Editing Vukovar (section)

==History==
===Prehistory===
The area of Vukovar has been continuously inhabited for five thousand years, which we know based on numerous archaeological sites. The Vučedol culture, which developed in the [[Vučedol]] locality, is particularly significant for the Vukovar area. In 1938, the Vučedol dove was found at that location, which later became a symbol of the town. The Vučedol Orion, also found on Vučedol, is equally important and is considered the oldest Indo-European calendar. In the area of Vukovar, there are numerous archaeological sites from the [[Bronze Age|Bronze]], Early and Younger [[Iron Age]]s, from which we can see the way of life of the [[Illyrians]] and [[Celts]], the original inhabitants of the Vukovar area. During the last decades of BC, the Romans reached the [[Danube]] in their [[conquest]]s and built many [[forts]] on the border (the so-called [[Danubian Limes|Danube limes]]) as a protection against the [[barbarian]] [[tribe]]s.

The Romans influenced the economy of the Vukovar region because they planted the first vineyards  and drained the swamps.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=A brief history of Vukovar |url=https://turizamvukovar.hr/en/vukovar/crtice-iz-povijesti-vukovara/ |access-date=2023-07-16 |website=Turistička zajednica grada Vukovara |language=hr}}</ref> One [[Scordisci]] archaeological site in Vukovar dating back to late [[La Tène culture]] was [[Excavation (archaeology)|excavated]] in the 1970s and 1980s as a part of [[Rescue archaeology|rescue excavations]] in eastern Croatia.<ref name="La Tène">{{cite journal |last1=Dizdar |first1=Marko |date=2016 |title=Late La Tène Settlements in the Vinkovci Region (Eastern Slavonia, Croatia): Centres of Trade and Exchange. |url=https://www.austriaca.at/0xc1aa5576%200x003437f9.pdf |journal= Boii – Taurisci: Proceedings of the International Seminar, Oberleis-Klement, June 14th–15th, 2012 |pages=31–48 |publisher=[[Austrian Academy of Sciences Press]] |access-date=22 January 2019 }}</ref> Archaeological site was a part of the settlement network of Scordisci in the area of Vinkovci.<ref name="La Tène" />

===Early history===
The history of today's Vukovar begins very early, according to archaeological data.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Grad Vukovar – Povijest grada Vukovara |url=https://www.vukovar.hr/255-nekategorizirano/2783-povijest-grada-vukovara |access-date=2022-10-06 |website=www.vukovar.hr}}</ref> [[Slavs|Slavic]] tribes settled in this area in the 6th century. In the 9th century the region was part of the Slavic [[Pannonian Slavs#Principality|Principality of Lower Pannonia]] ruled by prince [[Pribina]], and part of the [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarian Empire]]. In the first half of the 10th century, the [[Vukovo]] fortress was looted by the [[Hungarians]].<ref name=":1" /> In the 11th–12th century, the region was part of the [[Kingdom of Croatia (medieval)|Kingdom of Croatia]]; from the 13th to 16th century part of the [[Kingdom of Hungary]]; and between 1526 and 1687<ref>Treasures of Yugoslavia, published by Yugoslaviapublic, Beograd, available in English, German and Serbo-Croatian, 664 pages, 1980</ref> under [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] rule.

Vukovar was mentioned first in the 13th century as ''Volko'', ''Walk'', ''Wolkov, Wolcou, Walkov and numerous other versions'' (original Croatian/Slavic name of the town was ''Vukovo''). All these different forms of the city's name were used until the 14th century, when the name Vukovar began to be used more and more, to which the [[Hungarians|Hungarian]] suffix -var was added, which denotes a fortress.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Kirchhoffer |first=Sonja |title=Šetnja kroz povijest Vukovara u srednjem vijeku |url=https://povijest.hr/hrvatska/setnja-kroz-povijest-vukovara-u-srednjem-vijeku/ |website=povijest.hr}}</ref> In 1231, Vukovo obtained its first privileges and later the right to levy taxes on passages along the Danube and the Vuka.<ref>Treasures of Yugoslavia, p.249</ref> In 1231, Vukovar received the status of a [[royal free city]]. Duke [[Coloman, King of Hungary|Koloman]] gave Vukovar the status of a free royal city, to encourage further development of the city. His charter meant that the residents of Vukovar were directly subject to the king, not the landowner.<ref name=":2" /> The [[charter]] of [[Duke Koloman]] confirmed the privileges that protected the people of Vukovar.<ref name=":1" /> From the contents of the charter, it can be seen that at that moment, an ethnically diverse population was already living in Vukovar. The inhabitants of Vukovar were engaged in trade and crafts. Vukovo County was quite densely populated in the Middle Ages. Vukovar entered the Middle Ages as a suburb with roads, and then a fortress was built. The royal administration is important for the further development of the city. The citizens of Vukovar received privileges from King Ludovik of Anjou, which included the holding of weekly fairs, which led to further stronger economic growth. Due to trade levies, the city's income also increases. The county was densely populated, and according to written sources, it had 33 forts, 34 shops and 1,182 villages, settlements and inhabited estates. Vukovar was an important church seat and a fortified city. The city occupied between 20 and 25 hectares of the city area. At the end of the 14th century, Vukovar was one of the largest medieval Slavonic towns with 350 houses and 2,000 to 2,500 inhabitants.<ref name=":2" /> During administration of the medieval [[Kingdom of Hungary]], the town was a seat of Valkó (Croatian: Vuka) county, which was located between the [[Drava]] and [[Sava]] rivers, while during Ottoman administration it was part of the [[Sanjak of Syrmia]]. The Turkish rule brought great changes to the Vukovar region. On their campaign in 1526, the Turks occupied Ilok and Vukovar. Vukovar lost its significance, but still remained an important trade center on an important trade route. Before liberation from the Turks, Vukovar had close to 3,000 inhabitants.<ref name=":1" />

