Pakrac is a town in western Slavonia, Croatia, population 4,842, total municipality population 8,460 (census 2011).[3] Pakrac is located on the road and railroad connecting the regions of Posavina and Podravina.

Pakrac
View of Pakrac
View of Pakrac
Map
Pakrac is located in Croatia
Pakrac
Pakrac
Location of Pakrac in Croatia
Coordinates: 45°26′16″N 17°11′33″E / 45.4379°N 17.1926°E / 45.4379; 17.1926
Country Croatia
County Požega-Slavonia
Government
 • MayorAnamarija Blažević (HDZ)
Area
 • Town
358.2 km2 (138.3 sq mi)
 • Urban
12.2 km2 (4.7 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Town
7,086
 • Density20/km2 (51/sq mi)
 • Urban
4,151
 • Urban density340/km2 (880/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC 1 (Central European Time)
Websitepakrac.hr

Name

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In Croatian the town is known as Pakrac, in German as Pakratz, in Hungarian as Pakrác.

History

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The town was first mentioned in 1237. It was captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1543. It was initially a kaza centre in the Sanjak of Pojega between 1543 and 1552, then in the Sanjak of Pakrac in the Rumelia Eyalet between 1552 and 1559. Later it was the centre of the Sanjak of Pakrac between 1559 and 1601, when the sanjak seat was moved to Cernik. The Ottoman rule in Pakrac lasted until the Austrians captured it in 1691. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Pakrac was part of the Požega County of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia.

Hostilities during the Yugoslav wars in Pakrac began on August 18, 1991, when Serb troops shelled the town from positions in the nearby hills.[4] The Croats in Pakrac quickly organized in self-defense units. In a ceasefire signed in January 1992, the town was divided into Croatian and Serbian sectors. UNPROFOR was stationed at the demarcation line. In the Serbian part of Pakrac, Krajina Serb military leadership operated the Bučje concentration camp (18 km outside Pakrac), where Croat civilians and Serbs who opposed the Krajina government were imprisoned and killed. In early May 1995, east Pakrac was retaken by Croats in Operation Flash in the last phase of the Croatian War of Independence. Serbs who were living in east Pakrac soon left the area in large numbers.[5]

Demographics

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In the census of 1991, the municipality of Pakrac (today cities Pakrac and Lipik) encompassed a different, larger area and its population was as follows:[citation needed]

total Serbs Croats Yugoslavs others
27,589 12,813 (46.44%) 9,896 (35.86%) 1,346 (4.87%) 3,534 (12.80%)

In the census of 2011, the municipality of Pakrac comprised:[6]

total Croats Serbs others
8,460 6,168 (72.91%) 1,340 (15.84%) 952 (11.25%)
Town of Pakrac: Population trends 1857–2021
population
8030
10195
10234
13496
15975
18422
17640
20361
15961
17003
17644
17023
16475
16367
8855
8460
7086
18571869188018901900191019211931194819531961197119811991200120112021

Settlements

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The municipality consists of 42 settlements:[3]

Politics

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Minority councils

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Directly elected minority councils and representatives are tasked with consulting tasks for the local or regional authorities in which they are advocating for minority rights and interests, integration into public life and participation in the management of local affairs.[7] At the 2023 Croatian national minorities councils and representatives elections Czechs (elected 13 members), Serbs and Italians of Croatia each fulfilled legal requirements to elect 15 members minority councils of the Town of Pakrac.[8]

Notable people from Pakrac

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References

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  1. ^ Register of spatial units of the State Geodetic Administration of the Republic of Croatia. Wikidata Q119585703.
  2. ^ "Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements" (xlsx). Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements, 2011 Census: Pakrac". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. December 2012.
  4. ^ Erikson 2017, p. 348.
  5. ^ Erikson 2017, p. 349.
  6. ^ "Population by Ethnicity, by Towns/Municipalities, 2011 Census: County of Požega-Slavonia". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. December 2012.
  7. ^ "Manjinski izbori prve nedjelje u svibnju, kreću i edukacije". T-portal. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Informacija o konačnim rezultatima izbora članova vijeća i izbora predstavnika nacionalnih manjina 2023. XI. POŽEŠKO-SLAVONSKA ŽUPANIJA" (PDF) (in Croatian). Državno izborno povjerenstvo Republike Hrvatske. 2023. p. 7-8. Retrieved 3 June 2023.

Sources

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