Bombing of the Banski Dvori

Bombing of the Banski Dvori
Part of the Croatian War of Independence
Hrvoje Knez's photo of smoke rising after the explosion at Banski Dvori on 7 October 1991 (exhibit in Zagreb City Museum; includes examples of destroyed furniture from the building)
Type	Airstrike
Location	Zagreb, Croatia 45°48′59″N 15°58′23″E / 45.81639°N 15.97306°E / 45.81639; 15.97306
Target	Banski Dvori
Date	7 October 1991
Executed by	Yugoslav Air Force
Casualties	1 civilian killed 4 civilians injured

The bombing of the Banski Dvori (Croatian: bombardiranje Banskih dvora) was a Yugoslav Air Force strike on the Banski Dvori in Zagreb—the official residence of the President of Croatia at the time of the Croatian War of Independence. The airstrike occurred on 7 October 1991, as a part of a Yugoslav Air Force attack on a number of targets in the Croatian capital city. One civilian was reported killed by airplanes randomly shooting civilians of the Tuškanac city district and four were injured.

At the time of the attack, Croatian President Franjo Tuđman was in the building, meeting Stjepan Mesić, then President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia, and Ante Marković, then Prime Minister of Yugoslavia, but none of them were injured in the attack. In immediate aftermath, Tuđman remarked that the attack was apparently meant to destroy the Banski Dvori as the seat of the statehood of Croatia. Marković blamed Yugoslav Defence Secretary General Veljko Kadijević, who denied the accusation and suggested the event was staged by Croatia. The attack prompted international condemnation and consideration of economic sanctions against Yugoslavia. The presidential residence was immediately moved to the Presidential palace, which was formerly known as Villa Zagorje. The Banski Dvori sustained significant damage, but repairs started only in 1995. The building later became the seat of the Croatian Government.