===Habsburg Monarchy===
[[File:Greetings from Vukovar - View of the Danube (front).jpg|thumb|right|Vukovar seen from the Danube river 1917.]]
After the [[Treaty of Karlowitz]] in 1699, Vukovar was part of the [[Habsburg monarchy]], Slavonia ([[Transleithania]] after the [[compromise of 1867]]), and soon after in the [[Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia]], created when the [[Kingdom of Slavonia]] and the Kingdom of Croatia were merged in 1868.

Vukovar was left with an almost empty town, with only about fifty houses. The indigenous population is returning to the devastated area, as well as new residents. Because of the need for labor, Orthodox Serbs are settling. In the 18th and 19th centuries, a considerable number of [[Germans]], [[Hungarians]], Jews, [[Ruthenians]], [[Slovaks]] and [[Ukrainians]] arrived. Thus, Vukovar becomes a multinational city.<ref name=":1" />

After the end of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] domination (in the 16th and 17th centuries), the [[German nobility|German Counts]] of [[Eltz]] bought a large part of the Vukovar area which was known as the [[Lordship of Vukovar]] and for the next two centuries they would have a great influence on the economy and culture of Vukovar.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:Vukovar Street scene.JPG|thumb|left|Townhouses with arches in the center of the city.]]

[[Count]]s [[Eltz]], German nobility, come into possession of the manor in Vukovar. Philip Karl Eltz, Archbishop of [[Mainz]], in 1736 buys this huge property with more than 30 inhabited places.

At the beginning of this period, almost half of the inhabitants of Vukovar were craftsmen and merchants. Crafts, trade, shipbuilding are developing. Goods are shipped to the Danube countries by ship. Numerous [[guild]] organizations were founded to protect craftsmen. Vukovar is the main center of trade for the entire western Srijem.
[[File:Vukovar.jpg|thumb|right|Vukovar in [[Austria-Hungary]], [[Franz Joseph I]] street]]

The Vukovar area has very good conditions for agriculture. Almost 80% of the population lived from agriculture. In addition to basic grain production, viticulture is also important, and horse studs are also famous.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

Since 1840, Vukovar has had permanent [[steamboat]] lines on the Danube, and since 1878 it has been connected to the railway. The port of Vukovar is the largest port in Croatia. The industry developed slowly due to lack of capital.

According to the population census from 1900, Vukovar has 10,400 inhabitants, including about 4,000 Croats, 3,500 Germans, about 1,600 Serbs, 950 Hungarians, etc.<ref name=":1" /> In 1905, the first major industrial enterprise, the spinning mill, began operating in Vukovar.<ref name=":1" />

In 1745, Vukovar became the seat of the [[Syrmia County]] of the [[Kingdom of Slavonia]] and from 1868 [[Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia]].<ref name=":0" />

