Vukovar, Croatia: Skeleton of the Balkan Wars

July 2010
Several friends have told me of the beautiful Dalmatian Coast of western Croatia.  Someday, I want to go there.  The Danube only dips into eastern Croatia for a relatively short distance, and the river bank is likewise peaceful and lovely today.  But the town of Vukovar is more likely to be found in a book of modern history than a popular travel guide.   Here, where the Danube forms the eastern border between Croatia and Serbia, Vukovar  became the first and one of the worst battles of the Balkan Wars (1991-1995).

In 1991 when Croatia declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Vukovar was a prospering industrial town of about 84,000 people, surrounded by rich agricultural fields. It was ethnically mixed (about 50% Croats and 30% Serbs) and peaceful.  I have neither the space nor knowledge to untangle all that happened.  Robert Kaplan's book Balkan Ghosts is a fascinating look into the history and relationships of the varied Balkan groups.  From what I understand from guides, scholars, and Wikipedia, some of the minority Serbs living in Croatia started a rebellion which became supported by the mostly Serbian Yugoslav's People's Army (JNA) as well as the national Serbian army and Serbia's leader Milosevic.  It was a confusing time.  The JNA and Serbian armies had different leadership and ambitions for the war, with the JNA more aggressively seeking to annex Croatian territory.  While the world's media focused on other battles, such as Dubrovnik or Sarajevo (1992), few realized what had happened in remote Vukovar.  Only later did the building with pink geraniums became a magazine cover.

The JNA and Serbian generals attacked Vukovar with superior artillery and numbers (50,000 to 1,800) and started bombardments from across the river in Serbia.  But many of the JNA/Serb soldiers were poorly motivated.  It was an unpopular war in Serbia that was struggling with its own issues with the crumbling of Yugoslavia.  Mass demonstrations against the war were held in Serbia, and only about 13% of those eligible for the draft reported to duty.  Many non-Serbs in the JNA deserted.

On the other hand, the Croats were fierce in their guerilla fighting in the streets of Vukovar.  One of the main streets became known as the Tank Graveyard when the front and back tanks of a convoy were ambushed, trapping the other tanks in the middle.  The Battle of Vukovar was an 87 day siege that destroyed over 90% of the city and left at least 3,000 dead, many of whom were civilians.  According to our guide, at times there were thousands of  bombs shelling the city.  The JNA/Serbian armies ultimately won the Battle of Vukovar, but the Croats won the more important war for world opinion.

The conquering Serbs began "ethnic cleansing" by forcing 20,000 Croats to leave their homes.  In the Vukovar Massacre, 260 patients and medical personnel at the town's  hospital were  taken and shot. (2 JNA generals were later convicted of war crimes.)  However, wars are rarely simple.  There were also Croat leaders convicted of war crimes against Serbs in Osijek. (coming post) Some Croats were detained in prison camps;  others just forced to leave the territory.  It would be seven years before the conflict was resolved and the Croats were allowed to return.  Ten years after the attack (2001), the population of Vukovar was only 31,000.

Today, Vukovar is still a damaged town.  While there are busy streets and neighborhoods that have been rebuilt, there are many buildings still in ruins.  You can see a brightly painted home with a dish satellite next to ruins covered with brush; a modern chic shop next to a bombed out shell with a little cafe in front; fruitful fields of corn and sunflowers beside red taped mine fields that have yet to be cleared.  With 35% unemployment (according to our guide), it is hard to find the resources to rebuild.  The damaged  water tower has been left as a symbolic reminder of the war, and along the river bank is a memorial of toppled house-shaped stones decorated with remnants of destroyed homes.

This section of the Danube has been prized for millennium.  Nearby  are Roman ruins and those of the native culture of Vucedol.  It was here that they discovered a ritual vessel in 1938 which resembles a dove.  I brought home a replica of the Vucedol dove which is now considered the symbol of Vukovar.  I do hope it will bring them lasting  peace.  There is a haunting beauty to Vukovar.  I shall let the slideshow speak for itself.

Click link for slideshow:
Vukovar

Music:  Barber, Adagio for Strings, Evening Adagios
More information:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vukovar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vukovar