The 1960 bombing of Karlovac University was a large-scale terrorist attack carried out by the Bosken separatist group BRC-21. The attack, which targeted the Decelska university’s Faculty of Divinity and resulted in significant civilian casualties, is considered a major turning point in the Kresimir-Bosken conflict. The widespread public revulsion at the attack created the political climate necessary for the Kresimirian government to abandon its decades-long policy of confrontation and begin the negotiations that would lead to the 1961 Treaty of Brod Moravice.
Background
The late 1950s saw a significant escalation in the insurgency waged by BRC-21. The 1954 assassination of Kresimir Basic had been met with a harsh crackdown by the government of Chancellor Kresimir Kresimirovic II, deepening the cycle of violence. With his death, and the appointment of the more moderate Chancellor Kresimir Kresimirovic III in 1958 and the rise of the pragmatic Leon Rukavin as leader of Blue Dawn in 1959, there were tentative signs of a potential shift in government strategy, though no formal change in policy had been announced.
The Attack
On the morning of Monday, September 12, 1960, at approximately 10:45 AM, a large, concealed explosive device was detonated in the main atrium of the Faculty of Divinity building at Karlovac University. The timing was chosen to maximize casualties, as the atrium was crowded with students and professors moving between lectures.
The target was highly symbolic. Karlovac University is one of the Republic’s most prestigious academic institutions, and the Faculty of Divinity was seen as the theological and intellectual heart of the Kresimirian state religion. The bomb, which was packed with shrapnel to increase its lethality, tore through the crowded space.
Casualties and Victims
The immediate aftermath was one of chaos and devastation. Emergency services were overwhelmed by the scale of the incident. In total, the bombing claimed the lives of 14 people and left 63 others injured, many with life-altering wounds. The deceased included 11 students, 2 senior professors of Divinity including Professor Jon Harj, and 1 university staff member.
The government declared a national day of mourning, and memorial services were held across the country. The University was temporarily closed, and remained closed for twelve weeks while security measures were put in place, but re-opened for students and staff on the 8th of December. The atrium has since been re-built, and a monument to Chancellor Kresimirovic II has been built in the main garden.
Aftermath and Political Impact
In a communiqué sent via the Boskenmark state news agency two days after the attack, BRC-21 formally claimed responsibility. The group stated that the bombing was a “necessary strike against the heart of the Kresimirian occupation” and an institution that “perpetuates the theological oppression of the Bosken people.”
However, the attack proved to be a catastrophic strategic miscalculation. The targeting of a civilian educational institution and the high death toll of young students provoked widespread and unambiguous condemnation, not only within Kresimiria but also among moderate Boskens who had previously been sympathetic to the cause of autonomy. The attack effectively isolated BRC-21 from any mainstream support.
For the Kresimirian government, the bombing was the final proof that the existing policy of suppression had failed. Chancellor Kresimirovic III and Blue Dawn leader Leon Rukavin seized the political moment created by the national outcry. They successfully argued that the only way to prevent further, even more devastating attacks was to seek a political solution. The bombing gave them the necessary political capital to override hardliners within the government and military, who had been calling for a massive military reprisal in Moraviskameja.
Sanctioned by the Chancellor, secret talks between a delegation led by Rukavin and the leadership of BRC-21 began in late 1960. These negotiations, held in the shadow of the Karlovac tragedy, would continue for months, culminating in the signing of the Treaty of Brod Moravice in 1961.
Rukavin and Kresimirovic III are widely regarded as architects of peace who successfully avoided escalating the conflict further and preventing large-scale military action between Kresimiria and Boskenmark.