Kistanje

Geography

Kistanje is located in the microregion of Bukovica, in Zagora. Kistanje is 28 kilometres (17 mi) from county seat Šibenik, 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Knin and 18 kilometres (11 mi) from Skradin. The Adriatic Sea is 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the south-west. The climate is Mediterranean, with an average of 27 °C in the summer and 8 °C in the winter.

History

Kistanje was first mentioned as Latin: Kyztane in 1408. It originated close to remains of Roman camp Burnum and medieval church. During the Middle Ages it was part of Luka parish and it belonged to Šubić noble family. In 1537 was built an Orthodox church dedicated to St. Nicholas. Kistanje was a trade center of this part of Bukovica. After the Kuridža rebellion in 1704, the village was renamed to Kvartir, but in the 19th century it was again known as Kistanje. In 1888 was built the second Orthodox church, dedicated to Sts Cyril and Methodius. In 1894 the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Health was built. In the 19th and the first part of the 20th century, Kistanje was a centre of a municipality. In the 1960s, the municipality was abolished and its territory was joined to the municipality of Knin.

During the Croatian War of Independence, local Serbs held the village until Croatian forces captured it during Operation Storm on August 5, 1995 by rebel Serbs. During the Krajina regime, the Church of Our Lady of Health was devastated. The village remained under rebel Serbs until 1995, when it suffered heavy damages, and some of the local civilians were killed (see Varivode massacre), while others went missing or fled during Operation Storm.

In 1997, Kistanje became a municipality within the Šibenik-Knin County. In 1997, ca. 1,000 Croats from Janjevo in Kosovo settled the village. In 2003 was dedicated the second Catholic church, the Church of Saint Nicholas.

Population

According to the 2011 census, the municipality of Kistanje had 3,481 inhabitants, who lived in 14 villages:

In the 2011 census, there were 3,481 inhabitants of Kistanje municipality, 62.22% Serbs and 36.83% Croats.

Politics

The municipality council has 14 seats, out of which 10 are Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), 3 are Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), and 1 is Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS). The mayor of Kistanje, since 2012, is Goran Reljić (SDSS).

Notable people

Prominent individuals that were born or that have lived either in Kistanje or the surrounding villages include: