Sisak is a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in central
CroatiaCroatia , 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 ...
. The city's population in 2011 was 33,049, with a total of 49,699 in the administrative region and it is also the administrative centre of the
Sisak-Moslavina countySisak-Moslavina County is a Croatian county in eastern Central Croatia and southwestern Slavonia. It is named after the city of Sisak and the region Moslavina just across the river Sava. According to 2001 census it is inhabited by 185 thousand people....
. Sisak is located at the confluence of the
KupaThe Kupa or Kolpa river forms a natural border between north-west Croatia and southeast Slovenia.The Kupa originates in Croatia in the mountainous region of Gorski kotar, northeast of Rijeka, in the area of Risnjak National Park...
, Sava, and
OdraOdra is a river in central Croatia. It is long and its basin covers an area of . Its source is in the Žumberak mountain, southwest of Zagreb. It flows eastwards, passes south of Velika Gorica, then turns south-east, more or less parallel to the river Sava...
rivers, 57 km (35 mi) southeast of the Croatian capital
ZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
.
Geography
Sisak is usually considered to be where the
PosavinaPosavina is a Slavic name for the region of the Sava river basin in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia that is adjacent or near the Sava river itself.-History:...
(Sava basin) begins, with an
elevationThe term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
of 99 m.
Sisak is Croatia's biggest river
portA port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
and a centre of river shipping industry (
Dunavski Lloyd). Sisak lies on the main road Zagreb-Sisak-
PetrinjaPetrinja is a city in central Croatia near Sisak in the historic region of Banovina. The city belongs to Sisak-Moslavina County .- History :The name of Petrinja has its roots in Latin petrus, meaning "stone"...
(M12.2) and the railroad Zagreb-Sisak-
SunjaSunja is a municipality in Croatia in the Sisak-Moslavina County.-Population:According to the 2001 census, the municipality has a population of 7,376, 79.53% which are Croats and 17.46% which are Serbs....
.
History
The long
historyHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
of urban life here (around 2,500 years) as well the extremely favourable position on the
confluenceIn geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...
of three rivers, (the Sava, the
KupaKupa may refer to:*Kupa River, a river in Croatia and Slovenia*Kupa River , a river in Lithuania*Kupa River in Siberia, see Kuta River*Kupa Synagogue, a synagogue in Krakow*Kupa, Hungary, a village in Northern Hungary...
and the
OdraOdra is a river in central Croatia. It is long and its basin covers an area of . Its source is in the Žumberak mountain, southwest of Zagreb. It flows eastwards, passes south of Velika Gorica, then turns south-east, more or less parallel to the river Sava...
), have made Sisak an important town in the
historyHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
of
CroatiaCroatia , 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 ...
.
Prior to the invasion by the Roman Empire, the region was Celtic and the city there was named
Segestica.
During the
Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
when Sisak was known as Siscia,
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
martyr Quirinus of Sescia was tortured and nearly killed during Diocletian's persecution of Christians. Legend has it that they tied him to a millstone and threw him into a river, but he freed himself from the weight, escaped and continued to preach his faith.
Today he is the
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Sisak.
Braslav of PannoniaBraslav or Bräslav was the last duke or prince of Pannonian Croatia in 880-898/900 vassalaged to the Kingdom of East Francia...
reigned from Sisak until this last bastion of the Pannonians was invaded. According to Historia Salonitana maior, Duke Tomislav reclaimed it soon after.
The 16th century triangular
fortressFortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
of the Old Town, well-preserved and turned into the Native Museum, is the main destination of every tourist. The fortress is famous for the victory of the joint forces of
CroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
and
CarniolaCarniola was a historical region that comprised parts of what is now Slovenia. As part of Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land officially known as the Duchy of Carniola until 1918. In 1849, the region was subdivided into Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and Inner Carniola...
ns (Slovenes) over the
TurksThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in 1593, known as the
Battle of SisakThe Battle of Sisak was fought on June 22, 1593, between Ottoman forces of the Bosnian governor-general, or Beylerbeyi, Hasan-paša Predojević, and forces of the Holy Roman Empire under the supreme command of the Styrian general Ruprecht von Eggenberg...
. It was one of the early significant defeats of the up-to-then invincible Turkish army on European territory. The
CroatiaCroatia , 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
BanBan was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...
Toma Bakač Erdedi who led the defense in this battle became famous throughout
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The
BaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
palace of
Mali Kaptol, the
classicistClassicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
Veliki Kaptol, the brick
Stari most ("Old Bridge") over the Kupa, and the ethnological park are the most frequently visited landmarks.
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Sisak was the site of the
Sisak Children's Concentration CampSisak children's concentration camp was a concentration camp during World War II, set up by the Croatian pro-nazi Ustaše government for Serbian, Jewish and Roma children. The camp was located in Sisak, Croatia...
which was part of the large
Jasenovac clusterJasenovac concentration camp was the largest extermination camp in the Independent State of Croatia and occupied Yugoslavia during World War II...
.
Sisak suffered much damage during the
Croatian War of IndependenceThe 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...
starting in 1991. While Sisak remained within Croatian hands, the territory immediately south of the city was
controlled by SerbsThe Republic of Serbian Krajina was a self-proclaimed Serb entity within Croatia. Established in 1991, it was not recognized internationally. It formally existed from 1991 to 1995, having been initiated a year earlier via smaller separatist regions. The name Krajina means "frontier"...
. The threat to Sisak was removed in 1995 following
Operation StormOperation Storm is the code name given to a large-scale military operation carried out by Croatian Armed Forces, in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to gain back control of parts of Croatia which had been claimed by separatist ethnic Serbs, since early...
.
Demographics
The city administrative area is composed of the following
settlementsNaselje is a settlement in Croatia, usually translated as settlement. It is the smallest unit of Croatian territory. Individual settlements are by and large referred to as selo , while naselje is a statistical and administrative category. The units of local government in Croatia, cities and...
:
- Blinjski Kut
Blinjski Kut is a village in the Banovina region of Croatia. The settlement is administered as a part of the City of Sisak and the Sisak-Moslavina County. According to the 2001 census, the village has 386 inhabitants. It is connected by the D224 state road....
, population 278
- Budaševo
Budaševo is a village in Croatia....
, population 1,660
- Bukovsko, population 89
- Crnac
Crnac is a village and municipality in Croatia in the Virovitica–Podravina County. It has a total population of 1,467, distributed in the following settlements:* Breštanovci, population 152* Crnac, population 494* Krivaja Pustara, population 3...
, population 553
- Čigoč, population 97
- Donje Komarevo
Donje Komarevo is a village in Croatia. It is connected by the D224 highway....
, population 322
- Gornje Komarevo
Gornje Komarevo is a village in Croatia. It is connected by the D224 highway....
, population 508
- Greda
Greda is a village in the municipality of Bosanska Gradiška, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
, population 861
- Gušće, population 387
- Hrastelnica
Hrastelnica is a village in Croatia....
, population 898
- Jazvenik
Jazvenik is a village in the municipality of Bugojno, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
, population 142
- Klobučak, population 68
- Kratečko, population 200
- Letovanci, population 52
- Lonja
Lonja is a river in central Croatia, a left tributary of Sava. It is long and its basin covers an area of .Lonja rises in the Kalnik mountain in northern Croatia, southeast of Novi Marof, at . It flows westward until turning south near Breznički Hum, passing east of Sveti Ivan Zelina, and turning...
, population 111
- Lukavec Posavski, population 127
- Madžari, population 235
- Mužilovčica, population 74
- Novo Pračno
Novo Pračno is a village in Croatia. It is connected by the D224 highway....
, population 444
- Novo Selo
The phrase Novo Selo means "new village" in several Slavic languages: Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, and Macedonian. Settlements in Europe known as Novo Selo include:-In Bulgaria:* Novo Selo, Kyustendil Province, Kyustendil Province...
, population 624
- Novo Selo Palanječko
Novo Selo Palanječko is a village in Croatia. It is connected by the D36 highway....
, population 517
- Odra Sisačka
Odra Sisačka is a village in Croatia. It is part of Sisak. It is connected by the D36 highway....
, population 814
- Palanjek, population 318
- Prelošćica, population 528
- Sela
Sela |rock]]; Arabic: as-Sala‛; ; ) was the capital of Edom, situated in the great valley extending from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea . It was near Mount Hor, close by the desert of Zin. It is called "the rock" . When Amaziah took it he called it Joktheel or Kathoel in the Septuagint...
, population 969
- Sisak, population 33,049
- Stara Drenčina
Stara Drenčina is a village in Croatia....
, population 223
- Staro Pračno
Staro Pračno is a village in Croatia....
, population 896
- Staro Selo
Staro Selo is a Slavic toponym meaning "old village" and may refer to the following villages:*Staro Selo , in Bosnia and Herzegovina*Staro Selo , in Bosnia and Herzegovina*Staro Selo , in Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, population 110
- Stupno
Stupno is a village in Croatia. It is connected by the D36 highway....
, population 480
- Suvoj, population 42
- Topolovac
- Croatia :* Topolovac, Sisak-Moslavina County, a village near Sisak* Zrinski Topolovac, a village in Bjelovar-Bilogora CountyTopolovec:* Topolovec, a village near Vrbovec, Zagreb County* Topolovec Pisarovinski, a village near Pisarovina, Zagreb County...
, population 894
- Veliko Svinjičko, population 271
- Vurot
Vurot is a village in Croatia....
