Banja Luka
Banja Luka or
Banjaluka (
Cyrillic:
Бања Лука, : ) is the second largest city in
Bosnia and Herzegovina, the largest city and
de facto capital of the
Republika Srpska entity, as well as a major centre of the region known as the
Bosanska Krajina. It houses the entity's government, while it is also the centre of the
Banja Luka Region, and a municipality of the same name. Banja Luka is famous for its culture and history, which dates back to the
High Middle Ages. It is located in northwestern Bosnia, on both sides of the river
Vrbas, which originates from a rock canyon and flows down into the
Pannonian plain. The entire city area is full of tree-lined avenues, gardens, and parks.
Geography
Banja Luka covers some 96.2
km² (57.9
mi²) of land in northwestern Bosnia on the river
Vrbas. The city is located at . Downtown is at 163 m above sea level, surrounded by hills.
The source of the river Vrbas is some 90 km. to the south, and the tributary rivers Suturlija, Crkvena, and Vrbanja flow into the Vrbas at Banja Luka. Banja Luka also has a number of
springs close by.
The area immediately around Banja Luka is woodland, although a bit farther out there are a number of mountains. The city itself is built in the Banja Luka valley, which is located on the transition between high and low mountain areas. The most notable of these mountains are Manjača (1214 meters), Čemernica (1338 meters), and Tisovac (1172 meters). These are all part of the
Dinaric Alps mountain range.
Climate
Banja Luka has a
continental climate, with harsh winters and warm summers. The warmest month of the year is July, with an average temperature of 20
°C (68
°F). The coldest month of the year is January, when temperatures average a near freezing 0.6 °C (33 °F).
Annual precipitation for Banja Luka is about 988
mm. Banja Luka has an average of 143 rainy days a year. Due to the city's high latitude, it snows in Banja Luka almost every year as well. Strong winds come from the north and northeast.
The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated
February 06,
1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is substantial evidence of a
Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries AD, including an old fort "Kastel" in the center of the city. The area of Banja Luka was wholly in the Roman province of
Illyricum, lying on important
Roman roads between
Dalmatia and
Pannonia.
Slavs settled the area in the 7th century A.D., although the exact nature of their migrations remains something of a mystery. What is known is that the first mention of the city dates to
1494, by
Vladislav II. The name means "Ban's meadow", from the words
ban ("a medieval dignitary"), and
luka ("a valley" or "a meadow"). The identity of the ban and the meadow in question remain uncertain, and
popular etymology combines the modern words
banja ("bath" or "spa"), or
bajna ("marvellous") and
luka ("port"). In modern usage, the name is pronounced and usually
declined (
u Banjaluci) as one word, and often written as such; the citizens reportedly prefer the more correct form with inflected adjective (
u Banjoj Luci).
[Ivan Lovrenović, " ‘Serb' towns in Bosnia", BH Dani, 20 July 2001]One of the first public structures after Kastel was a
Franciscan monastery, built in 1378 in Banja Luka's neighborhood of
Petricevac by Bosnian Franciscans. It was the first of such buildings in Bosnia.
|
Banja Luka at the turn of 20th century |
During
Ottoman rule, Banja Luka was the seat of the Bosnian
pashaluk, and the lords of the region built what is nowadays the main street of the city. Between 1566 and 1574
Ferhat Pasa Sokolovic, one of the founders of the Banjaluka's town core, built over 200 projects ranging from artisan and sales shops to wheat warehouses, baths and mosques. Among his more important constructions were
Ferhadija and
Arnaudija mosques, during which construction a plumbing infrastructure was laid that served surrounding residential areas. All this stimulated economic and urban development of Banja Luka, that soon after became one of the leading commercial and political centers in Bosnia. In
1688 the city was set to the torch by an
Austrian army, but it quickly recovered. Later periodic intrusions by the Austrian army stimulated military developments in Banja Luka, which made it into a strategic military center. Serb churches and monasteries near Banja Luka were built in the 19th century. Around the same time
Sephardic Jews and
Trappists migrated to the city, which contributed to the early industrialization of the region by building mills, breweries, brick factories, textile factories and other important structures. For all its leadership to the region however, Banja Luka as a city was not modernised until rule by
Austria-Hungary in the late
19th century.
Austrian occupation brought
westernization to Banja Luka. Railroads, schools, factories, and infrastructure appeared, and were developed. This led to a modern city, that after
World War I became the capital of the
Vrbas Banovina, a province of the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
During
World War II, Banja Luka was occupied by the mostly native Roman Catholic Croatian
Ustaše (pro-Nazi) regime. Most of Banja Luka's noble Sephardic Jewish families were deported to nearby concentration camps such as
Jasenovac and
Stara Gradiška. On
February 7,
1942 the Ustaše forces, led by a Franciscan monk,
Miroslav Filipović (aka Tomislav Filipović-Majstorović) killed 2,500
Serbs (among them 500 children) in Drakulići, Motike and Sargovac (part of the Banja Luka municipality). The town's Orthodox cathedral was razed to the ground by the
Nazi German occupation authorities
. The city was finally liberated on
April 22,
1945.
