Olovo ( sr-cyrl, Олово) is a town and municipality located in the

Zenica-Doboj Canton The Zenica-Doboj Canton (; hr, Zeničko-dobojska županija; sr, Зеничко-добојски кантон) is one of 10 cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The cantonal seat is the City of Zenica. ...

of the

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Republika Srpska. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina consists ...

, 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 ...

. It is situated about 50 kilometers northeast of the capital city of

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

History

The town Olovo was first mentioned in the year 1382 under the name "Plumbum" (Latin for

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

). The word ''olovo'' in Bosnian means ''lead'', and the name was given to the town for its well-known lead ore deposits. Olovo stands on the Sarajevo–Tuzla highway M18, and is located 50 km northeast of Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital city of Sarajevo. Olovo is located in the

. Recently, there have been attempts to make Olovo part of the

Canton; however, the town remains within the Zenica-Doboj Canto

Since the Middle Ages, the town has been well known for its lead ore deposits, and Olovo was a mining town during

medieval Bosnian state This is the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Middle Ages, between the Early history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ancient and Roman period and the Ottoman Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ottoman period. Early Middle Ages The western Balkans had ...

period, when the town and the region were part of the Pavlović's

Land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...

(). During WW2, Olovo came under the occupation of the

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist It ...

in 1941. On 1 November 1941, four

Chetnik The Chetniks ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Четници, Četnici, ; sl, Četniki), formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland and the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationa ...

companies with 400 Chetniks and parts of

Partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...

Romanija Detachment (Knežina, Bjelogoračka and Crepoljska companies) and Zvijezda Detachment (Nišić battalion and Crnovrška and Vlahinjska company) with total of 800 Partisans organized an unsuccessful attack on Olovo. The insurgents then stopped their artillery fire and replaced it with barrages of rifle fire of the infantry insurgent units. The commander of the 4th company of Sarajevo Reserve Battalion, Ante Marinković was wounded during this attack and his company had to retreat from "Stijena". After being inforced by one reserve platoon this company managed to recapture "Stijena" for short time only to retreat after being attacked by more numerous Chetnik forces. When Chetniks permanently captured "Stijena" they burned straws as signal to other insurgents about their success. This boosted morale of the insurgents to attack more fiercely the positions of Olovo garrison that began retreating from their positions. To avoid capture of his forces, garrison commander Streharski retreat to the positions west of the village Solun. On 17 December 1941 Olovo was recaptured by Chetnik and Partisan rebel units. On 18 December Streharski continued his retreat under fire until his forces reached Careva Ćuprija.

Bosnian War

At the beginning of the Bosnian War, Olovo came under the control of the government forces under the command of the

ARBiH The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( bs, Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine or 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 ...

Olovo was successfully defended by the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and was included in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the

Dayton Agreement The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement or the Dayton Accords ( Croatian: ''Daytonski sporazum'', Serbian and Bosnian: ''Dejtonski mirovni sporazum'' / Дејтонски мир� ...

, which was signed on 14 December 1995, ending the Bosnian War.

Features

Today, Olovo is best known for its coniferous forests, big blue skies, and clear swift waters coming from three main mountain rivers (

Stupčanica The Stupčanica ( sr-cyrl, Ступчаница) is a small river in central-northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Stupčanica meets with the Bioštica at the small town of Olovo Olovo ( sr-cyrl, Олово) is a town and municipality lo ...

, Krivaja, and

Bioštica The Bioštica ( sr-cyrl, Биоштица) is a small river in central-northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Bioštica meets the Stupčanica at the small town of Olovo Olovo ( sr-cyrl, Олово) is a town and municipality located in th ...

). Olovo hosts annual bullfights and festivals. It is a popular nightlife spot for youth from nearby villages. Olovo is also well known for its

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

, which dates back to the period of Roman reign in the area. Olovo is also a stopover for travelers to rest and change directions when traveling to cities such as

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. Th ...

and

Zavidovići Zavidovići ( sr-cyrl, Завидовићи) is a town 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 ...

Demographics

According to the 2013 census, its population was 10,175 with 2,465 living in Olovo town.

Inhabited places

There are many small villages in the vicinity of Olovo. These are: Boganovići, Čuništa, Solun, Hadre, Bukovdo, Milankovići, Kamensko, Jelaške, Careva Ćuprija, Lišći, Gurdići, Dugandžići, Čude, Petrovići, Klis, Kolakovići, Berisalići, Brda, Luke, Lavšići, Ponijerka, Grabovica, Dreželj, Paklenik, Majna, Radačići, Ajvatovići, Miljevići, Rudine, Ligatići and Bakići.

Notable people

* Jelena Blagojević, Serbian volleyball player * Tima Džebo, Yugoslav and Bosnian basketball player *

Daniel Ozmo Daniel Ozmo (14 March 1912 – 5 September 1942) was a Yugoslav Jewish painter and printmaker. He studied in Belgrade, where he became a member of the communist progressive youth movement. His paintings, other than of Sephardi Jewish life, port ...

, Yugoslav Jewish painter and printmaker *

Edin Višća Edin Višća (; born 17 February 1990) is a Bosnian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Winger, winger for Süper Lig club Trabzonspor. Višća started his professional career at FK Budućnost Banovići, Budu ...

, Bosnian football player

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Cities and towns in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Populated places in Olovo Municipalities of Zenica-Doboj Canton