Day of the Defenders of Dubrovnik in Croatia (06/12)

On December 6, Croatia celebrates Dubrovnik Defenders Day (Dan dubrovačkih branitelja).

It all started on October 1, 1991, when units of the Yugoslav People's Army surrounded the city and began bombing it, which lasted until May 1992, despite the fact that the historical center of Dubrovnik was demilitarized back in 1970.

The strongest attack occurred on December 6, 1991, when 14 city residents were killed and 60 injured in one day. In total, during the months of bombing in Dubrovnik, according to the Croatian branch of the Red Cross organization, the death toll was 114 people. In addition to human casualties, the result of the war was the destruction and damage of many buildings and structures, including historical monuments.

At the end of the war, the Croatian authorities, together with UNESCO, began a project to restore Dubrovnik. Large-scale work was completed in 2005. In memory of the victims of the war, a cross was erected on the top of Mount Srj — of the place from which the city was shelled.

Every year on December 6, Croatia honors the memory of the people who died in those terrible days. On this day, masses are held for the dead, and city residents bring bouquets of flowers and mourning wreaths to their graves.

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