Geographical Location
Podum is located, as its name suggests, at the foot of Mount Um in the Gacka Valley, in the Lika region of Croatia. It falls within Lika-Senj County in the Republic of Croatia. The village is laid out in a near-circle around Mount Um, whose highest point, Veliki vrh, rises to 795 meters above sea level. The village itself lies between 450 and 500 meters in elevation (Topographic-map.com, 2025). Due to this geographic shape, residents living on the northern slope of Mount Um refer to those on the southern side as Zaumljani—and vice versa—a local naming tradition based on orientation to the hill. Podum is located about 3 km east of the town of Otočac, accessible via the Otočac–Škare road from the north and close to the Otočac–Vrhovine–Korenica route from the south.
Gacka Valley and Natural Surroundings
The Gacka Valley is a typical karst field, named after the Gacka River, a sinking river (ponornica) that emerges at Majerovo vrilo in the village of Sinac, southeast of Mount Um. The river sinks back underground at several locations: near the village of Ponori (Švica), in Gusić Polje, and near Hrvatsko Polje (formerly Srpsko Polje). The valley is surrounded by the Velebit mountain range to the south, southwest, and west, and by Velika Kapela, Mala Kapela, and Pješivica to the northwest, north (Vrbovice), northeast, east, and southeast.
Forestry and Traditional Land Use
Above the village of Glavace is the area known as Vrbovice, where many residents of Podum and their descendants own plots or cadastral parcels. This area was historically used for wood harvesting, commonly referred to as “going for wood” (ići u drva). Many accidents and even deaths occurred during these labor-intensive tasks. The forest on Mount Um was used minimally due to its limited size and accessibility.
Neighboring Villages and the Term 'Vilići'
Podum is surrounded by the villages of Staro Selo, Glavace, Škare, Doljani, and Zalužnica—all within a few kilometers. Historically, these were collectively referred to as Vilići. Until 1995, these villages were largely or entirely inhabited by ethnic Serbs. Villages to the south and southwest of Podum were primarily Croatian.
Demographics-Then and Now
Population numbers from official censuses show a dramatic decline:
- Year 1900: 1,123 residents (Gelo, 1998)
- Year 1971: 591 residents
- Year 1991: 459 residents
- Year 2021: 128 residents
The population of Podum has been declining since 1995. In the villages of Staro Selo, Glavace, Škare, Doljani, and Zalužnica, the population has declined by more than 50% since 1995. The population of the village of Sinac has also declined by more than 50%. The villages of Ponori, Gusić, and Hrvatsko Polje have experienced a decline of more than 25%.