===Kingdom of Yugoslavia===
[[File:Radnički dom u Vukovaru.JPG|thumb|left|[[Workers' Hall, Vukovar|Workers' Hall]] after the reconstruction. Historical second congress of the [[Communist Party of Yugoslavia]] was held in [[Workers' Hall, Vukovar]] in 1920]]
In 1918, Vukovar became part of the newly formed [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes]] ([[Yugoslavia]] in 1929). Between 1918 and 1922, Vukovar was the administrative seat of the county of Syrmia (Srijem), and between 1922 and 1929 it was the administrative seat of [[Syrmia Oblast]]. Despite the status of administrative center the settlement will get the city status only on 23 November 1919, by the decision of regent of the new state [[Peter I of Serbia]].{{sfn|Barišić Bogišić|2022|pp=205}} After the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and in the wake of communism gaining popularity throughout Europe, Vukovar became the location of the 2nd congress of the Socialist Labor Party of Yugoslavia (Communists) ({{lang|sh-Latn|Socijalistička radnička partija Jugoslavije – komunista}}), where it was renamed the [[Communist Party of Yugoslavia]] ({{lang|sh-Latn|Komunistička partija Jugoslavije}}). 
In 1920, ahead of the local elections, the Jewish Party was established in the town while [[Zionist]] Association was founded in 1926.{{sfn|Barišić Bogišić|2022|pp=180}} After 1929, Vukovar was part of the [[Sava Banovina]], and beginning in 1939 it was part of the [[Banovina of Croatia]]. Part of the Serb community in the town and neighbouring villages was dissatisfied with the inclusion in the new autonomous Banovina leading them to present their disagreement in the 1939 [[Vukovar resolution]].

The [[interwar period]] in Vukovar was marked with a significant growth of the shoe and textile industry that began operating in the town, including the shoe factory Bata in 1931, which was later renamed [[Borovo (company)|Borovo]]. This consequently led to a population growth–according to the 1948 census, Vukovar had over 17,000 inhabitants.<ref name=":1" />

===World War II===
Croats and Serbs tensions in the town escalated during the latter half of the 1930s.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=118}} An incident in 1937 involved a Serb student bringing a pistol to Vukovar High School and threatening to kill a Croat classmate.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=118}}  At the time of [[1938 Yugoslavian parliamentary election]], Vukovar's [[Ustaša]] used a slogans referencing an Ustaša paramilitary training camps in Hungary.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=118}} After the Croat-led coalition won the town election, a group of Croat high school students celebrated the victory by chanting pro-Croatian and anti-Yugoslav sentiments in the streets.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=118}} The local newspaper ''Srijemski Hrvat'', which was published in Vukovar from November 1939 to January 1941, showed a clear increase in Ustašist influence as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia approached its collapse.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=112}} Although it was officially aligned with the [[Croatian Peasant Party]] (HSS), its editor, Luka Puljiz, was a committed Ustaša and leader in the movement's local cell.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=112}} On 15 November 1939 ''Srijemski Hrvat'' discussed local Germans' support for the central government in Belgrade and invited them to back the Croatian Peasant Party-led regime in Zagreb instead.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=115}} While it mentioned Germans, Hungarians, Czechs, Ukrainians, and Slovaks as relevant national minorities, Jews, Serbs, and Roma were notably excluded.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=115}} On 5 November 1939 [[Nikola Andrić]] gave a speech asserting that Croatian ethnic songs were not only better than Serbian ones but also the best among all the world's cultures.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=124}}
[[File:Dudik Memorial Park - Спомен парк Дудик 01.jpg|thumb|left|[[Dudik Memorial Park]]]]

After 1941 [[Yugoslav coup d'état]] Luka Puljiz, editor of ''Srijemski Hrvat'', received advance instructions on the procedure of the town capture following the [[Invasion of Yugoslavia]].{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=122}} When the [[Independent State of Croatia]] was declared on 10 April 1941, following morning Puljiz group took control of Vukovar by seizing key locations such as the post office, police station, and town hall.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=111}} The Ustaša authorities across the NDH began issuing anti-Jewish and anti-Serb laws, effectively placing both groups outside the law.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=124}} On 10 April 1941, a decree barred Serbs and Jews from serving in the NDH army.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=126}} A subsequent decree on 17 April 1941, allowed for arrests based on "anti-Croat" activities without specifying exact crimes.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=126}} Further decrees on 18 April 1941, targeted Serbs and Jews, nullifying legal contracts involving Jews and preparing for the deportation of Serb agricultural colonists.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=126–127}} On 19 April 1941, the regime appointed commissioners to Jewish and Serb firms.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=126–127}} Additionally local Ustašas executed several individuals suspected of anti-Croat activities.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=126–127}} More decrees suspended judiciary staff and public employees, giving the state the power to dismiss Jews, Serbs, and Croats with Yugoslav affiliations.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=127–129}} ''Decree on the Prohibition of the Cyrillic Script'' was introduced on 25 April 1941.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=130}} Ustaša regime spread its ideology in Vukovar through various means, including the weekly newspaper ''Hrvatski Borac'' ("''Croat Fighter''"), which circulated from December 1941 to June 1942.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=135}} The paper was edited by Dr. Vilko Anderlić, a Catholic priest from a nearby village of [[Sotin]].{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=135}}

