Baljci

Baljci is a small village in the Dalmatian hinterland, southeast of Knin in the Šibenik-Knin County. Baljci lies underneath the Svilaja mountain and near the source of the river Čikola.

History

The population of the municipality was 470 in 1991, with 96.38% declaring themselves Serbs. But since Operation Storm the village of Baljci is uninhabited, with its former residents and their descendants scattered all over the world, with significant concentrations in Šid (Serbia), Oxford (United Kingdom), Hagen (Germany), as well as some in the USA and Australia.

Before war broke out, Baljci was a typical village with almost all the residents identifying themselves as Serbs, and as such every summer on the 7th of July the village Slava took place. As according to the Orthodox calendar the 7th of July is Ivanjdan, the day on which Orthodox Serbs celebrate the birth of John the Baptist.

The village was home to a Greek Catholic church of the Eparchy of Križevci.^[2] The church was burnt down by Chetnik forces in 1942.^[2]

Song about Baljci village, unknown author:

Ima jedno selo i jedno polje, nadaleko nema selo bolje

Ljepo selo, ljepo selo ko u bajci,to su moji rodni Baljci. Rodni Baljci i Mirlović Polje, nadaleko nema mjesto bolje. Ljepo selo, ljepo selo ko u bajci,to su moji rodni Baljci. Rodni Baljci i Mirlović Polje, nadaleko nema mjesto bolje.

Svud po svijetu ima mojih zemljaka, iz mog sela mojih Baljaka. Rasuli se po svijetu bijelom, a srce im ostalo pod Jošića Gredom. Selo Baljci pod Svilajom mjesto, u svijetu te spominjem često, nikada te selo moje zaboraviti neću. Dok o tebi pjevam, dok o tebi pišem, sve dok mogu da gledam i dišem.

Ljepo selo, ljepo selo ko u bajci,to su moji rodni Baljci. Rodni Baljci i Mirlović Polje, nadaleko nema mjesto bolje. Ljepo selo, ljepo selo ko u bajci,to su moji rodni Baljci. Rodni Baljci i Mirlović Polje, nadaleko nema mjesto bolje.

References