Travnik is a town and a municipality in

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 the administrative center of

Central Bosnia Canton The Central Bosnia Canton ( bs, Srednjobosanski kanton/Средњобосански кантон, hr, Županija Središnja Bosna) is one of 10 cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The most populous se ...

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 ...

. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, west 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 ...

. As of 2013, the town had a population of 15,344 inhabitants, while the municipality had 53,482 inhabitants. Historically, it was the capital city of the governors of Bosnia from 1699 to 1850, and has a cultural heritage dating from that period.

Geography

Travnik is located near the geographic center of Bosnia and Herzegovina at . The river

Lašva The Lašva ( sr-cyrl, Лашва) is a river in Central Bosnia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a left tributary of the Bosna.Vojnogeografski institut, Ed. (1955): Travnik (List karte 1:100.000, Izohipse na 20 m). Vojnogeografski institut, Beograd / ...

passes through the town, flowing from west to east before joining the Bosna. Travnik itself is built in the large

Lašva valley The Lašva Valley ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Lašvanska dolina, Лашванска долина) is a 17 kilometers long valley in central Bosnia, defined geographically by the Lašva River's route. It is a tributary of the Bosna River. The Lašva River basi ...

, which connects the Bosna river valley in the east with the

Vrbas river The Vrbas ( sr-cyrl, Врбас, ) is a major river with a length of , in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a right tributary of the Sava river. The city of Banja Luka is located on the river banks. Etymology The word ''vrba'' means 'willow' i ...

valley in the west. Travnik is found

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. Its most distinguishing geographic feature are its mountains, Vilenica and Vlašić. Vlašić, named after the

Vlachs "Vlach" ( or ), also "Wallachian" (and many other variants), is a historical term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate mainly Romanians but also Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians and other Easter ...

, is one of the tallest mountains in the country at . A large

karst spring A karst spring or karstic spring is a spring (outflow of groundwater) that is part of a karst hydrological system. Description Because of their often conical or inverted bowl shape, karst springs are also known in German-speaking lands as a ''Top ...

, the

Plava Voda Plava Voda (Blue Water) is a large spring, which creates approximately 350 metres long eponymous river, in Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovi ...

wellspring, rises under Vlašić mountain, just below

Travnik Castle Travnik Castle, locally known as ''Stari Grad Castle'' (old town castle), is a medieval town-fortress complex in the town of Travnik, Central Bosnia Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Location The fortress is located in the Plava Voda neighbourhood ...

, in the very center of Old Town of Travnik.

Climate

Travnik has a

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...

, located between the Adriatic sea to the South and Pannonia to the North. Average summer temperature is . Average winter temperature on the other hand is a cold . It snows in Travnik every year.

History

Although there is evidence of some settlement in the region dating back to the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

, the true history of Travnik begins during the first few centuries AD. Dating from this time there are numerous indications of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

settlement in the region, including graves, forts, the remains of various other structures, early Christian basilicas, etc. In the town itself, Roman coins and plaques have been found. Some writing found indicates the settlement is closely connected to the known Roman colony in modern-day

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 ...

, away. In the Middle Ages the Travnik area was known as the'' župa Lašva'' province of the medieval

Bosnian Kingdom The Kingdom of Bosnia ( sh, Kraljevina Bosna / Краљевина Босна), or Bosnian Kingdom (''Bosansko kraljevstvo'' / Босанско краљевство), was a medieval kingdom that lasted for nearly a century, from 1377 to 1463, and ...

. The area is first mentioned by Bela IV of Hungary in 1244. Travnik itself was one of a number of fortified towns in the region, with its fortress ''Kaštel'' becoming today's old town sector. The town itself is first mentioned by the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

during their conquest of nearby Jajce. After the

Ottoman conquest of Bosnia The Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina was a process that started roughly in 1386, when the first Ottoman attacks on the Kingdom of Bosnia took place. In 1451, more than 65 years after its initial attacks, the Ottoman Empire officially es ...

in the 15th century, much of the local population converted to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. The town quickly grew into one of the more important settlements in the region, as authorities constructed mosques, marketplaces, and various infrastructures. During 1699 when

was set afire by soldiers of Field-Marshal

Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy–Carignano, (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736) better known as Prince Eugene, was a Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty during the 17th a ...

, Travnik became the capital of the Ottoman province of Bosnia and residence of the Bosnian

viziers A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called '' katib'' (secretary), who was ...

. The town became an important center of government in the entire western frontier of the empire, and

consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...

s were established by the governments of France and

Austria-Hungary 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 ...