In the Vukovar area, Ustaša authorities did not immediately launch large-scale killings against Serb communities in the first mass killing phase from April to May 1941 which targeted area that lacked significant economic value.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=180–181}} Wealthier regions such as Vukovar saw a more restrained approach, as peace and order were crucial for the continuity of industry and agriculture.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=182}} Mass shootings in town began in late July 1941 after the first act of resistance in the Serb village of [[Bobota, Croatia|Bobota]].{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=182}} The following day, the Ustaša forces encircled the village, interrogated and terrorized the inhabitants, and arrested 45 people.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=183}} Thirty of them were sent to the [[Jadovno concentration camp]], while 15 were sentenced to death by a hastily convened traveling summary court and execution being carried at the Dudik site.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=183}} Over 500 people will be executed at the site during the war with the place being turned into the [[Dudik Memorial Park]] subsequently.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=183}} Repression led to further resistance and imprisonment of 500 residents of Bobota, [[Trpinja]] and [[Vera, Croatia|Vera]] in September 1941.{{sfn|Matijević|2024|pp=183}}

During [[World War II]] the city was bombed by the Allies. The first [[Yugoslav Partisans]] uprising in the district ({{lang|sh-Latn|kotar}}) of Vukovar happened on 26 August 1941, in the village of [[Bobota, Croatia|Bobota]] with subsequent continued dominant role of ethnic Serbs in the uprising who will constitute 75% of Yugoslav Partisans in the area as of late 1943.{{sfn|Filipović|2022|pp=293}} Today, [[Dudik Memorial Park]] commemorates 455 individuals who were executed by the authorities of the Independent State of Croatia during the [[World War II in Yugoslavia]].<ref name="2009Identitet138">{{cite journal | language = sr |title = Skrnavljenje spomenika u režiji HDZ-a: o inicijativi za obnovu spomen kompleksa Dudik | first = Dragana | last = Zečević | publisher  = [[Serb Democratic Forum]] | journal = Identitet | number = 138 |date=September 2009 | location = [[Zagreb]] }}</ref> The monument at the Dudik Memorial Park, built from 1978 to 1980, is designed by [[Bogdan Bogdanović (architect)|Bogdan Bogdanović]], for which he won the [[International Piranesi Award]].<ref name="Sørensen Viejo-Rose Filippucci 2019 p. 194">{{cite book |last1=Sørensen |first1=M.L.S. |last2=Viejo-Rose |first2=D. |last3=Filippucci |first3=P. |title=Memorials in the Aftermath of Armed Conflict: From History to Heritage |publisher=Springer International Publishing |series=Palgrave Studies in Cultural Heritage and Conflict |year=2019 |isbn=978-3-030-18091-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ay7EDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA194 |access-date=3 June 2021 |page=194}}</ref> At least 1027 soldiers of the [[Bulgarian Armed Forces]] who fought on [[Syrmian Front]] died during the liberation of Vukovar and related fights and are today commemorated at the local [[Bulgarian Military Cemetery, Vukovar|Bulgarian Military Cemetery]].<ref name="Bulgarian Army">{{cite web |url=https://radio.hrt.hr/radio-osijek/vijesti/vukovar-odana-pocast-bugarskim-vojnicima-3752372 |title=Vukovar: Odana počast bugarskim vojnicima |publisher=[[Croatian Radiotelevision]] |access-date=26 April 2024 |language=hr |date=9 May 2021 |author=Marija Vukasović Petrinović }}</ref> An additional monument was erected in [[Borovo Naselje]] to commemorate the soldiers of the Yugoslav and the Soviet Red Army who lost their lives in the liberation of the region between 8 and 12 April 1944.<ref name="ZVO-Srbi.hr">{{cite web |url=https://srbi.hr/na-dan-pobede-setili-se-stradalih-u-drugom-svetskom-ratu/ |title=Na Dan Pobede setili se stradalih u Drugom svetskom ratu |publisher=[[Joint Council of Municipalities]] |access-date=26 April 2024 |language=sr |date=11 May 2020 |author=Dušan Velimirović }}</ref> The monument was built by workers from the Borovo factory.<ref name="ZVO-Srbi.hr"/> Vukovar's memorial ossuary contains the remains of 388 victims transferred from the Dudik memorial area, including 155 soldiers from the Fifth Vojvodina Strike Brigade and 62 Red Army soldiers.<ref name="ZVO-Srbi.hr"/> In 2008 an unexploded bomb was found in the city from this period.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vktel.com/v/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1363&Itemid=40 |title=Bombs from the II World War found in Vukovar |publisher=vktel.com |access-date=18 November 2010 |language=hr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129153637/http://www.vktel.com/v/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1363&Itemid=40 |archive-date=29 November 2010 }}</ref>

