Varivode


Varivode is a village in the municipality of Kistanje, Šibenik-Knin County, Croatia.

History

Prior to the Croatian War the village was a part of the municipality of Knin, and according to the census of 1991, it had a population of 477 people. During the war, Varivode and the surrounding area were occupied by the Republic of Serbian Krajina, a Serb break-away state. On 28 September 1995, almost two months after Operation Storm, the Varivode massacre was committed by men in Croatian military uniforms and armed civilians who killed between 9 and 12 elderly Serb civilians, some of whom disabled.
In 2010 in village was erected monument civilians who were killed in Varivode incident. Cross on monument was demolished in April 2010. In October of the same year monument was re-appointed in the presence of President of Croatia Ivo Josipović and Serbian Minister for Diaspora Mlađan Đorđević. The inscription on the monument write "To innocent and brutally murdered villagers of Varivoda from 28 September 1995".
Every year during the summer months, Varivode receives Serbs from around the world who return to their motherland. The village's patron saint is St. Elias, celebrated on the 2nd of August.

Demographics

In the 2011 Croatian census, Varivode had 124 inhabitants. According to 2001 Croatian census, Varivode had 93 inhabitants. In 1991, there were 477 inhabitants, out of whom 472 were ethnic Serbs.