In the settlement of Podzvizd near Velika Kladusa, whose name existed back in medieval times, is located a mysterious monument which, according to stories and new inscriptions, witnesses historical battle of people of Krajina against the army of colonel Josip Jelacic, then colonel of First Ban Regiment, and later Ban of Croatia.
Monument is located right next to the regional road Velika Kladusa – Buzim and it is almost unnoticeable. It is consisted of two stone pyramids that are placed one on another, of which the upper, seemingly made of concrete, looks like incorrectly positioned on the bottom one, which is made of stone and much larger.
Little is known about this stone pyramid, and there is no person that could talk on this topic. On the other side, what is known and what is written on the monument, is that it was renovated in 2007 and that it “was built in remembrance of the victory of Krajisnik’s over the army of ban Jelacic in 1845”.
The war between Croatian and Bosnian Krajsniks near Podzvizd that took place on July 9, 1845, was one of the last conflicts on Croatian-Bosnian border, before the Austro-Hungarian occupation of BiH, in which Josip Jelacic, then Colonel and Commander of the First Ban Regiment and later Ban of Croatia (1848 – 1859), commanded the troops on Croatian side.
Colonel Josip Jelacic distributed relatively large army consisted of 3256 people, i.e. 1192 people in offense and 2064 people in reserve on July 9, at 4 AM, and he activated more than half of total war capacity of the First Ban Regiment for the battle in Podzvizd.
The effect of Jelacic’s reprisals was measured in material damage and human losses. The third of suburb was destroyed and burned (a total of 33 houses), and human losses on both sides were large. About 60 dead and 150 wounded soldiers was recorded on Ottoman side, of which 74 people were seriously wounded. Amongst dead were some of the local officials as well. Jelacic’s losses, which happened mostly during the return of the army on the Croatian side of the border, were also large: 40 dead (amongst which two officers), 25 wounded and 27 lost in action and 4 soldiers who were left trapped in fortress.
Although representatives of two sides couldn’t agree on the question of legitimacy of reprisals, the peace was necessary for both sides, and negotiations where completed in a relatively short period of time, after which was made the decision for withdrawal of army from border territories.
(Source: M. C./Klix.ba)
