Lake

Migrations and Settlments in Lika

“After centuries of war and desolation, Gacko Polje came back to life with the arrival of new families who laid the foundation for today’s villages.” - Stjepan Pavičić

In 'Seobe i Naselja u Lici' (1962) historian Stjepan Pavičić presents a careful and richly documented study of population movements and settlement patterns in the Croatian region of Lika. Drawing on archival sources, onomastic evidence and geographical observations, Pavičić traces the evolution of local communities from the 13th century through the Ottoman incursions and the resettlements of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He reconstructs the shifting demographics, showing who left, who stayed and who arrived, and how political changes, landholding systems and cultural transformations shaped the landscape of Lika.

Renewal After the Ottoman Period

By the mid-17th century, after the Ottoman retreat, Gacko Polje lay almost deserted. In 1660, Petar Zrinski, captain of Senj, organized the resettlement of the area.

The first settlers were Uzorčani, Serbian families from Koreničko Polje, who established new homesteads between Otočac, Brlog, and Kompolje. They founded strong family cooperatives zadrugas that grew quickly into vibrant rural communities.

Growth and Mixed Heritage

In the following decades, Croatian families from the upper Kupa valley and Bunjevci settlers from Senj and Ogulin joined them. Together they formed a mixed but united population built on agriculture, livestock raising, and deep community ties.

With fertile soil and the waters of the Gacka River, villages such as Kompolje, Bjeljevine, Rosotrun, and Vilići developed rapidly. Mills and workshops appeared along the river, and each settlement functioned as a self-sufficient unit.

Vilići – The Heart of the Settlements

The village of Vilići became a local center of communal life. Located on the route between Brlog and Otočac, it was known for its large extended families.

Several major family names originated here: Arambašić, Banjan, Cvijanović, Diklić, Dugandžić, Grahovac, Mandić, Mašić, Narančić, Vukmanović, and others. By the early 1800s, the Radaković family alone counted more than one hundred households, showing the prosperity and population growth of the time.

The traditional zadruga, where multiple generations lived and worked together, remained the core of social life until the late 19th century.

Legacy and Continuity

Through centuries of change, the people of Gacko Polje and Vilići preserved their language, customs, and faith. Even under the Military Frontier administration, the village maintained local leadership and agricultural continuity.

Today, traces of those early settlers remain visible in the family names, in the layout of the fields, in the enduring houses, and in the memory of the ancestors who rebuilt life here after centuries of emptiness.

For the complete historical study, see Stjepan Pavičić’s - Migrations and Settlements in Lika (Zagreb, 1962), published by the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts.