made of 150-year old oak-wood, with a content of 75,000 l, was included in the Guinness Record Book.
The municipality is home of Eparchy of Osečko polje and Baranja
, and there is also Erdut Castle
.
The picturesque elevations rising above the Danube
, between Aljmaš and Erdut, are protected as an important landscape. The loess deposits on the remains of old elevations have already grown, and the slopes toward the Danube are cut sharply and rise 70 m above the river.
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 ...
. It is located in the Osijek-Baranja County
Osijek-Baranja County
Osijek-Baranja county is a county in Croatia, located in northeastern Slavonia and Baranja. Its center is Osijek; other cities include Đakovo, Našice, Valpovo, Belišće, Beli Manastir.-Administrative divisions:Osijek-Baranja county is divided into:...
, eastern Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
, 37 km east of Osijek
Osijek
Osijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
. The elevation of the village of Erdut is 158 m. Erdut development index is between 50-76% of the Croatian average, and therefore, the municipality is part of the Areas of Special State Concern.
Geography
The municipality have total area of 158 km2 (61 sq mi) and is the largest member municipality of Joint Council of MunicipalitiesJoint Council of Municipalities
Joint Council of Municipalities is a body that aligns the interests of the Serb ethnic community in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia in the Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Syrmia County, coordinate the law and provides initiatives and proposals to the institutions of government,...
. River Drava
Drava
Drava or Drave is a river in southern Central Europe, a tributary of the Danube. It sources in Toblach/Dobbiaco, Italy, and flows east through East Tirol and Carinthia in Austria, into Slovenia , and then southeast, passing through Croatia and forming most of the border between Croatia and...
(5.6km) and Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
(34.825km) flows through the municipality. The territory of the municipality is completely flat very fertile black soil.
Municipality of Erdut include following settlements:
- Erdut
- AljmašAljmaš, CroatiaAljmaš is a village located between Osijek and Erdut in eastern Croatia. Aljmaš lies on the right bank of the Danube.-Marian church:...
- Bijelo BrdoBijelo BrdoBijelo Brdo is a village in Croatia. It is connected by the D213 highway and by railway....
- DaljDaljDalj is a village on the Danube in eastern Croatia, near the confluence of the Drava and Danube, on the border with Serbia. It is connected with the D519 highway and administratively located in the municipality of Erdut, Osijek-Baranja County.-References:...
History
The settlement was first mentioned in 1335 under the Hungarian name Erdöd as a city in 1472. Erdut name comes from the local Hungarian name and it means a forest road.Erdut During the 1991 War
When Croatia declared independenceCroatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
from Yugoslavia in 1991, eastern Slavonia was soon overrun by the Yugoslav National Army and Serb paramilitaries, led by the notorious warlord, Željko Ražnatović known by the name Arkan. The battle for Erdut quickly ended that summer as the entire Croatian population was expelled or killed along with other minorities including Czechs, Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, Hungarians, Ruthenians
Ruthenians
The name Ruthenian |Rus']]) is a culturally loaded term and has different meanings according to the context in which it is used. Initially, it was the ethnonym used for the East Slavic peoples who lived in Rus'. Later it was used predominantly for Ukrainians...
and Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
in an act of ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
. Their homes were soon occupied by other Serbs. Many buildings and homes were destroyed, including the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
Arkan soon set up a training camp for his Serb Volunteer Guard
Serb Volunteer Guard
The Serb Volunteer Guard also known as Arkan's Tigers was a Serbian volunteer paramilitary unit, founded and led by Željko Ražnatović, that fought in Croatia ; Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Kosovo War ....
in Erdut, which became headquarters until the end of the war, when Croatian forces recaptured most of the land occupied by the Serb rebels.
Erdut Agreement
On November 12, 1995, officials signed what is commonly called the Erdut AgreementErdut Agreement
The Erdut Agreement , officially the Basic Agreement on the Region of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium, was the agreement reached on November 12, 1995 between the authorities of the Republic of Croatia and the local Serb authorities of the Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia...
in which the part of eastern Slavonia still occupied by Serbs would be integrated back into Croatia, gradually allowing some of the exiled refugees to return to their homes. This agreement was the basis for the establishment of Joint Council of Municipalities
Joint Council of Municipalities
Joint Council of Municipalities is a body that aligns the interests of the Serb ethnic community in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia in the Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Syrmia County, coordinate the law and provides initiatives and proposals to the institutions of government,...
