History
Scarce archaeological remains near Oštarije village show that the area was settled in the Neolithic. [5] Remains from the Copper Age show that the area was the southernmost part of Lasinja culture. [5] The first known inhabitants of the area were the Illyrian tribe of Japods, which lived here from the late Bronze Age. In this area the Japods had two strongholds, Tetrapones, east of today's town Josipdol and Metulum, north of the town. On the north the Japods bordered with Celts and random remains of Celtic coins were found in the area.
In the period 35-33 B.C. future Roman Emperor Octavian conquered the Japod areas and incorporated them into the Roman Empire. Although no physical remains of any Roman road has been found it is believed that through this area passed the Yantar road, which connected the Baltic with the Adriatic. During this period Metulum had municipality status which is proved by a script from Diocletian's time.
In the 7th century Slavs came to colonize the Balkan area and founded a settlement Modruš in the Josipdol area. In the 9th century, Modruš is mentioned as the site of the Borna and Ljudevit Posavski confrontation. In 1102 Croatia joined personal union with Hungary and the Hungarians formed new territorial units called Župas; Modruš became the seat of one of these Župas and soon became the seat of the Krbava-Modruš episcopacy. [5]
In the 12th century, Modruš became a possession of the Frankopan family. Because it was on a road that connected the interior with the coast, Modruš became an important traffic and trade center. This was the golden age for Modruš, which lasted until wars with the Ottomans in the 15th century, when it was raided several times.
As Croatia became part of the Habsburg empire Modruš became part of the Military Frontier and a new population settled the area. In 1775, emperor Joseph II visited Josipdol. [6] In 1776, Austrian authorities began to build the road that would connect Karlovac with Senj and Josipdol was founded as a traffic and trade center on the road. The road was named Josephina and it is still in use today.
During the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, a railway from Ogulin to Split was built which passed Josipdol. The railway accelerated the industrial growth of the town and a wood industry was founded. [5]
In May 1941, the Ustaša government began targeting known and suspected JRZ members with arrests. The prominent JRZ members in Josipdol at the time were Nikica Orlić, Đuro Boca and Milutin Kosanović. [7] : 352
On 22 May 1941, the Ustaše arrested 6 youths in Josipdol, accusing them of propagating Communism. [7] : 353
On 30 July, many Serb villagers of Josipdol were arrested at the market in Ogulin, having come there to sell. Beginning with the next market on 6 August, the Serbs stopped coming out of fear that it would happen a third time. [7] : 361
On 5–6 August, the Ustaše of Josipdol placed all the Serbs of Josipdol and its environs under house arrest. The Serbs mostly obeyed, so the arrests the Ustaše made on 6–7 August were mostly successful. On the 6th the arrests were made between 21:00 and 23:00 in Josipdol, Vajin Vrh and Vojnovac. According to witness Branko Sedlar, most of the arrestees were killed in Podveljun near Josipdol. On the 7th, the day the same Ustaše massacred 45 people in Trojvrh, they arrested 41 more in Josipdol, Vajin Vrh and Vojnovac. They intended to kill the new arestees, but the Italians intervened and they were released. An Ustaša functionary arrived in Josipdol, who released all arrestees and ordered the killing to stop. On the 12th, the mourning Serb women demonstrated in Josipdol, requesting of the Italians to hold a trial for the murderers. While this did not take place, the Croat men fled to Hum, remaining there throughout August. [7] : 361, 362
The Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995) affected the south-eastern part of the municipality, which led to depopulation of the area. [5]
In the 21st century it was one of the centers where the Zagreb-Split motorway was built and many locals found jobs in constructing it. In 2003 the first part of the road was opened on the Bosiljevo-Josipdol part.
Croatia 
Karlovac County 