In
1969, a devastating earthquake damaged many buildings in Banja Luka. A large building called Titanik in the center of the town was razed to the ground, and the area was turned into a central public square. With contributions from all
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia regions, Banja Luka was repaired and rebuilt. However, much of the old city center that had many small buildings and shops from Austrian-Hungarian and Ottoman periods were damaged beyond repair and were subsequently razed.
The city underwent considerable changes during the
Yugoslav wars. Upon the declaration of establishment of
Republika Srpska, Banja Luka became the de facto center of the entity's politics, and in 2003 it officially became the capital of Republika Srpska. It is estimated that about 70,000 Croat and Bosniak residents left or were forced to leave the municipality between 1992 and 1995. Some were taken to nearby detention camps,
Manjaca and
Omarska. Some Serb Banjalukans also left for economic reasons or to dodge the draft, in the same period and years after it. Banja Luka's
Bosniak and
Bosnian Croat population is now much smaller than before the war. Many Serb refugees who left or were forced to leave
Krajina and the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (mostly from
Sanski Most and
Kljuc) moved to the city and its surroundings in the mid-1990s. Serb economic migrants from neighbouring areas of the Republika Srpska also followed suit. As of 2004, many of its current inhabitants are said to be
refugees or
displaced persons - according to some as many as a third of them, even though the authorities have only registered some 18,000.
|
Ferhat-Pasha "Ferhadija" Mosque (1579 - 1993) |
All 16 mosques dating from 15th and 16th century in the city were destroyed in the recent war between 1992 and 1995 by Serb extreme nationalists believed to be supported by the authorities of Republika Srpska as part of their
ethnic cleansing campaign. Among the destroyed mosques was the
Ferhadija mosque, a national monument at the time protected by
UNESCO. Recent attempts to reconstruct the
Ferhadija mosque resulted in mass riots by Serb nationalists on
May 7,
2001. Some 4,000 Serb rioters beat and stoned three hundred
Bosniaks, who were participating in a ceremony commemorating the laying of the cornerstone for the reconstruction. At least eight Bosniaks were taken to the Banja Luka hospital for medical treatment. One of them died on
May 26,
2001, of head injuries. While many mosques in Banja Luka are being rebuilt the reconstruction of Ferhadija still has not started, although the Serb authorities in Banja Luka have issued all necessary documents, and permissions. According to the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the reconstruction should begin in 2006.
Many Catholic churches also sustained damage or were destroyed during this conflict. Most Catholic churches, however, were intact during the period from 1992 to 1994. Not until 1995 did the Serbian refugees from Croatia destroy the Catholic church in Petričevac, in retaliation for being forced out of Croatia during the "Oluja" (
Operation Storm) military operation. On May 12th, 1995 a parish church and diocesan shrine were mined and destroyed in the district of Presnace (Banja Luka); the parish priest and guardian of the shrine Filip Lukenda and pastoral assistant, sister Cecilija Grgić were killed and burned.
The population of the city of Banja Luka is about 196,500. Along with the metro area, Banja Luka's population reaches some 220,000 people. Although there is a lack of official statistics on ethnic distribution, there is little doubt that Serbs make up an overwhelming majority in the city. It is said that 65,000 of today's Banja Luka population are refugees or displaced persons.
According to the
1991 census, the municipality of Banja Luka had a population of some 195,692. Of these, 54.6% were Serbs, 14.8% were Croats, 14.6% were Muslims, 12.1% were
Yugoslavs, and 3.9% registered as others. The City of Banja Luka had a population of 143,079. Of these, 49.0% were Serbs, 19.4% were Muslims, 15.8% were
Yugoslavs and 11.0% were Croats.
Historical population
See also: Historical population of Banja Luka[[Image:Banja Luka ethnic.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Ethnic composition of Banja Luka municipality in 1981.
Serbs
Croats
No clear majority (Serbs, Croats, Muslims (Bosniaks), Yugoslavs)
Uninhabited or no data
]]
At the first census, conducted by
Austro-Hungarian authorities in
1879, Banja Luka had the following religious (ethnic) composition:
Banja Luka municipality - 86,209 citizens, Orthodox 74.46%, Muslims 14.33%, Catholics 10.52%
Banja Luka city - 13,566 citizens, Muslims 67.71%, 19.8% Orthodox.
