Obrovac, Croatia
Obrovac (; ) is a town located in northern Dalmatia, in the Zadar County of Croatia. The Obrovac municipality has a total population of 4,323 people. The town is located in the canyon of the river Zrmanja. Demographics. The total population is 4,323, distributed in the following settlements: Geography. Obrovac is a town on the Zrmanja River some 11 km from the mouth of the river of the Novigrad sea. Above the town are the ruins of a fortified city. Its tributary Krupa attracts numerous day-trippers, and in recent times, rafting, canoe, and kayak lovers. Not far from the  town of Krupa is a monastery with a valuable icon collection. About north-west of the town, along the road heading up to the mountains, lies a huge deserted industrial complex, an alumina plant built in the 1970s. History. Obrovac first got its name in 1337. In 1527 Obrovac was taken over by the Ottoman Turks. In October 1683, the population of Venetian Dalmatia, principally Uskoks of Ravni kotari, took arms and together with the rayah (lower class) of the Ottoman frontier regions rose up, taking Skradin, Karin, Vrana, Benkovac and Obrovac. In 1687, Stojan Janković, a Morlach leader, forced  the Ottomans out of Obrovac. The municipality's population peaked at 13,498 in the 1971 census. In the 1970s and 1980s, due to a low living standard in the area, Obrovac was significantly affected by emigration. According to the 1991 census, shortly before the start of Yugoslav Wars, 65.5% of population were Serbs. During Operation Storm, the entire population of Obrovac fled before the Croatian Army entered the town on 5 August 1995, the second day of the operation. The current ethnic majority are Croats with 65.7%, while 31.4% are Serbs. In 2008, Obrovac unveiled a restored riviera, which was  the biggest financial investment in the city since Croatian independence. In 2009, a mass grave from World War II was found in the area.