Today, beginning at 10:00 a.m., the traditional Commemoration marking Uprising Day was held at Gradina, attended by a large number of residents and descendants from Vrebac, Zavode, and Pavlovac.
The opening address was delivered by Miloš Popović, President of the Local Committee of Vrebac, after which a wreath was laid at the memorial monument. The monument was donated by the City of Gospić.
Following the wreath-laying ceremony, Željko Narančić delivered a speech by reading an excerpt from the book Roots of Centuries of Continuity. The address reminded those present of the outbreak of the Second World War, the German invasion of Yugoslavia, the proclamation of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), and the events that unfolded in this area during those months. These were marked by Ustaša repression, the murder of five local residents, and the killing of twenty-one inhabitants of Vrebac, Zavode, and Pavlovac at the Medačka Plantation, as well as the organization of the uprising and the first clashes between the insurgents and Ustaša forces on 1 August 1941. (The full text of the speech was published on these pages in the article of 27 July entitled “Ahead of the Commemoration of Uprising Day.”)
The participants observed a minute of silence in memory of the fallen fighters and civilian victims, numbering 279 in total. The villages of Vrebac suffered devastating human and material losses during the Second World War. According to the 1931 census, these villages had a combined population of 1,860 inhabitants, and the total number of war victims amounted to approximately 15 percent of that population.
The Serbian National Reading Room and Library in Vrebac, through members of its Executive Board, organized a volunteer clean-up of Gradina and the surroundings of the Community Hall. Thanks to their efforts, the Commemoration and Uprising Day were held in a dignified and well-maintained setting.