Gračanica Municipality

Summary

The present-day municipality of Gračanica is composed of the largest part (approximately 56%) of the pre-war municipality of the same name. Other portions have been incorporated into the municipalities of Doboj and Petrovo, both within the state’s Republika Srpska entity. Today’s municipality lies in Tuzla Canton, in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity. 

In  a survey conducted in October 1972, a total of 37 monuments and memorials to the People's Liberation War were recorded as existing upon the then-territory of Gračanica municipality, although no information survives to allow determination of their precise locations. However, the NOB heritage of the former (larger) Gračanica municipality was the subject of the 1985 book Biljezi slobode, Partizanska spomen-obilježja na području opštine Gračanica, Kratak hronološki pregled najvažnijih događaja u periodu 1941-1945. u gračaničkom kraju (Testaments to Freedom: Partisan memorials on the territory of Gračanica municipality, a short chronological overview of the most important happenings of the period 1941-1945 in the Gračanica region), by Omer Hamzić and Ešref Ćurić. The book documents a total of 43 monuments and memorials in detail, with 19 of these lying within the boundaries of present-day Gračanica municipality. It is worth noting that Hamzić & Ćurić’s book, as well as providing the only known published photographic evidence of a number of monuments in their original form, provides invaluable details on not just the persons who designed monuments, but also on artisans and craftsmen involved in their on-the-ground creation, such as masons responsible for carving lettering, and, in a number of instances, persons and organizations who supplied construction materials. Additionally, it gives a brief overview of the historical events and individuals commemorated by many of the memorials.

From a study of other sources, it was possible to identify an additional three monuments upon the territory of the present-day Gračanica municipality, which are also recorded in the Report. 

Gračanica’s Spatial Plan, adopted in January 2015, lists 12 monuments and memorials commemorating the People’s Liberation War as existing upon the territory of Gračanica municipality (Sl. Glasnik Općina Gračanica 50/13, 2015 pp.19-20). It is interesting to note that no busts are included in the municipality’s Spatial Plan, while five are known to have existed on the territory of the municipality.

It must also be mentioned that many of the monuments in Gračanica municipality have been altered or renovated in recent years. While renovations and modifications to some monuments were performed prior to 1992, of the 22 monuments recorded here, at least 9 have been in some way restored or replaced after 1995, with the overwhelming majority of restorations occurring in 2007 and 2008 (7 of the 8 for which dates could be ascertained).


Monuments & Memorials


Village/MZ Address Name Type Year Author Still Exists Date Mapped Description
Babići Village centre Memorial ossuary Ossuary 1985 Jusuf Omerčićević Yes September 2018
Donji Doborovci Plaque to commemorate place of loss of 16 Partisan fighters Memorial Plaque 1953 Ivan Vrlec Yes September 2018 Area around plaque re-landscaped, with monument to 1992-95 war added
Doborovci Monj Hill Monj Hill memorial area Memorial Park 1984 Yes September 2018
Donja Lohinja Memorial ossuary of figters of the XIV Serbian NOU Brigade Ossuary 1983 Mirjana Papo Yes October 2018 Restored 2010, with slightly altered inscription
Donja Orahovica Village outskirts Fountain to commemorate various Partisan detachments Fountain 1961 Cvijetin Lukić, Ramo Kulić Yes January 2019 Poor condition, with memorial plaque removed, but still functions
Donja Orahovica Elementary school Bust of Radovan Radovanović Bust 1984 Marijan Zaradić No September 2018 Former location of pedestal clearly evident
Gornja Lohinja Entrance to village from Donja Lohinja Fountain to commemorate 58 Victims of Fascist Terror Fountain 1959 Anton Šego Yes September 2018 Plaque replaced, with text significantly altered. Fountain commemorating 1992-95 war added nearby.
Gornja Orahovica Memorial ossuary of 6 unknown Partisan fighters Ossuary 1983 Šaban Džafić, Džafer Džafić Yes September 2018 Restored 2008. Plaque replaced by one with slightly altered text.
Gračanica Trg Maršala Tita Monument and ossuary on Trg Maršala Tita Ossuary 1951 Alfred Pilc, Danko Lazić, Mehmed Fazlić Yes September 2018 Converted into an ossuary in 1955. Restored 2008, with new plaques with significantly altered texts.
Gračanica Lipa Plaque to commemorate formation of the first KPJ committee Memorial Plaque 1959 Replaced January 2019 Replaced 2007, with slightly modified text.
Gračanica 22. divizije 9 Plaque to commemorate the second liberation of Gračanica Memorial Plaque 1958 Šukrija Kenjar, Šefkija Kemalović Yes January 2019
Gračanica Dom Zdravlja Plaque to commemorate loss of 10 Partisan fighters Memorial Plaque 1957 Replaced December 2018 Replaced 2007, with plaque text significantly altered.
Gračanica Grammar School Bust of NH Todor Panić Bust 1975 Marijan Zaradić No October 2018 Possibly incorrectly attributed - likely to be by Pero Jelisić
Gračanica Muslim cemetery Plaque on the grave of Adem Alić Grave 1966 Abdulah Korić Replaced January 2019 Replaced 2007
Lendići Reading room Plaque to commemorate those who fell in the NOR Memorial Plaque 1959 No January 2019 Building demolished during or shortly after 1992-95 war
Malešići Partisans’ cemetery Cemetery 1959 Ostoja Radić, Abdulah Osmičević, Anton Šego Replaced September 2018 Heavily renovated 2008. Grave markers no longer visible.
Malešići Elementary school Bust of Adem Alić Bust 1981 Marijan Zaradić Yes September 2018
Piskavica In front of elementary school Memorial ossuary Ossuary 1985 Branko Marušić No September 2018 No trace survives. Mosque built over former location.
Stjepan Polje Plaque to commemorate fallen fighters Memorial Park 1957 Yes October 2018 Modified 1984. Plaque no longer exists, and obelisk badly damaged.
Gračanica Beside former printworks Monument to Victims of Fascist Terror Monument 1988 Yes October 2018 In relatively poor condition
Gračanica Hasan Kikić elementary school Bust of Hasan Kikić Bust 1986 Drago Handanović Yes January 2019
Miričina Miričina Elementary School Bust of Salih Žilić Bust Pero Jelisić Yes March 2019 Dates to 1973 or later
Miričina Partisans' cemetery Cemetery Created before 1960.

