Gornji Žirovac (or Upper Žirovac; ) is a settlement in Croatia located on the hilly region of Banija, at the foot of the hill Kokirna, along the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is known among the inhabitants of Banija as suva međa meaning dry border. It consists of several hamlets on top of smaller hills which generally follow the creek Žirovac (with several of its occasional or permanent streams) and creek Radašnica. Hamlets usually receive a name according to the names of people who once lived there. So there are place names Carići, Drljače, Ljiljci, Poznanovići, Glušci, Španovići, Krnjajići, Čuglji, Ćorkovići, Suzići. Other toponims (oronyms, hydronyms) are of standard origin, so there are Hrastovača, Ribnik, Dabruša, etc. The houses are almost always located on the hills, partly because of the danger of flooding and partly for reasons of defense, since settlement was at (different) state borders throughout recent centuries.
History The fate of the Gornji Žirovac is associated with a turbulent and violent past of the rest of Banija whose population for centuries gave birth, fought and died in the constant worry and conflict with the rulers who were claiming these areas, countries that were formed and disappeared, looting and devastation of various military units, bandits, disease, poor fruitful years, dying in foreign lands for various foreign rulers and to top it all, hard work in the countryside, and most of its existence being defined by Military Frontier.
The earliest history Area around Gornji Žirovac was vibrant since the times of the Vučedol culture, the Illyrians and later the Romans, which is certainly due to the proximity of the mine Gvozdansko that existed from the earliest days and the fact that the communication of the time was mostly along river valleys (like Žirovac and Radašnica). However serious research has never been done around Gornji Žirovac itself. There are some remains of ruins, but it is not certain what period or epoch they were built. Although the Hoards were found in some of the surrounding areas, in Gornji Žirovac none was reported.
Time before Military Frontier Before the time of the Military Frontier, control of the whole area belonged to the landlords who bought, sold and replaced possessions until the appearance of the Ottoman Turks. With the arrival of the Turks and in a series of their arrivals and departures, only a handful of soldiers were left in keep Zrin and Gvozdansko, set by Zrinski family (last landlord family). They were often left unpaid and in poor conditions, further complicating defence. Thus Pounje (area around river Una) eventually became abandoned. We can expect that a similar fate happened to Žirovac but there are no records. Finally, the entire area came under Turkish rule and was under it for about 160 years.
Military Frontier During the period of Military Frontier, mass migrations of the population went on all the time in both directions and in several waves. First fleeing away from Turks, then those who collaborated with the Turks were fleeing after their fall, and in the second direction people fleeing from the vengeance of those arriving. Most were from Potkozarsko area and from the Sana'a basin.
In order to keep the residents, the Austro-Hungarian government awarded all to be free, with no obligation to any landlord, but under conditions that were not much easier: they were obligated to be prepared for military campaigns at any time, to work to restore roads and maintain Fortifications. Often these commitments were too hard and sparked occasional rebellions.
Gornji Žirovac was just at the "dry border", and during this time, its frontiersmen had built a series of roads and "straža" (guard stations), which were part of the Austro-Hungarian defensive line, known as "cordon". From a series of guard stations along the border, in the vicinity of Gornji Žirovac there were seven of them. In later years frequency of stations was reduced and only two or three remained, with one newly built – CP Radašnica, which was marked as "Kastell", that is – of something greater importance. The existence of a larger fortress was not recorded, mostly because the later peace treaties with the Turks forbid new fortifications of any larger scale in this area.
The place has seen a lot of military activity, some of which was described in military reports of Austro-Hungarian military. One such description from 1789 tells about a group of 31 men surrounded in one Chardak by the Turks. When surrender was refused, the Turks tried to burn Chardak with a wagon filled with straw, pushed by eight men. Chardak snipers however managed to shoot down all eight of them. Turks then tried to let wagon roll downhill, but the burning wagon got stuck in bushes and they gave up, but did took time to burn and pillage village. It is unclear which of CP was in question, but the story is that it was not "the first hill" but, "in a valley (..) was a wooden chardak, neither disguised nor entrenched".
Later, as the danger of war diminished, cordon remained more as a sanitary boundary.
Until the First World War Economy
After the abolition of the Military Frontier, slow development of the region begins and the first civilian institutions are formed. Rural cooperatives open up and one of them in Gornji Žirovac. This is also the time of the fall of grain prices due to imports to Europe from USA, so times were getting harder for the population working in the primary economies. At the time, heavy emigration to America begins, but most of people left with the plans to return, as they were leaving their wives at home. From Banija villages, Žirovac was one of the strongest centers of emigration, which occurred in three waves during the period from 1901 to 1914 and the most at period of 1905–1906. Already in 1908 many of them returned, but due to poor agriculture year 1909, some of them went away back in 1910. The total of 1390 people from Žirovac (Upper and Lower) have gone to America.
