CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

THE CHILDREN’S HOMES AND SHELTERS IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

- Malinska – Krk - Crikvenitsa - Osiek - Samobor - Zagreb - Steniavats - Rovini

FOUR CHILDREN’S HOMES

On January 12, 1949 the island Krk opened a children’s home in the Malinska settlement in order to house the refugee children arriving from Aegean (Greek occupied) Macedonia. When it was ready it accommodated 114 refugee children who, up to now, had been living in hotels in Tsrikvenitsa due to lack of space in the local children’s home. The refugee children who were here had come from Kostur, Lerin, Kukush and Voden Regions. Manager of this house was Ivan Pregorets and head teacher was Atanas Kirovski.

Refugee children were also sent to other children’s homes in other cities in the spring of 1949, including to Novi Sad, Autonomous Province Voidodina, to learn various skills. Later children were sent to children’s homes in Osiek and Zagreb in Croatia and to Krani in Slovenia, as the homes became available. The children from Malinska were sent to the children’s homes in Tsrikvenitsa. The children’s home in Tsrikvenitsa received 69 children and another 45 children were sent to a home in Gerovo. The home in Malinska closed down in June 1949.

A children’s home was opened in Rovini and began to operate in January 1949. It housed 218 children ages 8 to 14. Originally these children were from the Lerin, Kostur, Voden and Drama Region villages. They were moved here from the children’s homes in Gakovo and Krushevlie. Because of the long and difficult trip, 3

children became severely ill and were taken to Zagreb. They were Vangel Stoian Iovanovski, born in the village German in 1937, Katarina M. Karamichova, born in 1936, and Vangelia Zheova.

The children’s home in Rovini was opened in mid-January 1949 and operated for only three months. After that the children were placed in a pioneer home acquired by the People’s Republic of Croatia Red Cross Main Board. Manager of the Rovini house was Maria Pintar and head teacher was Dinko Kozinakov.

After three months of operation, at the end of April 1948, the children’s home in Rovini closed down. Most of the 155 children who were housed there were sent to a children’s home in Tsrikvenitsa, while 63 of them were sent to homes in the People’s Republic of Slovenia.

MEMORIES FROM THE MALINSKA HOUSE

Here is what head teacher Atanas Kirovski. from the village Ludovo, Kostur Region, had to say about the days he spent in the children’s home in Malinska:

“At the end of 1948, after completing a course in Bulkes, Autonomous Province Voivodina, I qualified as people’s teacher and was sent by the political-immigrant organization in Bulkes to the town Tsrikvenitsa in the People’s Republic of Croatia.

There were about 500 children in the home in Tsrikvenitsa, aged 6-15. These children had fled Greece to escape the daily Monarcho-Fascist bombardment of their native villages. Their parents were in the ranks of DAG and, together with the Greek antifascists, fought against the anti-people Monarcho-Fascist government. The aim of the struggle was to liberate Greece from the Monarcho-Fascists and to create a democratic state in which the Macedonian people could enjoy the same rights as the Greek people.

In Tsrikvenitsa I met with the Macedonian teachers Dinko Kozinakov, Risto Poplazarov, Aleko Papasirov and Zhifko Mandzufov and with the Greek teachers Savas Kahrimanidis,

Aristidis Karidis, Ianis and some other teachers whose names I forgot.

Then in March 1949 we left Tsrikvenitsa with about 160 students and went to the city Malinska located on Krk Island in the Adriatic Sea, about 30 kilometres south of the city Rieka. We arrived at noon and stayed in a huge chateau. We were greeted by staff designated to work at the home, which was just then opened for us. Included among the staff were a Croatian Red Cross manager, a supplier, four cooks, a nurse and three housekeepers responsible for cleaning the home. Everyone was very kind to us. Looking at the children being alone, and after learning that their parents were still fighting to establish a free and democratic state, they showed us compassion and gave us their full support.

Before we left Tsrikvenitsa I was appointed manager and, together with the Croatian Red Cross manager, took care of the overall home functions. We grouped the children according to their age and knowledge and arranged them in 3 grades. The youngest ones were placed in second grade, the middle were placed in third grade and the older ones and those who were most advanced were placed in fourth grade. The chateau was big enough to house us all and to provide us with classrooms for holding classes.

Besides myself there were also two younger teachers, Zhifko Mandzufov from the village Kosinets, Kostur Region who taught literature, history and art in the Macedonian language, and Karidis Aristidis from the Kailari Region villages who taught history, mathematics, literature and physical education in the Greek language. I taught mathematics, geography and physics. Teaching started in the morning at 8am and lasted until 2 pm, every day except Sunday.

The food was of good quality. The meals started with breakfast, snack, lunch, afternoon snack and ended with dinner. They were served five times a day. Outside of the food, the Croatian Red Cross authorities took care of everything else: the health of the children, clothes, trips, organizing various events, cultural functions, etc.”