. Erdut has been under Croatian control since 1998.
Population
The municipality population is 7,372 (census 2011), with 818 people in Erdut itself, 3,952 in DaljDalj
Dalj is a village on the Danube in eastern Croatia, near the confluence of the Drava and Danube, on the border with Serbia. It is connected with the D519 highway and administratively located in the municipality of Erdut, Osijek-Baranja County.-References:...
, 1,976 in Bijelo Brdo
Bijelo Brdo
Bijelo Brdo is a village in Croatia. It is connected by the D213 highway and by railway....
and 610 in Aljmaš
Aljmaš, Croatia
Aljmaš is a village located between Osijek and Erdut in eastern Croatia. Aljmaš lies on the right bank of the Danube.-Marian church:...
. The majority of the population of municipality are Serbs
Serbs
The 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...
(54%). The largest village, Dalj, is populated mostly by Serbs. Other ethnic groups are Croats (37%) and Hungarians (5%). Dalj also has the privilege of being the seat of the Eparchy of Osečko polje and Baranja
Eparchy of Osečko polje and Baranja
Eparchy of Osečko polje and Baranja is an eparchy of the Serb Orthodox Church encompassing easternmost areas of Croatia.The present bishop is called Lukijan and his see is in Dalj. The eparchy has three hierarchs with vicarages in Osijek, Vukovar and Baranja, with a total of 39 priests and two...
of the Serb Orthodox Church.
Points of Interest
The supreme quality wineWine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
s of the Erdut wine-cellars and large wooden casks are well-known among wine connoisseurs. The largest cask, made of 150-year old oak-wood, with a content of 75,000 l, was included in the Guinness Record Book.
The municipality is home of Eparchy of Osečko polje and Baranja
Eparchy of Osečko polje and Baranja
Eparchy of Osečko polje and Baranja is an eparchy of the Serb Orthodox Church encompassing easternmost areas of Croatia.The present bishop is called Lukijan and his see is in Dalj. The eparchy has three hierarchs with vicarages in Osijek, Vukovar and Baranja, with a total of 39 priests and two...
, and there is also Erdut Castle
Erdut Castle
Erdut Castle is a castle in Erdut, Croatia.Built in the 14th century, Erdut Castle lies on a bluff 70 meters above the Danube. The surrounding area below the bluff is completely flat, which provided an excellent view of any marauding hordes invading from the east.The settlement and castle is first...
.
The picturesque elevations rising above the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, between Aljmaš and Erdut, are protected as an important landscape. The loess deposits on the remains of old elevations have already grown, and the slopes toward the Danube are cut sharply and rise 70 m above the river.
Notable natives and residents
- Anton Tittjung, WWII concentration camp guard, who was stripped of his U.S. citizenship for his wartime activities.
See also
- Erdut AgreementErdut AgreementThe Erdut Agreement , officially the Basic Agreement on the Region of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium, was the agreement reached on November 12, 1995 between the authorities of the Republic of Croatia and the local Serb authorities of the Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia...
- Osijek-Baranja CountyOsijek-Baranja CountyOsijek-Baranja county is a county in Croatia, located in northeastern Slavonia and Baranja. Its center is Osijek; other cities include Đakovo, Našice, Valpovo, Belišće, Beli Manastir.-Administrative divisions:Osijek-Baranja county is divided into:...
- SlavoniaSlavoniaSlavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
- Serbs of CroatiaSerbs of CroatiaVišeslav of Serbia, a contemporary of Charlemagne , ruled the Županias of Neretva, Tara, Piva, Lim, his ancestral lands. According to the Royal Frankish Annals , Duke of Pannonia Ljudevit Posavski fled, during the Frankish invasion, from his seat in Sisak to the Serbs in western Bosnia, who...
- Joint Council of MunicipalitiesJoint Council of MunicipalitiesJoint Council of Municipalities is a body that aligns the interests of the Serb ethnic community in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia in the Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Syrmia County, coordinate the law and provides initiatives and proposals to the institutions of government,...