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Map

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Key

Number Name
1 Memorial ossuary in Babići
2 Plaque to commemorate place of loss of 16 Partisan fighters, Donji Doborovci
3 Monj Hill memorial area, Doborovci
4 Memorial ossuary of figters of the XIV Serbian NOU Brigade, Donja Lohinja
5 Fountain to commemorate various Partisan detachments, Donja Orahovica
6 Bust of Radovan Radovanović, Donja Orahovica
7 Fountain to commemorate 58 Victims of Fascist Terror, Gornja Lohinja
8 Memorial ossuary of 6 unknown Partisan fighters, Gornja Orahovica
9 Monument and ossuary on Trg Maršala Tita, Gračanica
10 Plaque to commemorate formation of the first KPJ committee, Gračanica
11 Plaque to commemorate the second liberation of Gračanica, Gračanica
12 Plaque to commemorate loss of 10 Partisan fighters, Gračanica
13 Bust of NH Todor Panid, Gračanica
14 Plaque on the grave of Adem Alić, Gračanica
15 Plaque to commemorate those who fell in the NOR, Lendići
16 Partisans’ cemetery, Malešići
17 Bust of Adem Alić, Malešići
18 Memorial ossuary, Piskavica
19 Plaque to commemorate fallen fighters, Stjepan Polje
20 Monument to Victims of Fascist Terror, Gračanica
21 Bust of Hasan Kikić, Gračanica
22 Bust of Salih Žilić, Miričina
(precise coordinates can be obtained by contacting the author

Resources

Čalić, Hasan (2016). Gračanica: Sedamdeset i dvije godine od velike bitke za oslobođenje brda Monj

Available: https://avaz.ba/vijesti/bih/236320/gracanica-sedamdeset-i-dvije-godine-od-velike-bitke-za-oslobodenje-brda-monj

Hamzić, Omer & Ćurić, Ešref (1985). Biljezi slobode, Partizanska spomen-obilježja na području opštine Gračanica, Kratak hronološki pregled najvažnijih događaja u periodu 1941-1945. u gračaničkom kraju. 164 pp. Gračanica: Opštinski odbor SUBNOR-a i Komisija za istoriju opštinskog komiteta Saveza komunista Bosne i Hercegovine Gračanica.

Kaišarević, Ljubomir (2019). Drago Handanović: 60 godina umjetničkog oblikovanja. 297pp. Laktaši: Grafomark.

Mirčetić, Duško (1986) Dvadeseta srpska brigade. 390 pp. Belgrade: Vojnoizdavaćki i novinski centar.

Mirčetić, Duško (1989). 23. Srpska Brigada. 425 pp. Belgrade: Vojnoizdavaćki i novinski centar.

Općina Gračanica (2015) Odluku o provođenju Prostornog Plana Općine Gračanica in Sl. Glasnik Općina Gračanica 50/13, 2015.