Kostajnica ( sr-cyr, Костајница) is a town and municipality located in northern

Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Feder ...

, an entity of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

.the official web site of the municipality
Kostajnica/Костајница. It is situated in the part of the Кrajina region.official name of region
As of 2013, it had a population of 5,977 inhabitants, while the town of Kostajnica has a population of 4,047 inhabitants. The municipality was created from part of the pre-war municipality of Novi Grad. It is located across the

Una Una and UNA may refer to: Places * 160 Una, the asteroid "Una", an asteroid named after the Faerie Queene character * Una River (disambiguation), numerous rivers * Una, Himachal Pradesh, a town in India ** Una, Himachal Pradesh Assembly constit ...

river from

Hrvatska Kostajnica Hrvatska Kostajnica (; ; ), often just Kostajnica, is a small town in central Croatia. It is located on the Una (Sava), Una river in the Sisak-Moslavina County, south of Petrinja and Sisak and across the river from Kostajnica, Bosnia and Herzegovi ...

, Croatia.

Etymology

It is considered, that the name of town and municipality of Kostajnica originates from the old Slavic word for

sweet chestnut ''Castanea sativa'', the sweet chestnut, Spanish chestnut or just chestnut, is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae, native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and widely cultivated throughout the temperate world. A substantial, long-lived ...

(kostanj). Therefore, the name Kostajnica means the land of chestnuts. Indeed, that is true, because the forests of the Kostajnica municipality grow this particular tree. The name of this settlement was first recorded in 1258. The name Kostajnica is used for both settlements in the

valley (Kostajnica-

and

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

) which surround the Kostajnica castle.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the Kostajnica municipality has a form of a medieval

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

. In the central part of it is a chestnut with a leaf, that represents the origin of the name of this municipality and of the rare plant, that grows in this area. In the lower part of coat of arms are two leaves that together make a lower frame. Above these two leaves are the river

(represented with blue colour), on the left side is the bridge, that connects two towns, and on the right side is the medieval Castle. Behind the chestnut and the leaf in the central part are two curves that represent the hill of Balj, where one could find these precious fruits – chestnuts. On the top of the coat of arms is the flag of the

Republic of Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located ...

. Stone blocks represent the will to build and to be strong. Inn the upper central part of the coat of arms there is written 1258 which represents the year when name Kostajnica was first recorded .

Name

During the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

, when the municipality of Kostajnica was created (it was a part of the

Novi Grad municipality Novi Grad ( sr-cyrl, Нови Град, ; lit. "New Town") is a municipality of the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the westernmost of the four municipalities that make up the city of Sarajevo. The municipality also consists of th ...

), the name of the town was renamed to ''Srpska Kostajnica'' (Српска Костајница). After that the name of the town was changed to ''Bosanska Kostajnica''. The final name of the settlement and the municipality is only ''Kostajnica'', according to the decision of the Constitutional Court of Republika Srpska. Meanwhile, residents of the municipality never had an opportunity to decide on the official name.

Settlements

The Kostajnica municipality encompasses a very small area in comparison to the other municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The municipality has an area of 85,12 km2 and it was formed in the year 1995, therefore it is one of the youngest municipalities in the Republic of Srpska. On the area of the whole municipality there are 11 rural settlements and only one urban settlement (Kostajnica – municipality seat). The settlements that are make up the territory of this municipalities are:

Gornja Slabinja Gornja Slabinja (Cyrillic: Горња Слабиња) is a village in the Municipalities of Republika Srpska, municipality of Kostajnica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kostajnica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.Official results from the book: E ...

Grdanovac Grdanovac (Cyrillic: Грдановац) is a village in the municipality of Kostajnica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and o ...

Gumnjani Gumnjani () is a village in the municipality of Kostajnica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosn ...

Kalenderi Kalenderi () is a village in the municipality of Kostajnica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bos ...

, Kostajnica,

Mrakodol Mrakodol (Cyrillic: Мракодол) is a village in the municipality of Kostajnica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and ofte ...

Mraovo Polje Mraovo Polje () is a village in the municipality of Kostajnica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as ...

Petrinja Petrinja () is a town in central Croatia near Sisak in the historic region of Banovina. It is administratively located in Sisak-Moslavina County. On December 29, 2020, the town was hit by a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 , causing ...

, Pobrđani,

Podoška Podoška () is a village in the municipality of Kostajnica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosn ...

Tavija Tavija () is a village in the municipality of Kostajnica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia ...

and Zovik.

History

Human settlements in the area of Kostajnica municipality was first recorded from a so-called "

Vučedol Culture The Vučedol culture ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Vučedolska kultura, Вучедолска култура) flourished between 3000 and 2200 BCE (the Eneolithic period of earliest copper-smithing), centered in Syrmia and eastern Slavonia on the right bank of t ...

