Petrovci, Croatia | |
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 Local villagers of Petrovci | |
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  Petrovci  Petrovci  Petrovci | |
| Coordinates:45°17′N18°57′E / 45.283°N 18.950°E /45.283; 18.950 | |
| Country | Croatia |
| Region | Syrmia (Podunavlje) |
| County |  Vukovar-Syrmia |
| Municipality | Bogdanovci |
| Area | |
• Total | 22.1 km2 (8.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[3] | |
• Total | 643 |
| • Density | 29.1/km2 (75.4/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Petrovci (Pannonian Rusyn:Петровци,[4]Ukrainian:Петрівці,Serbian Cyrillic:Петровци) is avillage in easternCroatia, in the municipality ofBogdanovci. According to the 2011 census, it had a population of 864. The majority of residents are ethnicRusyns.
TheRuthenians originally came from Hornjica, easternSlovakia to theRuski Krstur around 1750, today'sSerbia, and between 1830 and 1880 they came toCroatia. TheRuthenianGreek Catholicparish in Petrovci was founded in 1836 and had 1,350 believers.[5]
DuringWorld War II in Yugoslavia, Petrovci became one of the centers of anti-fascist resistance in the Vukovar region. In the autumn of 1942, the second localPeople's Liberation Committee was founded in the village, initiated by Živojin Jocić fromPačetin, then secretary of the Vukovar District Committee of theCommunist Party of Croatia.[6] Key local organizers included Joakim Edelinski, Vukašin Veličković and Proka Vukosavljević along with other residents of the village.[6]
The first group of volunteers from the village joined theYugoslav Partisan movement in the summer of 1943.[6] Throughout the war, Petrovci maintained an active underground structure, including a Communist Party cell, the Local People's Liberation Committee, theLeague of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia, and theWomen's Antifascist Front.[6]
Among the most prominent local resistance fighters was Joakim Edelinski (1907–1944), born into a poor family and employed as a seasonal laborer.[6] As one of the earliest organizers of theNational Liberation Movement in Petrovci, Edelinski played a central role in forming the first NOO in the village.[6] Due to increasing exposure, he left for the front lines together with a group of future Partisans and his 15-year-old daughter Pavlina.[6] He was later assigned to the 16th Youth Brigade "Joža Vlahović" and killed in combat nearKrašić in March 1944.[6] Another key figure was Milenko Apić (1922–1944), a former student who served as the SKOJ secretary in the village.[6] He later joined the district leadership of theUnited Antifascist Youth of Croatia and helped organize resistance efforts in western parts of the Vukovar district.[6] He was killed inBršadin on May 30, 1944.[6]
In total, 34 residents of Petrovci died as soldiers of thePeople's Liberation Army, while 12 civilians were killed as victims of fascist terror.[6] One of the gravest incidents occurred on December 22, 1944, when eight local activists were executed following the information given by aSudeten German soldier who had gathered intelligence in the village.[6]
Petrovci was liberated on April 13, 1945, by the 4th Brigade of the21st Serbian Division.[6]
In the postwar years, several memorials were erected to honour the village’s resistance.[6] In 1975, a memorial fountain was built to mark the 30th anniversary of both the liberation of Petrovci and the execution of local patriots.[6] On May 23, 1982, a monument dedicated to the eight executed activists was unveiled in the yard of the Serbian Orthodox Church.[6] In addition, several commemorative plaques throughout the village continue to preserve the memory of those who gave their lives in the struggle against fascism.[6]
Local Serbian Orthodox Church was damaged in 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence but was subsequently reconstructed in 1992 when the village was incorporated intoSAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia.[7]
Bogdanovci Municipality | ||
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Villages of Vukovar-Syrmia County | ||
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| Villages serving as municipal seat (other villages in municipality) | ||
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