Macelj
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Macelj is the name of a forest in northern Croatia bordering on Slovenia.
In May and June of 1945, Macelj was the location of the killing of thousands of members of the Croatian Armed Forces and civilians at the hands of Yugoslav partisans after the official end of World War II.
At least 12,000 people are known to have been killed in Macelj, mostly in June of 1945. Other estimates place the number at closer to 17,000. Among those killed were 21 Catholic priests from a Franciscan monastery in nearby Krapina. A large number of the bodies were dropped into the area's many pits, making it difficult to locate all casualties.
In 2005, 1163 recovered bodies from mass graves in the region were reburied. This ceremony was led by Cardinal Josip Bozanić, Archbishop of Zagreb.
