Bijela (Pakra)

Last updated
Bijela
Rijeka Bijela,Badljevina.jpg
Bijela River at the village of Badljevina
Location
Country Croatia
City Pakrac
Physical characteristics
Sourcein Ravna Gora mountain
  location Novo Zvečevo, Požega-Slavonia County, Croatia
  coordinates 45°32′37″N17°31′04″E / 45.54361°N 17.51778°E / 45.54361; 17.51778
  elevation~ 550 m
Mouth Pakra near Poljana,
Požega-Slavonia County, Croatia
  location
Croatia
  coordinates
45°28′12″N16°58′48″E / 45.47000°N 16.98000°E / 45.47000; 16.98000
Length59 km (37 mi)
Basin features
River system Danube basin
Tributaries 
  leftbrooks Željnjak, Brekinska, Miletina rijeka,
Koritska rijeka
  rightbrook Orlovac

The Bijela is a river in central Croatia, a right tributary of the Pakra River. It is one of the biggest rivers in western Slavonia, flowing from east to west and enabling formation of fertile fields on its way. [1]

Contents

History

In the Middle Ages the area of Bijela was owned mostly by the Tibold noble family, [2] while in the mid-16th century it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. After the liberation in 1699, it became part of the Kingdom of Slavonia within the Habsburg monarchy.

Geography and hydrography

The river is around 59 kilometres (37 mi) long. It has its source in Ravna Gora mountain near the village of Novo Zvečevo in the vicinity the Papuk Geopark area in the region of western Slavonia. The upper course of the river flows westwards, then turns near the village of Kapetanovo Polje to the southwest finally mouthing into the Pakra near the village of Poljana.

Throughout its course, Bijela receives the waters of many tributaries, like Željnjak, Brekinska, Miletina rijeka, Koritska rijeka, Orlovac and others. For smaller vessels it is navigable for much of its lowland flow. [3]

Bijela is an important source of public water supplies, as well as for recreational use. It is known for its recreational fishing, i. e. sport fishing. [4] The most represented fishes in it are brown trout, common carp and grass carp. There are also several nearby fish ponds (like Pjeskara, Raminac or Uljanik) in the Bijela-Pakra area, available for sport fishing, but also for very significant commercial fishing (Ribnjak Poljana).

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slavonia</span> Historical region of Croatia

Slavonia is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, Istria and Dubrovnik region one of the five historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja, Požega-Slavonia, Virovitica-Podravina, and Vukovar-Syrmia, although the territory of the counties includes Baranya, and the definition of the western extent of Slavonia as a region varies. The counties cover 12,556 square kilometres or 22.2% of Croatia, inhabited by 806,192—18.8% of Croatia's population. The largest city in the region is Osijek, followed by Slavonski Brod and Vinkovci.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sava</span> River in Central Europe

The Sava is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally through Serbia, feeding into the Danube in its capital, Belgrade. The Sava forms the main northern limit of the Balkan Peninsula, and the southern edge of the Pannonian Plain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daruvar</span> Spa town in Slavonia, Croatia

Daruvar is a spa town and municipality in Slavonia, northeastern Croatia with a population of 8,567. The area including the surrounding villages has a population of 11,633 as of 2011. It is located on the foothills of Papuk mountain and along the Toplica River. The main political and cultural centre of the Czech national minority in Croatia, it has a winemaking tradition reportedly dating back more than 2,000 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vrbas (river)</span> River in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Vrbas is a major river with a length of 250 kilometres (160 mi), in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a right tributary of the Sava river. The city of Banja Luka is located on the river banks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neretva</span> River in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia

The Neretva, also known as Narenta, is one of the largest rivers of the eastern part of the Adriatic basin. Four HE power-plants with large dams provide flood protection, power and water storage. It is recognized for its natural environment and diversity of its landscape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vrbovsko</span> Town in Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Croatia

Vrbovsko is a town in western Croatia, situated at the far east of the mountainous region of Gorski Kotar in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County; on its 280 square kilometers area, Vrbovsko features 60 settlements and a total of 6,047 inhabitants. The town of Vrbovsko itself has a population of 1,673.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakrac</span> Town in Požega-Slavonia, Croatia

Pakrac is a town in western Slavonia, Croatia, population 4,842, total municipality population 8,460. Pakrac is located on the road and railroad connecting the regions of Posavina and Podravina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lipik</span> Town in Požega-Slavonia, Croatia

Lipik is a town in western Slavonia, in the Požega-Slavonia County of northeastern Croatia. It is known for its spas, mineral water and Lipizzaner stables.

Operation Swath-10 was a military offensive undertaken by the Croatian Army against the SAO Western Slavonia Territorial Defense Forces on Bilogora Mountain in western Slavonia. Occurring from 31 October to 4 November 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence, the operation was a Croatian victory and its success set the stage for follow-up advances by Croatian forces on Papuk Mountain in Operation Papuk-91 in late November and December. By the end of the year the HV gained control of Papuk, securing transport routes between eastern Slavonia and the rest of Croatia.

Operation Hurricane-91 was a military offensive undertaken by the Croatian Army against the Yugoslav People's Army and SAO Western Slavonia Territorial Defense Forces in the Sava River valley, in the region of Western Slavonia during the Croatian War of Independence. The operation began on 29 October 1991 and ended on 3 January 1992 when a nationwide ceasefire was signed to implement the Vance plan. The offensive was aimed at recapturing the region, in conjunction with two other HV offensives launched against SAO Western Slavonia in the north of the region within days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croatia proper</span> Historical region of Croatia

Croatia proper is one of the four historical regions of the Republic of Croatia, together with Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia. It is located between Slavonia in the east, the Adriatic Sea in the west, and Dalmatia to the south. The region is not officially defined, and its borders and extent are described differently by various sources. In contemporary geography, the terms Central Croatia and Mountainous Croatia are used to describe most of this area, the former referring to the northeastern part and the latter to the southwestern part; the far western part is known as the Croatian Littoral; likewise the terms 'Zagreb macroregion' and 'Rijeka macroregion' can be used instead. Croatia proper is the most significant economic area of the country, contributing well over 50% of Croatia's gross domestic product. The capital of the Republic of Croatia, Zagreb, is the largest city and most important economic centre in Croatia proper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Neretva</span> Region around the upper course of the Neretva river in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Upper Neretva, is the upper course of the Neretva river, including vast mountainous area surrounding the Neretva, with numerous human settlements, peaks and forests, numerous streams and well-springs, three major glacial lakes near the river and even more scattered across the mountains of Treskavica and Zelengora, in a wider area of the Upper Neretva with its flora and fauna.

Markovac is a village in the Slavonia region of Croatia, located east of Daruvar.

Bijela, or also Bijela rijeka in case of rivers, may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakra</span> River in Croatia

Pakra is a river in western Slavonia and central Croatia, a left tributary of the Ilova. It is around 72 kilometres (45 mi) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia</span>

The 1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia was a series of engagements between the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), the Yugoslav Navy and the Yugoslav Air Force, and the Croatian National Guard (ZNG) then the Croatian Army (HV) during the Croatian War of Independence. The JNA was originally deployed in order to preserve Yugoslavia, and the initial plan of the campaign entailed the military occupation of Croatia and the removal of the Croatian leadership elected in 1990. The JNA intervention was the culmination of its involvement in the confiscation of weapons from Croatia's Territorial Defence, and in the Croatian Serb revolt that had begun in August 1990. From that time, the JNA had been frequently deployed to form a buffer zone between the insurgents and the ZNG or the Croatian police. In effect, these JNA buffer zones often secured the territorial gains of the insurgents and led to an increasingly hostile relationship between the JNA and Croatia. The JNA campaign plan was amended shortly before the campaign to include the relief of JNA barracks besieged by the ZNG. The besieging and subsequent capture of several JNA facilities allowed Croatia to arm its previously poorly equipped military and to equip new recruits.

The Bučje camp was an concentration camp run by rebel Croatian Serb forces during the early stages of the Croatian War of Independence. Located in the village of Bučje near Pakrac, the camp was used for the imprisonment of 200–300 Croatian civilians, prisoners of war, other non-Serbs, as well as Serbs that sided with the Croatian government or refused to join Serbian paramilitary groups. The camp was the site of numerous war crimes including murder, rape and torture. Twenty-two detainees are still listed as missing as of December 2013.

The Battle of Kusonje was a two-day clash fought in the village of Kusonje near the town of Pakrac on 8–9 September 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence. The battle was initiated when a platoon of the Croatian National Guard was ambushed by Croatian Serb forces while conducting a reconnaissance patrol. The ZNG deployed reinforcements to extract the ambushed platoon, but failed to reach them. The surviving members of the platoon held out until they ran out of ammunition and surrendered only to be killed by their captors and buried in a mass grave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanjak of Pakrac</span>

The Sanjak of Pakrac or Sanjak of Čazma or Sanjak of Cernica was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire whose capital was first Zaçasna and then Pakrac and Cernik in Ottoman Slavonia. It was established after the Ottomans captured Slavonia in the mid 16th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ribnik (river)</span> River in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Ribnik is a river in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a headwater tributary of the Sana, which it meat at Strane and Velije hamlets of the Gornji Ribnik village, 17 km below the Sana's own source springs, bringing in a large amounts of water to the still young Sana. It is among shortest of the Sana tributaries but at the same time among largest by the volume it discharges into the receiving Sana. The Ribnik is well known as a prime fly fishing fishery and is popular among anglers throughout the world.

References

  1. "Naš zavičaj - Pakrac i Lipik" (PDF). Povijesno društvo Pakrac-Lipik. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  2. "Pakrac and its surroundings from early middle ages until 16th century" (PDF). Povijesno društvo Pakrac-Lipik. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  3. "Potentials of watercourses in Slavonia". Lipička razvojna i turistička agencija LIRA d.o.o. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  4. "Uživajte u bogatstvu šuma i voda". Hanza media d.o.o. Retrieved 2021-12-11.