Gornji Babin Potok cemetery, facing southwards.
The vast majority of Serb villages across Lika are near deserted. In the once larger villages, cemeteries are mainly still being maintained, however those in smaller, more remote villages are overgrown and disappearing. The initial photography was in village cemeteries in the Gacka and north Krbava valleys and future visits will take in other areas in Lika. Contributions are welcomed, please contact the website on lika.ancestors@yahoo.com.
Both Cryllic and Latin type is used on gravestones in every cemetery and is not known to be of any particular significance, just family preference. It is common practice to mount a picture of those interned or their image carved into the headstone. Less common is the inclusion of a living person’s name and year of birth before they have passed.
The website has a significant number of photographs from cemeteries and it will take some time to upload to the website. At first a few headstones from each cemetery visited will be published and then built up over time.
Select the village name to open a new window in Google maps for its location.
DEBELO BRDO
Along the lower slope of ‘Fat Hill’ in the northern part of the Krbava plain it connects the main road through Bunić to the main road through Pećani. The church sits along the roadside in the centre of the village and the cemetery is on the opposite side around 100m down a dirt track.
Go to the Debelo Brdo cemetery.
FRKAŠIĆ
There are 2 cemeteries in the village. From the main road between Korenica and Bjelopolje take the turnoff to Donji Lapac. The road heads east for 3km and then turns south. Almost immediately on the left is the cemetery on the plain accessed via a dirt track. Another 3km down the road a dirk track on the right has a sign ‘Groblje’. Around 500m from the road a long narrow cemetery is on the left and the church of Sv. Nikola is at the top of the cemetery.
Go to the Frkašić – Sv. Nikola cemetery.
KONČAREV KRAJ
Just outside of Gornji Babin Potok heading eastwards, up the hill, on the left hand side take the turnoff to ‘Pl Ljeskovac’. Within 1km there is a turnoff to the right, unmarked, a single track tarmac road winds through the forrest and around 500m later on the outskirts of the village a small clearing with a well trodden path marks the general location of the cemetery. The cemetery is mainly on a slope hidden amongst the trees.
Go to the Končarev Kraj cemetery.
TURJANSKI
Turjanski is at the end of the road from Vrhovine. The population lives both on the plain and high up in the surrounding hills. It was mainly populated by people from the Gacka valley from around the 1750s onwards. The main cemetery is on the plain and a 2nd cemetery, which is very difficult to find, is located in the hills between the Svilar and Hrkalović homesteads.
Go to the main Turjanski cemetery. Go to the Turjanski hill side cemetery.
UVALICA
No longer named on the map, it is around 3 miles from the nearest main road ( Korenica to Plitvice Lakes National Park) and is reached via a dirt track from the village of Čujića Krčevina. It was populated in the early 19th century from the nearby villages of Vrelo, Korenica, Drakulić Rijeka and others. The cemetery is in the open field, just visible from the row of farms houses.
Go to the Uvalica cemetery.
ZALUŽNICA
Located on the south east of the Gacka valley, on the main road between Otočac and Vrhovine. It was established in the early 17th century. To reach the cemetery take the minor road to Škare off the main road in the centre of the village and drive for around 2 miles to the end of the village. It is on the left hand side of the road.
Go to the Zalužnica cemetery.
Lika Ancestors 