===SFR Yugoslavia===
Between 1945 and 1991, Vukovar was part of the [[Socialist Republic of Croatia]] within the new [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]]. During this period Vukovar developed into a multicultural community and an important industrial centre with a standard of living among the highest in Yugoslavia.{{sfn|Cvek|Račić|Ivčić|2019|pp=20}} One of the symbols of this industrialization was the [[Borovo (company)|Borovo]] company with over 22,000 employees in the late 1980s.{{sfn|Cvek|Račić|Ivčić|2019|pp=20}} The company already reached its prewar employment levels in 1949, with the number of employees growing to 5,215 in 1955 and 10,572 in 1965, many of whom were from surrounding villages as well as from the rest of Slavonia, Vojvodina and other parts of Yugoslavia.{{sfn|Cvek|Račić|Ivčić|2019|pp=28–29}} Separate production sites were open in [[Prijedor]], [[Sombor]], [[Donji Miholjac]], [[Odžak]] and [[Lovas, Croatia|Lovas]] with 622 shops all around the country.{{sfn|Cvek|Račić|Ivčić|2019|pp=32}} At its peak, the company contributed 3/4 of the municipal tax revenue.{{sfn|Cvek|Račić|Ivčić|2019|pp=33}} Following the [[1970s energy crisis]] the company started producing for other companies in the world including for [[Puma (brand)|Puma]] in 1979.{{sfn|Cvek|Račić|Ivčić|2019|pp=36}}
[[File:Borovo bata.jpg|thumb|right|Standard Bata factories and housing at „Bata-ville“, Vukovar borough [[1941]]. Today's [[Borovo Naselje]], local board, urban settlement 4 km from the Vukovar town center.]]

As the economic crisis in the country deepened workers from Borovo started their first strike action, which lasted between 19 and 24 August 1987.{{sfn|Cvek|Račić|Ivčić|2019|pp=55}} The "''Large Strike''" ({{langx|hr|Veliki štrajk}}) started on 2 July 1988, with daily rallies at the Republic Square in front of the [[Workers’ Hall, Vukovar|Workers’ Hall]].{{sfn|Cvek|Račić|Ivčić|2019|pp=58–60}} On evening of 5 July 1988, a group of workers decided to travel to [[Belgrade]] to share their dissatisfaction with the federal institutions, with formal union buses and trucks joining this action once the initial group already reached [[Tovarnik]].{{sfn|Cvek|Račić|Ivčić|2019|pp=60}} At 3&nbsp;am next day a group of 1,500 workers arrived at the [[Dom Sindikata]] where they kept trying to present their case until 9&nbsp;am, to no avail. They decided to move their action to the nearby building of the [[Parliament of Yugoslavia]] afterwards.{{sfn|Cvek|Račić|Ivčić|2019|pp=60}} After nobody addressed them for hours the group decided to push through the [[Kettling|police cordons]] and to enter the building of parliament while singing "''{{lang|sh-Latn|Druže Tito, da ti je ustati, pa da vidiš kako narod pati}}''" (''Comrade [[Josip Broz Tito|Tito]] if only you could raise and see how the people suffer'').{{sfn|Cvek|Račić|Ivčić|2019|pp=61}} They stayed in the building until 5&nbsp;pm, meeting with the President of the Presidency from SR Croatia [[Ivo Latin]], president of the [[Trade Union of Yugoslavia]] [[Marjan Orožen]] and the President of the Assembly [[Dušan Popovski]]. After that, they returned to Dom Sindikata from where they returned to Vukovar late at night.{{sfn|Cvek|Račić|Ivčić|2019|pp=61–62}}

===Croatian War of Independence===
{{Too many photos|section}}
The conflict between Serbs and Croats spread to eastern Slavonia in early 1991. On 1 April, Serb villagers around Vukovar and other towns in eastern Slavonia began to erect barricades across main roads.<ref name="O'Shea11">{{harvnb|O'Shea|2005|page=11}}</ref> The [[White Eagles (paramilitary)|White Eagles]], a Serbian paramilitary group led by [[Vojislav Šešelj]], moved into the Serb-populated village of [[Borovo Selo]] just north of Vukovar.<ref name="Annex III">[[#Bassiouni-AnnexIII|Bassiouni, Annex III. December 28, 1994]]</ref> On 2 May in [[Battle of Borovo Selo]], Serb paramilitaries ambushed two Croatian police buses in the centre of Borovo Selo, killing 12 policemen and injuring 22 more.<ref name="O'Shea11" /> One Serb paramilitary was also killed.<ref>{{harvnb|Thompson|1999|p=30}}</ref>