As the city was industrialized and wider urbanization of the surrounding areas took place, Orthodox Serbs that typically inhabited surrounding rural areas (due to Ottoman feudal system) were incorporated into the city's urban structure. Bosnian Muslims claim that their drop of percentage in the city's population was partly influenced by the
Agrarian Reform of 1918, which ordered major landowners to transfer land to those who tilled it, who in this region were mostly Orthodox Serbs. The Agrarian Reform was introduced as means to dismantle the old Bosnian feudal system. Bosnian Muslims claim that the reform was abused to change the ethnic makeup of the region in the long term. Bosnian Serbs claim that Agrarian Reform was introduced to return the land stolen from the native Orthodox and Catholic people by the
Ottoman Empire. The actual numbers of Bosnian Muslims were obscured since their nationality was not recognized after 1918, and they had to declare themselves either as Serbs, Croats or undecideds until 1961. Given these advantages, and because that city was in the center of the Bosnian Krajina region, with a predominant Orthodox Serb majority, the Serb population of Banja Luka has been steadily increasing.
Banja Luka is the seat of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Banja Luka and home to the Cathedral of St. Bonaventure.
During WWII most of Banja Luka's noble
Sephardic Jewish families were deported to nearby concentration camps, such as
Jasenovac and
Stara Gradiska in
Croatia. Today, Banja Luka's Jewish community is virtually non-existent. A spike in Serbian immigration was mostly noted after the earthquake of 1969, when the city has seen a boom in housing construction.
In 1991 the city of Banja Luka was still an ethnically mixed city (with a relative Serb majority), while on the municipal level there was an evident
Bosnian Serb majority of 54.6%.
Banja Luka plays an important role on different levels of Bosnia and Herzegovina's government structures. Banja Luka is the center of government for the Municipality of Banja Luka. Banja Luka is also seat of a number BiH State Agencies.
Although the city itself was not directly affected by the war in the early
1990s, Banja Luka's economy was. For four years, Banja Luka fell behind the world in key areas such as technology, resulting in a rather stagnant economy today.
In 1990, the Banja Luka region had exports worth 400 million US$. Although the economy today is a far cry from what it used to be, many of the industries are the same. Among the chief industries in Banja Luka are metal working, wood processing, leather, textiles, rubber processing, the tobacco industry, and food processing.
Due to its long history, Banja Luka has a rich culture. A number of museums can be found in the city, including the
Museum of Republika Srpska also known as the Museum of
Bosanska Krajina, and the Ethnographic Museum, established in 1930. Banja Luka also has a national theatre, and library, both dating from the first half of the
20th century. There are numerous other museums and theatres in the city including the
Museum of Modern Art of Republika Srpska.
One of the most famous cultural sites in Banja Luka is the cultural centre "Banski Dvor" (Halls of the
Ban), built in the 1930s as a spot of residence for the Bans of the
Vrbas Banovina. It is a beautiful building in the very center of the city. The National Assembly is inside, along with a concert hall, gallery, state television, and restaurant. Most of the main cultural and political leadership nowadays takes place inside of the building.
The relatively poorly preserved fortress Kastel is found in the center of the city. This medieval castle is one of Banja Luka's main attractions but has recently become a gathering spot for drug addicts. Located on the bank of the Vrbas River, it gave specific charm to the city. During the summer some concerts took place in the fortress.
In the city there are many Cultural Artistic Associations. The oldest is RKUD "Pelagic" (1927), and it is the oldest institution of this kind in
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The natural beauties of the surrounding area guarantee the city of Banja Luka a good position in tourism. Banja Luka has a number of hotels, the oldest one dating back to 1885. The city and surrounding area have a number of popular tourist attractions. Among the most famous are the pools, thermal springs, and spas in the region. The area is popular among nature lovers, while the city center is attractive to tourists due to its historical structures and many restaurants.
Rafting on the
Vrbas is an underappreciated local tourist attraction.
Banja Luka has one major
football (soccer) stadium and several indoor sports halls. The local handball and soccer teams bear the traditional name
Borac (
fighter), though the basketball club was recently renamed to
Banjalučka pivara, after the Banja Luka
brewery.
The city was once nicknamed the "Green City", due to parks, and over 10,000 trees.
Twin cities (Sister cities, Partner cities)
*
Belgrade,
Serbia*
Graz,
Austria*]
Kaiserslautern,
Germany*
Lviv,
Ukraine*
Moscow,
Russia*
Odense,
Denmark*
Patras,
GreeceBanja Luka has one
International Airport, but there is only a flight to and from
Zurich on Wednesday and Saturday, and to
Istanbul on Monday at 07.45 and back on Wednesday and Thursday. During the summer of 2005, it has a flight to and from
Antalya,
Turkey, once a week. Note: data about flights are taken from the official airport site for the date March 14, 2006. International bus services are available to and from Austria, Croatia , Germany, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia and Serbia and Montenegro. Trains are available to
Zagreb, Croatia and
Belgrade, Serbia, and from there on to the rest of Europe.
*
Official page*
- Official Banja Luka Tourism Page*
BanjalukaLive.Com - Internet portal of Banja Luka worth mentioning*
Sports Portal of Banja Luka*
Guide through Banjaluka*
Banja Luka International Airport*
Ethnic Cleansing in Banja Luka*
Banja Luka's Sacred sites*
Agrarian Reform of 1918*
Interactive city map of Banja Luka*
events in Banja Luka and lots more*
Bosnian cities - Banja Luka