Episode with Karadjordjevic
In a little-known episode, Peter Karadjordjevic who repeatedly stayed in Banija under the name of Peter Mrkonjić, arrived in Žirovac in 1876 during the insurrection in Bosnia. His men rallied along the "dry border" and reached the former CP Ćorkovača (which still existed at the time, according to the map of the third military survey), set camp and from there conducted incursions towards Bužim with his (as he said) two hundred people.
The First World War The First World War is another war that could not avoid people of Žirovac. Again they were soldiers, sent to fight for the Austro-Hungarian Empire again, for the most part on the eastern front (with Russia). However, no battle was fought in the area thus luckily, this was the first war that did not cause destruction of village. After war end, another state was formed. This time it's Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia Early after the war, the primary school in Gornji Žirovac was finished (school in Donji Žirovac was built before, in 1899), and overall literacy greatly improves. Some children were sent to towns to be apprentice in trades, however although some did develop skills (like blacksmith Pavao Ljiljak), it was mostly practiced just a side business and aside from the one village shop, farming remained the main occupation.
World War II During World War II, the whole place had suffered terrible casualties. After Germany occupied the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1941, they helped Croats to proclaim the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). Since the entire area at the time was populated not with Croats, but in majority with Serbian population, it was inevitable soon to expect that war crimes Ustaše did throughout Banija, starting from Glina massacres come to Žirovac also. Thus, during 1942, a group of five hundred Ustaša breached to Žirovac and allocated 70 people and killed 25 on the spot, while the rest of those were taken to concentration camps.
All these events could not go away without response, so the people of Žirovac soon rebel and 22 August 1941 first unrest started. Organized uprising in Gornji Žirovac begins officially on 2 September 1941, when the communist party (KPJ) gathers people and organizes the first partisan squad. Squad eventually becomes part of the famous 7th Banija Brigade "Vasilj Gaćeša" and there was almost no resident of Žirovac who did not have had some of their own kin in partisans. Brigade found itself in some of the most important and violent battles of the war such as the Battle of Sutjeska which is why many of fighters did not survive the war. In fact, as many as seventy partisans died from Gornji Žirovac alone. In memory of them, a memorial plaque with names was erected at the primary school.Datoteka:Spomen ploča poginulim partizanima Gornjeg Žirovca.jpg Memorial plaque naming partisans from Gornji Žirovac died fighting or missing in action.
Yugoslavia After the end of war and the emergence of second Yugoslavia, or SFRJ as the official name was, people felt that finally, after all these centuries of suffering, wars and foreign rule, peace has finally arrive and sincerely perceived Yugoslavia as their own homeland which freedom they won. Standard of living improved and the population, though still poor and exhausted by wars, was for the first time no longer on the verge of starvation. People educated children for a variety of occupations and some of them finished universities. Many found work in the surrounding towns such as Glina, Dvor, Petrinja or Bosanski Novi where industry boomed as a result of planned economy. Soon, with better standards and then secure jobs in the nearby industrial centers, new migration occurred – this time towards nearby towns.
At the same time, people never forgot their origins and organize Donations and worked hard by themself to set up water supply to some parts of the village. At the end of the twentieth century, partly thanks to their voluntary work and money, the road to Donji Žirovac was paved in asphalt.
The events of 1990–1995 Events in Croatia in 1990 and 1991 did not bypass Gornji Žirovac. Village became part of the newly formed state of Republic of Serbian Krajina and circumstantial, again at the border as century ago.
In August 1995 Croatian Army begins Operation Storm. Soon, people from entire region were trying to escape and out of only a few possible routes, one led through Donji Žirovac towards Bosanski Novi. Two streams of people were joining in Donji Žirovac as two roads cross there: one stream from the direction of Glina via main road and the other stream of people from the entire region of Kordun using narrow forest roads via Obljaj. Series of military attack of Croatian Army on the streams of Refugees at Donji Žirovac to this day remains only as a list of testimonies and no one has been charged.
After 1995 Gornji Žirovac in 1995 became part of the present day Republic of Croatia and people left.
Demographics
According to census 2001. there were 19 people in Gornji Žirovac.
Buildings Today's Gornji Žirovac is sparsely populated and remains of houses abandoned after 1995 are visible everywhere. But Gornji Žirovac had more buildings during its existence, yet today they are hardly noticeable.
Church