On 19 May 1991, a [[1991 Croatian independence referendum|Croatian nationwide referendum on sovereignty]] was held in which 94% voted in favor. Violence in and around Vukovar worsened after the independence referendum, with gun and bomb attacks reported in the town and surrounding villages in June 1991.<ref>{{cite news | title=Tense situation in Vukovar|last=Stankovic | first=Mirko | publisher=BBC | work=Summary of World Broadcasts | date=20 June 1991}}</ref> [[Borovo Naselje]], the Croatian-held northern suburb of Vukovar, sustained a significant shelling on 4 July.<ref name="MrksicVerdict12-13">[[#ICTY-Mrksic|''Prosecutor v. Mrkšić, Radić & Šljivančanin – Judgement'', September 27, 2007]], pp. 12–13.</ref> Serb paramilitaries expelled thousands of non-Serbs from their homes in the municipality.<ref>[[#BBCMon09-07-1991|BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, July 9, 1991]]</ref>

In the summer of 1991, [[Tomislav Merčep]], at the time a leading official in the [[Croatian Democratic Union]] (HDZ) and Secretary of People's Defense, was put in charge of the town. Ethnic Serbs in Vukovar were subjected to [[1991 killings of Serbs in Vukovar|forced interrogations, kidnappings and summary executions]] in addition to having their homes and cafes blown up.<ref name="iwpr">{{cite news |last1=Hedl |first1=Drago |title=Regional Report: Vukovar Serb Killings Investigated |url=https://iwpr.net/global-voices/regional-report-vukovar-serb-killings-investigated |work=Institute for War & Peace Reporting |date=29 April 2005}}</ref> NGOs in the city state that a total of 86 Serbs were killed or disappeared during Merčep's control of the town.<ref name="iwpr" /> Serbs have long voiced their concerns about the crimes committed against them in the months before the [[Yugoslav People's Army|JNA]] took over the town after its fall in November of that year and the lack of accountability for the perpetrators.<ref name="iwpr" /><ref name="tportal">{{cite web |last1=Polšak Palatinuš |first1=Vlatka |title=Vukovarski Srbi pitaju: Što je s našim ubijenima? Evo odgovora iz DORH-a |url=https://www.tportal.hr/vijesti/clanak/vukovarski-srbi-pitaju-sto-je-s-nasim-ubijenima-evo-odgovora-iz-dorh-a-foto-20181030 |website=tportal.hr |date=30 October 2018}}</ref> The matter has remained unresolved, with Merčep only being sentenced in 2017 for crimes committed by his units elsewhere. He died in November 2020.
[[File:Vukovar - Ovcara.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Ovčara camp|Ovčara Massacre Memorial]]'' to the murdered Croatian civilians at the site of the largest [[mass grave]] of the [[Croatian war of independence]], on the farm Ovčara near Vukovar, where  paramilitary units and members of the [[Yugoslav People's Army|JNA]] carried out a [[Vukovar massacre|mass slaughter]] of civilians from the [[Vukovar Hospital|"Dr Juraj Njavro" National Memorial Hospital]]]].

The [[Battle of Vukovar]] began on 25 August 1991, and lasted until 18 November 1991. During the battle for the town, 1,800 self-organised lightly armed defenders and civilian volunteers (the army of Croatia was still in its infancy at this time) defended the city for 87 days against approximately 36,000 troops of the Serb-dominated JNA equipped with heavy armour and artillery who lost 110 vehicles and tanks and dozens of planes during the battle. The city suffered heavy damage during the [[Battle of Vukovar|siege]] and was eventually overrun. It is estimated that 1,800 defenders of Vukovar and civilians were killed, 800 went missing and 22,000 civilians were forced into exile.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East |last=Tucker |first=Spencer |year=2010 |publisher=ABC-CLIO, LLC |location=Santa Barbara, California |isbn=978-1-85109-667-1 |page=2617}}</ref> Several war crimes were committed by Serb forces after the battle, including the [[Vukovar massacre]] of up to 264 wounded patients and medical staff, taken from the Vukovar hospital.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.euronews.net/2010/11/04/serb-leader-apologises-for-croatian-massacre|title=Serb leader apologises for Croatian massacre|date=11 November 2010|publisher=Euronews|access-date=4 April 2011}}</ref> According to the [[Croatian Association of Prisoners in Serbian Concentration Camps]], a total of 8,000 Croatian civilians and [[Prisoner of war|POWs]] (many following the fall of Vukovar) went through Serb prison camps such as [[Sremska Mitrovica camp]], [[Velepromet camp]], [[Stajićevo camp]], [[Begejci camp]], [[Niš|Niš camp]] and many others where many were heavily abused and tortured. A total of 300 people never returned from them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/comexpert/ANX/VIII-10.htm|title=Annex VIII - Prison Camps|access-date=2020-05-06|archive-date=2011-01-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106010123/http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/comexpert/ANX/VIII-10.htm}}</ref> A total of 4570 camp inmates have started [[legal action]] against the former [[Serbia & Montenegro|Republic of Serbia and Montenegro]] (now [[Serbia]]) for torture and abuse in the camps.<ref name="Vjesnik">{{cite news|url=http://www.vjesnik.hr/Html/2004/03/28/Clanak.asp?r=unu&c=6|language=hr|newspaper=[[Vjesnik]]|title=Danijel Rehak ponovno izabran za predsjednika Hrvatskog društva logoraša|date=28 March 2004|access-date=5 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040430144947/http://www.vjesnik.hr/html/2004/03/28/Clanak.asp?r=unu&c=6|archive-date=30 April 2004}}</ref>

