Victory Day (Croatia)

Victory Day
Soldiers raising the Flag of Croatia on Knin Fortress, 5 August 2011
Official nameDan pobjede i domovinske zahvalnosti i Dan hrvatskih branitelja
Observed byCroatia
SignificanceOperation Storm
Date5 August
Next time5 August 2025 (2025-08-05)
FrequencyAnnual
A banner marking Victory Day on a construction site in Zagreb, 5 August 2010
Victory Day in Knin, 5 August 2015

Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders (Croatian: Dan pobjede i domovinske zahvalnosti i Dan hrvatskih branitelja) is a public holiday in Croatia that is celebrated annually on 5 August, commemorating the Croatian War of Independence.[1] On that date in 1995 the Croatian Army took the city of Knin during Operation Storm, which effectively brought an end to the Republic of Serbian Krajina proto-state.[2] In 2008, the Croatian Parliament also assigned the name Day of Croatian Defenders (Croatian: Dan hrvatskih branitelja) to the holiday, which honors the current service members and veterans of the Armed Forces of Croatia.[3]

  1. ^ Croatian Parliament (21 November 2002). "Zakon o blagdanima, spomendanima i neradnim danima u Republici Hrvatskoj" (in Croatian). Narodne novine. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  2. ^ "5. kolovoza – Dan pobjede i domovinske zahvalnosti i Dan hrvatskih branitelja". Hrvatski sabor (in Croatian). Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Sabor: 5. kolovoza ubuduće će se slaviti i kao Dan branitelja". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). 13 May 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2011.