Žepče ( sr-cyrl, Жепче) is a town and municipality located in

Zenica-Doboj Canton The Zenica-Doboj Canton (; ; ) is one of ten cantons in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the entity of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The seat and largest city is Zenica. Spread over an area of , the canton roughly occupies the centr ...

of the

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serbo-Croatian: ''Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine'' / ''Федерација Босне и Херцеговине'') is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities composing Bo ...

, an entity of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, between

Doboj Doboj ( sr-Cyrl, Добој, ) is a city in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of the Bosna (river), Bosna river, in the northern region of Republika Srpska. As of 2013, it has a population of 71,441 inhabita ...

and

Zenica Zenica ( ; ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an administrative and economic center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Zenica-Doboj Canton. It is located in the Bosna (river), Bosna river valley, about north of Sarajevo. The ...

. As of 2013, it has a population of 30,219 inhabitants. The river Bosna flows through this city. Near within the town, there are 14 mineral water springs. Žepče is within the vicinity of the Lasva valley and thus is surrounded by mountains.

History

The town was first mentioned in 1458 in a charter issued by the Bosnian king

Stjepan Tomašević Stjepan is a Croatian masculine given name, variant of Stephen. Historically it was found among ijekavian South Slavs, and it was also used as a honorific. In Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Eu ...

, ''"... Pissanna Žepču va ljetu 1458. oktombrija 14. dan.''" (Written in Žepče in the year 1458. 14.day of October) The city would see combat during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

, as HVO forces would launch an operation against

ARBiH The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (; ; ARBiH), often referred to as Bosnian Army, was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established by the government of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina i ...

over complete control of the city on the 24th of June, 1993. After the Dayton Agreement in 1995, the city would end up becoming a part of the

, as part of the

Demographics

In 2001 the following Croat villages from the municipalities of

Maglaj Maglaj (Маглај) is a town and municipality located in the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, south of Doboj. It has a popu ...

and

Zavidovići Zavidovići ( sr-cyrl, Завидовићи) is a city and municipality located in Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, located be ...

merged with the municipality of Žepče to form one entity with Croat majority: Adže, Pire,

Ponijevo Ponijevo is a village in the Municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, municipality of Žepče, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Historical records show that the village has been inhabited since the Neolithic. The modern Ponijevo is associated to foundatio ...

, Matina, Ljubatovići, Grabovica, Čusto Brdo, Komšići,

Radunice Radunice is a village in the municipality of Žepče, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, ...

, Globarica, Brankovići, Donji Lug, Gornji Lug, Vrbica, Debelo Brdo, Osova, Vinište and Gornja Lovnica.

Population

Ethnic composition

Town

Sport

The town is home to local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club NK Žepče.

Notable people

* Ivica Marić, basketball player * Abdulvehab Ilhamija, poet and prose writer *

Emir Preldžić Emir Preldžić (born 6 September 1987) is a Bosnian-Turkish professional basketball player for KK Orlovik Žepče of the Basketball Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also represented the Turkish national basketball team. He is 6 ft ...

, basketball player *

Nedžad Ibrišimović Nedžad Ibrišimović, (20 October 1940 – 15 September 2011) was a Bosnian writer and sculptor. Between 1993 and 2001, he was a president of the Association of Writers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is best known for the novels ''Ugursuz'' (196 ...

, writer

Gallery

File:Zepca 1890.jpg, Construction of the railway line (1879) File:Zepce 004.jpg, Garden Fountain File:Zepce, katolicky kostel.jpg, Orthodox Church File:Zepce 007.jpg, Church of St.Anthony of Padua File:Zeljeznicka stanica Zepce.jpg, Railway station Žepče Bus Station.jpg, Bus station Žepče Bus Station (war signs).jpg, Bus station (war signs)

References

External links

Official municipality siteŽepče Info - žepački internet portal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zepce Populated places in Žepče