The damage to Vukovar during the siege has been called the worst in Europe since [[World War II]], drawing comparisons with [[Stalingrad]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.index.hr/clanak.aspx?id=367100|title=Mesić nakon sastanka s Del Ponte: Netko mora odgovarati što je Vukovar pretvoren u Staljingrad|website=www.index.hr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Helen |last=Seeney |url=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2129420,00.html |title=Croatia: Vukovar is Still Haunted by the Shadow of its Past |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101117004539/http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2129420,00.html |archive-date=17 November 2010 |website=Deutsche Welle |date=22 August 2006 |access-date=6 May 2009 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> The [[Vukovar water tower|city's water tower]], riddled with bullet holes, was retained by city planners to serve as a testimony to the events of the early 1990s.

On 18 November 2006, approximately 25,000 people from all over the country gathered in Vukovar for the 15th anniversary of the fall of the city to commemorate those who were killed during the siege. A museum dedicated to the siege was opened in the basement of a now rebuilt hospital that had been damaged during the battle.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8823/1/Tens-of-thousands-gather-for-15th-anniversary-of-Vukovar-siege-1991---2006.html |title=Tens of thousands gather for 15th anniversary of Vukovar siege 1991 – 2006 |publisher=Croatian World Network |agency=AFP |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719001620/http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8823/1/Tens-of-thousands-gather-for-15th-anniversary-of-Vukovar-siege-1991---2006.html |archive-date=19 July 2011 |access-date=18 November 2010 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

On 27 September 2007, the [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia]] convicted two former JNA officers, [[Mile Mrkšić]] and [[Veselin Šljivančanin]], for their involvement in the [[Vukovar massacre]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7016290.stm |publisher=BBC News |title=Two jailed over Croatia massacre |access-date=18 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013104849/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7016290.stm |archive-date=13 October 2010 |work=news.bbc.co.uk |date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia's last remaining fugitive,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/serbia/8538468/Ratko-Mladic-arrested-Goran-Hadzic-last-remaining-major-figure-at-large.html|title=Ratko Mladic arrested: Goran Hadzic last remaining major figure at large|last=McElroy|first=Damien|date=26 May 2011|work=The Telegraph|access-date=29 May 2011|location=London}}</ref> Goran Hadžić, was captured by Serbian authorities in 2011.<ref>{{cite news |title=Serbia arrests its last war crimes fugitive |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna43820382 |work=NBC News |date=20 July 2011}}</ref> Hadžić was indicted on 14 counts, including multiple related to Vukovar.<ref name="The Guardian">{{cite web |agency=Agence France-Presse |title=Goran Hadžić, last Yugoslav war fugitive arrested, dies |url=https://www.theguardian.com/law/2016/jul/13/goran-hadzic-last-yugoslav-war-fugitive-arrested-dies |website=The Guardian |language=en |date=13 July 2016}}</ref> The charges included criminal involvement in the "deportation or forcible transfer of tens of thousands of Croat and other non-Serb civilians" from Croatian territory between June 1991 and December 1993, including 20,000 from Vukovar; the [[forced labour]] of detainees; the "extermination or murder of hundreds of Croat and other non-Serb civilians" in ten Croatian towns and villages including Vukovar; and the "torture, beatings and killings of detainees", including 264 victims seized from Vukovar Hospital.<ref name="icty indictment">{{cite web|last1=Del Ponte|first1=Carla|title=The Prosecutor of the Tribunal against Goran Hadžić – Indictment|url=http://www.icty.org/x/cases/hadzic/ind/en/had-ii040716e.htm|publisher=International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia|access-date=14 July 2016|location=The Hague, The Netherlands|date=21 May 2004}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dnevnik.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/uhicen-goran-hadzic.html|title=U bijegu su Goranu Hadžiću najviše pomagali crkveni krugovi|website=Dnevnik.hr}}</ref> His trial was abandoned in 2014 after being diagnosed with terminal [[brain cancer]]; he died two years later at the age of 57.

