Macelj
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Macelj is the name of a forest in northern Croatia bordering on Slovenia. There is an official border crossing in Macelj, and the end of the A2 highway.
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[edit] Macelj in 1945
In May and June of 1945, Macelj was the location where a large number of persons who were soldiers of NDH or closely associated with NDH, were shot by soldiers of the Yugoslav army (the Partisans). This was in connection to the Bleiburg massacre.
In 1992, after Croatia became independent, 1163 bodies were excavated from mass graves in the region. DNA analysis was conducted on a few hundred of them. The names of identified persons were not officially published, but it is clear that they were victims of a mass execution. A large number of the bodies were dropped into the area's many pits, making it difficult to locate all casualties. Further investigation on this issue was not conducted, and final conclusions about the excavations cannot be drawn yet. Some of those executions have been investigated, but no one has ever been prosecuted.
Among those killed in Macelj were 25 Catholic priests from a Franciscan monastery in nearby Krapina.[1] In 2008, the Croatian Ministry of the Interior launched an investigation into Stjepan Hršak's possible involvement in the massacre.[1]
Reburial of excavated bodies in 2005 was followed by public mass led by Cardinal Josip Bozanić, at the time Archbishop of Zagreb.
Further excavations are planned, as of 2007.
[edit] Rightist controversies
Sources close to Catholic church and right-wing politicians state that 12,000 people were killed in Macelj, mostly in June of 1945. Other estimates place the number at closer to 17,000.
These high number claims are generally unsupported by the available facts.
They also claim that killed persons were innocent victims of communist regime.
[edit] Leftist controversies
According to the promoted book of Juraj Hrženjak "Bleiburg i Križni put 1945" ("Bleiburg and The way of the cross 1945"), executed persons were Chetniks. Book does not debate on the number of executed people. No other sources other than Hrženjak claim that the executed were Chetniks or other enemies.
It is also claimed by leftists that almost all executions were preceded by court martial. It is unknown whether executions were, partially or completely, preceded by court martial or not.
It is almost certain that executions, whether they were legally covered or not, were, in fact, revenge for the war crimes of local betrayers and collaborators.
It is unknown whether executions were exclusively perpetrated on the captured soldiers, or also on civilians. Generally, in most cases they were not directly politically motivated.
[edit] Border crossing
Macelj hosts the most frequently congested border crossing in Croatia on the Slovenian border.
