Dalj


Dalj is a village on the Danube in eastern Croatia, near the confluence of the Drava and Danube, on the border with Serbia. It is located on the D519 road, south of its intersection with the D213 road and the Vukovar–Erdut railway. Administratively it is located in the municipality of Erdut, Osijek-Baranja County. Although the seat of the municipality is Erdut, Dalj is the largest village and all of the municipal institutions are located here.

History

Prehistory

One Scordisci archaeological site in Dalj dating back to late La Tène culture was excavated in the 1970s and 1980s as a part of rescue excavations in eastern Croatia. Archaeological site was a part of the settlement network of Scordisci in the area of Vinkovci.

Croatian War of Independence

During the Croatian War of Independence, the village became the site of the Dalj massacre - killing of 39 prisoners of war in August 1991. The prisoners were captured as Croatian policemen, Croatian National Guard troops and Civil defencemen and killed after the Yugoslav People's Army and Serbian paramilitaries captured Dalj on 1 August. Goran Hadžić, Croatian Serb political leader at the time, is charged with the war crime.
Hadžić is on trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The ICTY also charged Hadžić with illegal detention of hundreds of civilians in Dalj police station and a hangar near village's railway station. The detainees were beaten and otherwise physically abused.

Demographics

Ethnic composition according to 1991 census:

Secondary

High School Dalj is public high school in Dalj. School offers students the following educational programs: Economist, Commercial Officer, Agricultural Technician and Agricultural Technician General.

Notable natives and residents