Senj | |
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| Grad Senj Town of Senj | |
      Clockwise, from top: Senj harbour, City walls, medieval city hall,Nehaj,Co-Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary, Senj, Bell tower of the Co-Cathedral | |
 Seal | |
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  Senj Location of Senj within Croatia | |
| Coordinates:44°59′24.52″N14°54′10.96″E / 44.9901444°N 14.9030444°E /44.9901444; 14.9030444 | |
| Country |  Croatia |
| Region | Central Croatia (Croatian Littoral) |
| County |  Lika-Senj |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jurica Tomljanović (HDZ) |
| • Town Council | 13 members
|
| Area | |
• Town | 657.9 km2 (254.0 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 3.2 km2 (1.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Town | 5,973 |
| • Density | 9.079/km2 (23.51/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 4,164 |
| • Urban density | 1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 53 270 |
| Area code | 053 |
| Website | senj |
Senj[a] is a town on the upperAdriatic coast in Croatia, in the foothills of theMala Kapela andVelebit mountains.
The symbol of the town is theNehaj Fortress (Croatian:Tvrđava Nehaj) which was completed in 1558. For a time this was the seat of theUskoks, who were Christian refugees fromOttoman Bosnia resettled here to protect theHabsburg borderlands. TheRepublic of Venice accused the Uskoks ofpiracy and declaredwar on them, which led to their expulsion following a truce in 1617.
Senj is to be found in theLika-Senj County of Croatia, theRoman Catholic Diocese of Gospić-Senj and theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Rijeka.
Senj has apparently been inhabited since prehistoric times. Senj is an old settlement founded more than 3000 years ago on Kukhill, which iseast of today's Senj.[4] A settlement called Athyinites or Athuinites (Αθυινιτες) in today's Senj was mentioned inGreek documents dated to the 4th century BC.[4] TheIllyrian tribesIapodes andLiburnians inhabited the area as it was located in Illyria.
Senia was a thriving town in theRoman province ofDalmatia, used by the Romans as a stronghold against the Illyrians in the 2nd century BC. After the fall of the Roman Empire, theAvars and theCroats eventually settled here in the 7th century AD.
The Catholicdiocese of Senj was established in 1169. King ofHungaryBéla III gave the town to theKnights Templar in 1184, and in 1271 it became the property of theFrankopan counts ofKrk.
In 1248 the bishop of Senj was allowed byPope Innocent IV to use theGlagolitic alphabet and thevernacular in liturgy. A Glagoliticprinting press was set up in 1494 and produced theincunabulaThe Glagolic Missal andSpovid općena.
The military captaincy of Senj was established in 1469 in order to defend against the invadingOttoman andVenetian armies. The town sheltered thousands of refugees from nearby occupied areas. TheNehaj Fortress was completed in 1558 on the hillNehaj, which at the time was outside of town (today it is wholly within the town's borders.) Some of the Senj's towers; names were listed as Radomerić (east); Lipica and Pope Leo's (north); Ladarska, Gatska, and Šabac (west); and Zvancić, and Tulac (south).[5] Thewars with the Ottomans lasted well into the 17th century. During this time theUskoks lived in Senj and occupied its fortress. One of the most significant Uskoks wasIvo Senjanin (Ivo of Senj), who frequently launched expeditions against the Ottomans until his execution in 1612. They served an important purpose during the wars since they had small units of men rowing swift boats that proved to be very effectiveguerrilla forces. However, after theUskok War with Venice, which ended in 1617, they were forbidden to settle in the area. Prince Radic was appointed Prince of Senj by king Rudolf emperor of Austria (1 December 1600). (Radic family) Native noble family from Lika region; members of the family were Uskok military leaders at the headquarters in Senj.
Notable polymath and writerPavao Ritter Vitezović was born within the city walls in 1652, whose work later inspired theIllyrian movement.
The 18th century brought some prosperity, especially with the construction of theJosephina (named afterEmperor Joseph II) linking the Adriatic coast via Senj toKarlovac. The railway line built in 1873 between Fiume (Rijeka) and Karlovac did not pass by Senj which held back further development.
In March 1873, asavings bank opened in Senj.[6]
Apart from a brief period as part of theIllyrian Provinces during theNapoleonic Wars, the town was part of theCroatian Military Frontier (District II,Ottochaner Regiment, right on the border withDistrict III,Oguliner Regiment) within theHabsburg monarchy (from 1804 theAustrian Empire, after thecompromise of 1867Austria-Hungary).[7][8] When the frontier was dissolved in 1881 it became part of theKingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (itself withinTransleithania and Austria-Hungary) where it was briefly part of the Lika-Otočac District[9] (a transitional merger of Military Frontier districts I and II) before becoming part ofLika-Krbava County in 1886.
In 1929, anHKD Napredak branch was founded in Senj.[10]
In the fall of 1943, duringWorld War II, whenFascist Italy capitulated, thePartisans took control of Senj and used it as a supply port. Subsequently, theLuftwaffe started bombarding the town. By the end of the year they had demolished over half of the buildings in town and inflicted heavy civilian casualties.[11]
Senj has a temperate climate which is usually described as temperate Oceanic or Marine west coast, with mild, windy winters and relatively dry and warm summers. According to the Köppen (and Trewartha) climate classification it falls within a subtropical zone (Köppen Cfa/Trewartha Cf), with Mediterranean characteristics such as its slightly drier summers.
Since records began in 1949, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station at an elevation of 26 metres (85 ft) was 39.7 °C (103.5 °F), on 22 July 2015.[12] The coldest temperature was −16.6 °C (2.1 °F), on 10 February 1956.[13]
| Climate data for Senj | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.5 (68.9) | 22.2 (72.0) | 25.9 (78.6) | 29.5 (85.1) | 33.6 (92.5) | 36.3 (97.3) | 39.7 (103.5) | 38.6 (101.5) | 35.6 (96.1) | 29.9 (85.8) | 26.9 (80.4) | 20.9 (69.6) | 39.7 (103.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.1 (43.0) | 6.6 (43.9) | 9.5 (49.1) | 13.3 (55.9) | 17.9 (64.2) | 21.9 (71.4) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.2 (75.6) | 20.2 (68.4) | 15.6 (60.1) | 11.1 (52.0) | 7.5 (45.5) | 14.9 (58.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −11.8 (10.8) | −16.6 (2.1) | −9.3 (15.3) | −0.8 (30.6) | 3.4 (38.1) | 7.6 (45.7) | 10.5 (50.9) | 8.2 (46.8) | 6.7 (44.1) | 1.6 (34.9) | −4.9 (23.2) | −10.4 (13.3) | −16.6 (2.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 94.2 (3.71) | 90.4 (3.56) | 86.7 (3.41) | 96.1 (3.78) | 91.7 (3.61) | 84.9 (3.34) | 64.5 (2.54) | 94.6 (3.72) | 137.9 (5.43) | 143.4 (5.65) | 165.3 (6.51) | 124.5 (4.90) | 1,274.2 (50.16) |
| Average rainy days | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 122 |
| Average snowy days | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 100.9 | 123.2 | 158.1 | 187.7 | 242.7 | 265.8 | 310.2 | 287.2 | 214.7 | 167.6 | 101.8 | 90.2 | 2,250.1 |
| Source:Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service[14] | |||||||||||||
Modern Senj is a seaside tourist town. Primary industries are fishing, boating, and tourism.
As of the 2021 census, Senj had a population of 5,973, with 97.30% being ethnic Croats. The largest minorities are Serbs with a population of 43 (0.72%) and Albanians with a population of 27 (0.45%)[15][16]
| population | 13268 | 15295 | 14782 | 14852 | 15857 | 16713 | 14963 | 14572 | 13289 | 12953 | 12235 | 10399 | 9582 | 9205 | 8132 | 7182 | 5973 |
| 1857 | 1869 | 1880 | 1890 | 1900 | 1910 | 1921 | 1931 | 1948 | 1953 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 | 2021 |
There are 27 settlements in the Town of Senj and they include (population as of 2021):[2][17]
The localHPS chapter was calledHPD "Senjsko Bilo".[18]: 214
Subdivisions ofLika-Senj County | ||
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| Towns |  | |
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| Other | |
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