THE HOMELAND WAR EXPERIENCE: Kordun, Petrova Gora

This Sunday we decided to explore the road which we had never rode before. We picked the road from Šišljavić to Banska Selnica, Slunjska Selnica, Skakavac, Gornji and Donji Sjeničak and finally to Vrginmost. The road has an unpaved section, which we did not know before, but it was a good surprise. Despite being unpaved, the road is well maintained, so even those who do not ride an enduro or something like that will not have problems there. There are not many houses nor people. We only met few people, who waved at us.We stopped near a small house to take a few photos.

Soon after that break we go back to the paved road and we reach Vrginmost. Vrginmost is the place which became infamous during the Croatian War of Independence(Homeland War). Serbian rebels, who were mainly residents of Vrginmost, expelled and executed Croats but also Serbs who wanted to live peacefully alongside with Croats. Local government even invited the residents to vote if they wanted to join the Republic of serbian krajina, a state which was never formally recognized. Moreover, the largest chetnik assemblies were held on Kordun, many Croats were killed and serbian rebels, recruited from the local residents, quickly managed to break through Kordun and progress towards Karlovac. The attack on Karlovac soon followed. Karlovac was severly bombarded during the War and its position remained to be very difficult until the War ended. Croatian troops, heroes of war, defended Karlovac and it remained unconquered.

We continued towards Petrova gora. We reached the Monument of the uprising of the people of Kordun and Banija. The monument, built on top of Petrova gora, is the work of Vojin Bakić. Prior to the Homeland War, inside the monument itself was a museum related to People's liberation struggle in that area. During the Homeland War, the monument was the base of Yugoslav People's Army and serbian rebels. Their hospital and the radio were also there. The radio was used to transmitt false information in the puropse of serbian propaganda. The monument is partially destroyed, but it still is an impressive thing to see. It is very high, and from the top you can see all the way to Zagreb, Slovenia and Bosnia. Despite being destroyed, it is still one of the most interesting such monuments in Croatia.

After the tour, we met the owner of the bike which was parked next to ours. His name is Constantinos, and he is a very nice Cypriot, who travels Europe on his Transalp. He has already been to many European countries, and plans to visit Africa and Asia too. It was very nice to meet him, since we love to meet people with similar interests. We chatted quite a bit and exchanged contact info. We will follow his journey online and we wish him a great and a safe trip!

Follow him on Ridegaia.com!

After a nice chat we ride back home. We plan to visit Petrova gora as soon as possible, in order to explore what we did not have time to explore this time. The Partisan hospital and many other attractions are there, and all that is very interesting to see. Be sure to follow our new friend and we'll be back with a new trip soon.

See you on the road!