" period. According to the found remains and preserved documents, it is known that in the era of the

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

, there was trade traffic across the Una River in the territory of the present municipality of Kostajnica. Owing to its location, Kostajnica was already a significant settlement within Roman water supply system. The name Kostajnica was first mentioned as a toponym in the year 1258. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

Kostajnica, as a significant commercial settlement and fortress, was part of the

Hungarian Kingdom The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

, i.e. in possession of a nobleman who recognized the Hungarian crown. After 1513. (the victory of the Turks at Dubica), the following masters changed in constant warfare: the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

and the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

, later the

Austro-Hungarian Monarchy Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1 ...

. As an integral part of the

Kingdom of Illyria The Kingdom of Illyria was a crown land of the Austrian Empire from 1816 to 1849, the successor state of the Napoleonic Illyrian Provinces, which were reconquered by Austria in the War of the Sixth Coalition. It was established according to th ...

, in 1809 the area of Kostajnica came under the rule of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, and remained until 1814. During the French rule, a wooden bridge was built between the two "Kostajnicas" (two towns that are situated on both banks of the Una river) to facilitate the flow of goods and people. That was then the only bridge on the Una river that served to transport goods from the Middle East to Europe and vice versa. After a brief French administration, Kostajnica again came under Turkish rule in 1814. During the period of Turkish rule, the population of this region raised numerous uprisings. The most famous is Pecija's uprising in 1858, that was led by the

hajduk A hajduk ( hu, hajdúk, plural of ) is a type of irregular infantry found in Central and parts of Southeast Europe from the late 16th to mid 19th centuries. They have reputations ranging from bandits to freedom fighters depending on time, p ...

s Petar Popović Pecija and Petar Garača. In 1878 Kostajnica again came under Austrian rule and remained until the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. During the Austro-Hungarian period Kostajnica was first a district, and later a part of the Bosnian-Novi district. During the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...

Kostajnica was a trade and crafts center. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the population of this region participated massively in the fight against fascism. This is evidenced by the legendary Balj Company (named after the hill above Kostajnica), which was made up of fighters mostly recruited from the area. In addition to the fallen fighters, as many as 1,848, inhabitants of the municipality lost their lives as victims of the fascist terror war. Their execution sites are Jasenovac, Zemun, Bajića jame and Zečevo Brdo. After World War II, Kostajnica, under the name Bosanska Kostajnica, existed as a municipality within the Bosanski-Novi and later Prijedor district.--: ''--''; --: ''--'' Kostajnica, march 1995.

Geographical position

The Kostajnica municipality is situated in north-west part of Republic of Srspka and

and lies at one of the ends of Republika Srpska territory (Other is

Trebinje Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of Trebišnjica river in the re ...

at the south-east). The area of Kostajnica municipality lies on the right river bank of Una river. North and north-west border represents river Una, which is also the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, south border is border with

. The Kostajnica municipality is relatively small municipality, only 85 km2. The highway of the most importance that traverse this municipality is highway M-14 (

Bihać Bihać ( cyrl, Бихаћ) is a city and the administrative centre of Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of river Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina ...

–

Bosanska Krupa Bosanska Krupa ( sr-cyrl, Босанска Крупа) is a municipality located in the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 29,659 inhabitants. It i ...

– Novi Grad – Kostajnica -

Kozarska Dubica Kozarska Dubica ( sr-cyrl, Козарска Дубица), previously known as Bosanska Dubica ( sr-cyrl, Босанска Дубица) is a town and municipality located in northern Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 20 ...

– Gradiška) and regional highway R-475 (Kostajnica –

Prijedor Prijedor ( sr-cyrl, Приједор, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 89,397 inhabitants within its administrative limits. Prijedor is situated in ...

). For this town the border checkpoint between BiH and Croatia has a large importance for the local economy and it is located at the very centre of the city. Through the territory of this municipality runs the railway

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

–

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city of Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is also the ''de facto'' capital of this entity. I ...

, namely through the settlement Grdanovac, but there is currently no railway station, nor is one planned. Regional position of Kostajnica offers many opportunities to his municipality, especially the orientation to the West Europe. This municipality is situated about 100 km from Banja Luka, 90 km from Zagreb and 50 from Prijedor. This municipality is integral part of Prijedor region. Historically speaking Kostajnica is also part of

Knešpolje Knešpolje ( sr-cyr, Кнешпоље) or Knežopolje (Кнежопоље) is a region in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the northwestern part of the Potkozarje geographical region, and includes a region stretching from Prijedor, Koza ...

(the mini region between towns Kostajnica and Kozarska Dubica), Pounje (valley of the river Una from Novi Grad to Kozarska Dubica) and

Krajina Krajina () is a Slavic toponym, meaning 'frontier' or 'march'. The term is related to ''kraj'' or ''krai'', originally meaning 'edge'Rick Derksen (2008), ''Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon'', Brill: Leiden-Boston, page 244 an ...

(big region of Republika Srpska that incorporates Prijedor and Banja Luka region).„Official gazette of the Municipality of Kostajnica 6/15”
25 May 2015.

Demographics

Population

Ethnic composition

References

External links

Official website

Kostajnica
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Republika Srpska Municipalities of Republika Srpska Bosnia and Herzegovina–Croatia border crossings