Gornja Rijeka, Croatia

Location of Gornja Rijeka in Croatia

Gornja Rijeka is a municipality in the Koprivnica-Križevci County in Croatia.

According to the 2011 census, there are 1,779 inhabitants in the area, with Croats forming an absolute majority.

History

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Gornja Rijeka was part of the Bjelovar-Križevci County of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia.

During World War II, when Gornja Rijeka was part of the Independent State of Croatia, it was the site of a concentration camp. An unknown number of women, some of them with children, were interned there between November 1941 and April 1942; the camp's population was estimated as between 200 and 400 at any given time. From June 1942, the camp housed approximately 400 orphans left behind from the Kozara Offensive. After an outbreak of typhoid fever that caused more than 100 deaths among the children, the camp was shut down in August 1942.

Demographics

According to 2011 Croatian census, 1,779 people live in 14 census-registered settlements:

• Barlabaševec – 19
• Deklešanec – 136
• Donja Rijeka – 218
• Dropkovec – 172
• Fajerovec – 76
• Fodrovec Riječki – 61
• Gornja Rijeka (settlement) – 340
• Kolarec – 148
• Kostanjevec Riječki – 267
• Lukačevec – 23
• Nemčevec – 18
• Pofuki – 185
• Štrigovec – 37
• Vukšinec Riječki – 79

Notable people

• Sidonija Rubido (1819–1884), opera singer. She helped establish the first elementary school in Gornja Rijeka.