In English
Vrebac is a small village near the town of Gospic, Croatia.
Vrebac and its hamlets, Pavlovac, Zavođe and Selište are located in the historical area called Lika. The average elevation of the settlements is about 600 meters.
The oldest people who have inhabited Vrebac and Lika were the lapydes. One of their settlements was Stražbenica, a hill above Vrebac. The Roman name for Vrebac was Ancus. Vrebac was named during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, after Bey Alaga Vrebo. In 1689, Vrebac was conquered by the Austrians, and became a part of the Habsburg Monarchy. It was settled by the Serbs. Vrebac was incorporated into the Military Frontier, and many men fought across Europe.
In WWI, 122 volunteers from Vrebac fought on the Serbian side. During WWII, the village was attacked and burned several times; 279 people were killed during the war (135 partisans and 144 civilian victims). During the Croatian war operation the Storm in 1995, all the citizens from the village were banished.
After the return of a small number of citizens, the renovation of the village began. This year, after 76 years, the Serbian National Reading Room and Library in Vrebac was restored (the Society was founded in 1929).
Vladimir Ivančević
