Prehistorical
times – Ceramic artefacts of a fishermen's village, found on
an elevated terrain named Plece, prove the fact the area between the Sava and
Sunja rivers, where Sunja municipality is situtated, had been inhabited.
Occupation
of the Ilirian provinces – The Roman empire battled
extensively against the Ilirian tribes from the third century B.C. until they
conquered the Ilirian peoples, who struggled with uprisings amongst their own
tribes. Roman Emperor August (Octavian) triumphantly celebrated his victory over
the Iliria in the year 27 B.C.
The same year the Roman Senate
became the governing body of the Ilirian provinces, finally defeated and
peaceful. Back then the mobility of the Roman army through the vast empire was
vital. To that end, the Romans built two important thoroughtfairs both crossing
the Sunja area. One road linked Siscia (Sisak) with Sirmium (Srijemska
Mitrovica) and the other Siscia with Salona (Solin).
A.D. 1334 – A
certain deacon John compiled a list of parishes under the Zagreb archdiocese. In
this first written document, Greda was recorded as the parish seat,
"ECCLESIA SANCTI NICOLAI DE GREDA" indicating it had already existed.
A.D.
1526 – Prior to his end on the Mohacko polje, a
battleground where his army was defeated by the invading Turkish troops, king
Ludwig II bestowed the Greda parish estates to the count Petar Keglevic of
Buzim.
1556
- Turkish invaders became absolute lords of this region in the aftermath of
their repeated raids, tremendous devastation and subsequent fall of Kostajnica.
A huge number of local people
parished in incessant battles, some migrated to more peaceful lands (Gradisce
– Burgenland in Austria), yet the remaining survivors adjoined the Kostajnica
parish.
1683-1699
– Great Liberation War brought on Turkish defeat. Turkey had
to accede to the conditions of the peace treaty set forth in Srijemski Karlovci.
The border between Turkey and the Austro-Hungarian Empire was to be on the river
Una (territories up to the river had been liberated by 1687). The countryside
along the Sava river around Sunja, vacant and wasted for a long time, soon
welcomed new arrivals- people begun settling down onto the liberated land.
Keglevics, a noble family which owned estates in and around Sunja from 1526, was the driving force behind the relocation of a number of indentured labourers, owned by the family, from their estates in upper Posavina (Lekenik, Pescenica). Indentured labourers found a new home in Sunja, in villages of Bistrac, Selisce, Letina Gornja and Donja, Gradusa, Zreme, Krivaj and Greda. Another influx of migrants originated in Bosnia. Croats from Bosnia, speaking in the stokavian dialect, settled down in Bobovac, Staza, Hrastovac and Vedro Polje.
This region was governed by the
Croatian Sabor (parliament) and the "Ban", head of the land.
Nevertheless, it was influential Austrian generals who took upon themselves to
settle another people in the area- the Vlachs. The Vlachs were being relocated
onto the Zrinska gora (hill) and its slopes from lands bordering the Turkish
territories.
Those were the same Vlachs who, as
Turkish guards and scouts, looted and scorched Croatian towns and villages. All
of this ended in an altered ethnic composition of the region.
1716
– The parish was being resored, seated in Sunja. At the time of Mary
Therese, the Emperess (1740-1780) reign ,Sunja was granted the status of a free
royal place. After hostilities ceased, people in Sunja went on organising and
developing it as a trade settlement.
1802/1803
– A school is mentioned for the first time in Sunja. The
school has been functioning since 1827 up to nowadays.
1822
– Building of the present-day parish church in Sunja commenced. A crumbling
wooden church by the Koravec spring saw its end. 
1825
– Consecration of the new church.
1881- Begginings of the railway
traffic in the area, which furthers development of Sunja as a small town, where
administrative, managing and trade services as well as crafts flourish.
1895
– "Sunja – Greda", a voluntary fire brigade society was founded in
Sunja.
1907-
Voluntary fire brigade brass band was activated.
1912-
Craftsmen and trademen headed by the teacher Ivan Lackovic initiate the work
of the crafts and trade school.
1927
– The first soccer club SK "Sunjski" was founded.
Prior
to the Great Depression from 1929 to 1933, which affected the Sunja area, there had been
in Sunja the following institutions, associations, trades and services: a
four-grade primary school, crafts and trade school, parish church and office,
municipal authority, post office offering phone and cable services, municipal
and private medical doctor, municipal veterinarian, pharmacy, financial control
section, armoury, railway station, reading room, craftsmen's guild, Croatian
craftsmen's alliance, fire brigade society, Hrvatski Sokol, local Red Cross
committee,
brass
band, amateur drama group, tambourine choir, cinema as well as savings banks
(Croatian savings, farmers cooperative community, savings and aid community).
There were various crafts orginized in a craftsmen's union. A mill operated as
well as tanning-yard, saw-mill, cane manufacturing, other mills and herbal
dry-kiln.
Economic
crisis and privileges given to the militant Vlach
population in the Sunja municipality during the existence of the Kingdom of the
Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, then in the ensuing Kingdom Yugoslavia and finally
in the second socialist Yugoslavia, brought on Sunja's decline. As a
consequence, many associations that had to be put out gave way to new political
ones aiming to implement state party politics.
Homeland
War – Despite the odds, Sunja still managed to defend itself,
though it was nearly destroyed and demolished. Sunja's locals fought for freedom
alongside brave fighters from nearly every corner in Croatia. It was thanks to
primarly the locals that freedom
was won.