Croatia has once again shown what solidarity means, closing ranks, extending a hand when it is most needed, and once again refuting all the divisions that solidarity brings in today's world.
As I write this, the earth has just shaken again. Another in a series of earthquakes, after the devastating in Sisak-Moslavina County, devastated Petrinja, Glina and surrounding places where unfortunately people lost their lives and were left with nothing. The assistance provided is unconditional and is not reduced or calculated in return. She is selfless, natural and moral, and shows will, loyalty and reciprocity among people. Firm, determined and steadfast, it stands up for the good of everyone and everything and is placed on the rank of fundamental social virtue, because it is placed in the dimension of justice where virtue is turned to the common good.
Zagreb has picked up its share of cherries again, and again there is damage that will be revealed in the coming days. But Zagreb did quite well against Sisak, Petrinja and Glina. Instead of a gloomy present, I think more about the glorious past of these places.
Sisak-Moslavina County and the cities of Sisak, Petrinja are important places for the history of Croatia. It is located in the north of Croatia, in the area of the former Roman province of Pannonia. As the Turks attacked Croatia, they became the scene of many battles, many destinies. Sisak is known for its Battle of Sisak when in 1593 the advance of the Turks in Croatia was finally stopped, and the liberation of Croatian lands began. In 1750, two border regiments would be formed in this area. The First Ban Regiment will find its command post in Glina, while the Second Ban Regiment has found its center in Petrinja. Ban regiments were financed by the Croatian classes, they were nominally under the Croatian ban, although they were part of the Military Border, whose center was in Graz, Styria.
In the picture we see Ban Josip Jelačić and Josip Runjanin, officers of the Glina Regiment. He believes that as a cadet, Runjanin composed a melody in 1846 or 1848 in Glina, which is today the Croatian anthem. Today, Serbs in Croatia will obligatorily point out that he is Josif and that he is a Serb. One whole book should be written about the identity of Orthodox border officers, it was diverse, from the feeling of belonging to the Croatian national corps, to the feeling of belonging to the Serbs, while a certain part of Orthodox officers considered themselves in some way - Germans, and some prevailed in Hungarian. János Damjanich, one of the 13 martyrs of Arad, almost holy figures in Hungarian history, was born there, as was General Károly Knezić, of Croatian descent. They died as Hungarians. But among young Croatian officers in the Banska Krajina, patriotic enthusiasm flourished. After all, Ban Jelačić spent almost a decade in Glina, where he reached the rank of colonel.
From the area of Sisak, for example, are partisan generals Janko Bobetko and Vlado Janić Capo, and Admiral Mate Jerković. Every town, town and village in those border areas where Croats and Serbs lived, every corner tells a story from the countless battles and wars that were fought there. But wars are not important, living people who live here now are important.
All these regions have suffered all sorts of things throughout history, but they have regularly risen like a phoenix from the ashes. Unfortunately, we have seen that the earthquake is a destructive force and that it does not matter whether it is the capital or a provincial town, because Sisak, Petrinja and Glina have a glorious past and they are important for Croatian history. People are disappearing from this old Croatian province named after its military past and its ban border regiments. It survived terrible horrors and a lot of heroic battles in the last war.
Radio Banovina from Glina has its share of the radio market, and the meat industry Gavrilović still identifies with Petrinja.
Croatia chronically lacks a better civil protection system. These days, many volunteers have rushed again, for example Dinamo fans, similarly to the Zagreb earthquake, towards Petrinja.
In the chaos of the earthquake, the media almost ignored Glina and the Glina area for the first time, because they were in Petrinja for the press conferences of Mayor Dumbović, so they could broadcast the catastrophe first hand. A system of defense against natural disasters cannot be based on someone's good will without an organized structure. It is quite obvious and certain that we are in an earthquake area and that Croatia needs strong CZ units that can go out on the field as soon as possible. I’m not a fan of negative news, but that wasn’t on the field. One should learn from mistakes, when it does not go otherwise.
At the moment, everyone is ready to help, they made many different dishes, people immediately started collecting supplies, Croats are really miraculously in solidarity in such difficult times. But the fact remains that no structure has been created that can divide it. Croats will carry this excitement of solidarity for another ten days or so. Then there will be some new worries, some new center of the crown, some new taxes, some new problems, which this, almost damn 2020, is not lacking.
Sisak, Petrinja, Glina, are places of glorious Croatian past and currently difficult Croatian present. Sisak, has a better connection with Zagreb and is a beautiful city, has the Sava, has some other industries and has not suffered as much as Petrinja and Glina. I believe that Sisak will find the strength to rebuild. Of course, that city will also need a lot of help. But if Petrinja and Glina are forgotten, as they are now forgotten, these famous Croatian cities and their surroundings will simply sink into a demographic free fall and the Banovina will be left without its people.
That it happens to people is terrible. Sad.