===Vukovar under Serb control and subsequent UNTAES administration===

The battle exhausted the JNA and proved a turning point in the [[Croatian War of Independence]]. A ceasefire was declared a few weeks later. Vukovar served as de facto seat of the [[self-proclaimed]] [[Serbian Autonomous Oblast]] [[SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia]], the entity which joined the separatist  self-declared [[proto-state]] [[Republic of Serbian Krajina]] (RSK) in 1992 as an exclave. [[Vojislav Stanimirović (politician)|Vojislav Stanimirović]] served as a mayor of Vukovar at that time. Croat refugees from the town were located at refugee centers around the country and the community published the ''Vukovarske Novine (Vukovar Newspaper)'' outside of the town.<ref name="Put do Erduta">{{cite journal | title = Put do Erduta-Položaj Hrvatske u međunarodnoj zajednici 1994.-1995. i reintegracija hrvatskog Podunavlja | first = Albert | last = Bing | journal = Scrinia Slavonica | volume = 7 | pages = 371–404 | publisher = Hrvatski institut za povijest | location = Zagreb | year = 2007 | url = http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=42842&lang=en }}</ref>
When the main portion of the RSK was defeated in 1995 [[Operation Storm]] the new agreement was reached for peaceful settlement of the conflict in Vukovar and the rest of Croatian [[Podunavlje]] area known as the [[Erdut Agreement]]. By 1996, Vukovar became demilitarised after local Serb units demobilised and transferred their heavy weapons across the border to Yugoslavia.<ref>{{cite book |title=Croatia at the United Nations, October 21, 1993 – January 16, 1998 |date=1998 |publisher=Permanent Mission of the Republic of Croatia to the United Nations}}</ref> The agreement led to the establishment of the [[United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium]] (UNTAES) which effectively governed the region from its seat in Vukovar until 1998 when the region was fully reintegrated into Croatia.
[[File:Croatian War 1991 Vukovar destruction.jpg|right|thumb|Vukovar during the occupation, under the administration of the [[Republic of Serbian Krajina]].]]

UNTAES headquarters were initially located at the [[United Nations Protection Force]] headquarters in [[Zagreb]] but the idea of priority of the administration was to move it to [[eastern Croatia]].<ref name="Global Governance">{{cite journal|title=The Political Challenges of Administering Eastern Slavonia|journal = Global Governance|volume = 10|issue = 1|first= Derek|last= Boothby| publisher= [[Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations]] |pages= 37–51 (15 pages)|date= Jan–Mar 2004| doi=10.1163/19426720-01001005 |jstor = 27800508}}</ref> [[Croatian Government]] offered [[Osijek]] for that purpose but the administration refused it since it wanted to locate it on the territory under its control leading to selection of Vukovar.<ref name="Global Governance" /> [[United States Secretary of State]] [[Madeleine Albright]] visited Vukovar in early 1996 to express her support to the process of reintegration where she was attacked by the Serbian population with eggs and stones at the local market.<ref name="USA-Podunavlje">{{cite journal|url= http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=68736 |title=Sjedinjene Američke Države i reintegracija hrvatskog Podunavlja|journal=Scrinia Slavonica|volume=8|issue=1|first= Albert|last= Bing| publisher= Scrinia Slavonica, Vol.8, Croatian Institute of History|format=PDF |pages= 336–365|date= April 2016|access-date=2016-09-12}}</ref> UNTAES facilitated reintegration by gradual transition and invitation of Croatian officials so that in late 1996 [[President of Croatia]] [[Franjo Tuđman]] visited Vukovar for the first time where he participated in the meeting between Serb and Croat delegation.<ref name="Kosor">{{cite book |first= Jadranka |last= Kosor |author-link= Jadranka Kosor |date=2020 |title=Premijerka : Zapisci one koja nije htjela biti zapisničarka |publisher=Ljevak |isbn=978-953-355-408-2 }}</ref> President Tuđman visited Vukovar again on 8 June 1997, in what was known as the ''Train of Peace''.

As a result of the conflict, a deep ethnic divide exists between the Croat and Serb populations. [[OSCE Mission to Croatia]] was active in Vukovar and surrounding areas until 2007.