, population 102
- Žabno
Żabno is a town and municipality on the river Dunajec in southern Poland, 15 km north of Tarnów. Since Poland's administrative reorganization in 1999, Żabno has been a part of Tarnów powiat which belongs to Lesser Poland Voivodeship. Before administrative reorganization in 1999 it belonged...
, population 509
In the 2001 census, of the total population of 52,236, there were 43,402
CroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
(83.09%), 3,897
SerbsThe 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...
(7.46%), 795
BosniaksThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
(1.52%), 436 Roma (0.83%), 149
AlbaniansAlbanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
(0.29%), 40
Montenegrins (0.08%), and the rest were other ethnicities.
In the 2001 census, the population by religion was 41,204 Roman Catholics (78.88%), 3,801 Orthodox Christians (7.28%), 2,537 Muslims (4.86%), and others.
Miscellaneous
Chief occupations are farming, ferrous
metallurgyMetallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
(iron works), chemicals, leather (footwear), textiles and food processing plants (
dairyA dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
products, alcoholic beverages),
buildingIn architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
materialMaterial is anything made of matter, constituted of one or more substances. Wood, cement, hydrogen, air and water are all examples of materials. Sometimes the term "material" is used more narrowly to refer to substances or components with certain physical properties that are used as inputs to...
,
crude oilPetroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
refineryAn oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
, and thermal power.
Sisak features the largest Croatian metallurgic factory and the largest oil refinery in
CroatiaCroatia , 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 ...
Sisak has many rich mineral springs (
spaA hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
s) with healing properties in the
temperatureTemperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
range from 42 to 54 °C.
Sports and recreation facilities in the town and the surroundings include mainly the waters and alluvial plains a public beach on the Kupa. All rivers (
Kupa,
Odra,
Sava) with their backwaters offer fishing opportunities. There are
huntingHunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
grounds in the regions of
TuropoljeTuropolje is a region in Croatia situated between the capital city Zagreb and Sisak. The administrative center of the region Turopolje is the town of Velika Gorica.-Overview:...
and
PosavinaPosavina is a Slavic name for the region of the Sava river basin in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia that is adjacent or near the Sava river itself.-History:...
. Sisak is the starting point for sightseeing tours into
Lonjsko PoljeLonjsko Polje is the largest protected wetland in both Croatia and the entire Danube basin. It covers an area of , extending along the river Sava from the areas east of Sisak, the lower course of the river Lonja for which it is named, to the areas west of Nova Gradiška, along the course of the...
(Field of
LonjaLonja is a river in central Croatia, a left tributary of Sava. It is long and its basin covers an area of .Lonja rises in the Kalnik mountain in northern Croatia, southeast of Novi Marof, at . It flows westward until turning south near Breznički Hum, passing east of Sveti Ivan Zelina, and turning...
river) nature park.
The local
footballAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club is HNK Segesta.
Sisak is a popular destination in the summer and many people from the surrounding cities visit the cafés situated along the river Kupa. As of recently, numerous clubs have opened and their popularity has been bolstered through nights sponsored by various beer manufacturers.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Sisak is
twinnedTwin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
GabrovoGabrovo is a city in central northern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Gabrovo Province. It is situated at the foot of the central Balkan Mountains, in the valley of the Yantra River, and is known as an international capital of humour and satire , as well as noted for its Bulgarian National...
, BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
(since 2004) Heidenheim, GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(since 1988) RemchingenRemchingen is a municipality in the Enz district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Pfinz, 14 km southeast of Karlsruhe, and 12 km northwest of Pforzheim...
, GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(since 1993) |
SzombathelySzombathely is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas county in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria...
, HungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
(since 2003) LesznoLeszno is a town in central Poland with 63,955 inhabitants . Situated in the southern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship since 1999, it was previously the capital of the Leszno Voivodeship . The town has county status.-History:...
, PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(since 2003) JihlavaJihlava is a city in the Czech Republic. Jihlava is a centre of the Vysočina Region, situated on the Jihlava river on the ancient frontier between Moravia and Bohemia, and is the oldest mining town in the Czech Republic, ca. 50 years older than Kutná Hora.Among the principal buildings are the...
, Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
(since 2004) |
See also
- Sisak (eponym)
Sisak was the legendary ancestor of the Armenian princely house of Syuni, also called Siunids, Syunid and Syuni. The Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi states that Sisak was the brother of Harmar who was known as Arma, son of Gegham and a descendant of the legendary patriarch of the Armenians,...
- List of people from Sisak
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Sisak
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sisak is a diocese in the Ecclesiastical province of Zagreb in Croatia. Its see is in the city of Sisak. On December 5, 2009 Pope Benedict XVI erected the residential Diocese of Sisak, until then a Titular see of the Roman Catholic Church. Its territory was taken from...
External links