Smiljan
Encyclopedia
Smiljan is a village
in the mountainous region of Lika
in Croatia
. It is located 6 km (3.7 mi) northwest of Gospić
, and fifteen kilometers from the Zagreb-Split highway; its population is 417 (2011).
on July 10, 1856.
Due to celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of electricity pioneer and inventor Nikola Tesla, Croatia
n officials opened a Tesla memorial complex, including a museum inside his restored childhood home. Today, Tesla's birth house, together with the Orthodox church of St. Peter and Paul (built in 1765) and the surrounding area, represents a memorial complex with various exhibits of Tesla's inventions and a museum where the details of the inventor's life are shown. There is also a congress hall in a nearby building. The original memorial complex was built in 1956. During the Croatian War of Independence
, several of the buildings were severely damaged by fire. The Croatian authorities restored it and reopened it in a 2006 ceremony with the highest dignitaries of Croatia as well as Serbia
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the mountainous region of Lika
Lika
Lika is a mountainous region in central Croatia, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by the Malovan pass...
in 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 ...
. It is located 6 km (3.7 mi) northwest of Gospić
Gospic
Gospić is a town in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika, Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Lika-Senj county. Gospić is located near the Lika River in the middle of a karst field....
, and fifteen kilometers from the Zagreb-Split highway; its population is 417 (2011).
Tesla
Smiljan is known best for being the birthplace of Nikola TeslaNikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
on July 10, 1856.
Due to celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of electricity pioneer and inventor Nikola Tesla, 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 ...
n officials opened a Tesla memorial complex, including a museum inside his restored childhood home. Today, Tesla's birth house, together with the Orthodox church of St. Peter and Paul (built in 1765) and the surrounding area, represents a memorial complex with various exhibits of Tesla's inventions and a museum where the details of the inventor's life are shown. There is also a congress hall in a nearby building. The original memorial complex was built in 1956. During the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian 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...
, several of the buildings were severely damaged by fire. The Croatian authorities restored it and reopened it in a 2006 ceremony with the highest dignitaries of Croatia as well as Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.