. The period of Austrian occupation brought westernization and industry to Travnik, but also a reduction of importance. While cities such as

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 ...

Tuzla Tuzla (, ) is the third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inhabitants. Tuzla is the economic, cultural, e ...

, and

grew rapidly, Travnik changed so little that during 1991 it had a mere 30,000 or so people, with 70,000 in the entire municipality. A large fire started by a spark from a

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

in September 1903 destroyed most of the town's buildings and homes, leaving only some hamlets and the fortress untouched. The cleanup and rebuilding took several years. From 1922 to 1929, Travnik was the capital of the Travnik Oblast. From 1929 to 1941, Travnik was part of the Drina Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. 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 ...

, the town mostly escaped damage from conflict with Serbian forces, hosting refugees from nearby Jajce, but the area experienced fighting between local Bosniak and Croat factions before the

Washington Agreement The Washington Agreement ( Croatian: ''washingtonski sporazum'' and Bosnian: ''vašingtonski sporazum'') was a ceasefire agreement between the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, signed in Washington ...

was signed in 1994. After the war, Travnik was made the capital of the

Administration

Travnik is the administrative centre of the Municipality of Travnik, whose area of jurisdiction covers the town of Travnik itself and 89 other rural settlements. Travnik is also the capital of the

, one of the ten

Cantons of Bosnia The ten cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the two political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, are its federal units with a high level of autonomy. The cantons were established by the Law on Federal Units (Cantons) on ...

. The municipality government has various bureau's dedicated to help in the running of the region, ranging from the bureau of urbanization and construction, to the bureau of refugees and displaced persons.

Economy

The economy of the Travnik region suffered greatly during the war period of the early 1990s. In 1981 Travnik's GDP per capita was 63% of the Yugoslav average. Nowadays, most of the region deals with typical rural work such as farming and herding. As for urban industry, Travnik has several factories producing everything from

matches A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...

to furniture. Food processing is also a strong industry in the region, especially meat and milk companies.

Tourism

Like many Bosnian towns, Travnik's tourism is based largely on its history and geography. Nearby Mount Vlašić is one of the tallest peaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and an excellent spot for skiing, hiking and sledding. Whilst tourism is not very strong for the town, Mount Vlašić is probably its chief

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

. The town is also of interest: numerous structures dating to the Ottoman era have survived in near perfect condition, such as numerous mosques, oriental homes, two clock towers (''sahat kula''; Travnik is the only town in Bosnia and Herzegovina to have two clock towers) and fountains. The town's old town dates back to the early 15th century, making it one of the most popular widely accessible sites from that time. Plave vode mlin

Demographics

Population

Ethnic composition

Culture

Travnik has a strong culture, mostly dating back to its time as the center of local government in the Ottoman Empire. Travnik has a popular old town district however, which dates back to the period of Bosnian independence during the first half of the 15th century. Numerous mosques and churches exist in the region, as do tombs of important historical figures and excellent examples of Ottoman architecture. The town museum, built in 1950, is one of the more impressive cultural institutions in the region. One of the main works of

Ivo Andrić Ivo Andrić ( sr-Cyrl, Иво Андрић, ; born Ivan Andrić; 9 October 1892 – 13 March 1975) was a Yugoslav novelist, poet and short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961. His writings dealt mainly with life in ...

, a native of Travnik, is the ''Bosnian Chronicle'' (or ''Travnik Chronicle''), depicting life in Travnik during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

and itself written 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 Bosnian Tornjak, one of Bosnia's two major dog breeds and national symbol, originated in the area, found around Vlašić mountain.

Sport

The local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team is

NK Travnik NK Travnik ( bs, Nogometni Klub Travnik), commonly known as Travnik is a professional association football club from the city of Travnik that is situated in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Currently, Travnik plays in the First League of the Federation o ...

, established in 1922.

Notable people

, writer and the 1961 winner of the

Nobel Prize for literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

Miroslav Ćiro Blažević Miroslav may refer to: * Miroslav (given name), a Slavic masculine given name * ''Young America'' (clipper) or ''Miroslav'', an Austrian clipper ship in the Transatlantic case oil trade * Miroslav (Znojmo District), a town in the Czech Republic S ...

, professional football manager and player * Nura Bazdulj-Hubijar Bosnian poet and novelist. *

Josip Josip () is a male given name found among Croats and Slovenes, a cognate of Joseph. In Croatia, the name Josip was the second most common masculine given name in the decades up to 1959, and has stayed among the top ten most common ones throughout 2 ...

and Zlatko Pejaković, artist brothers, actor and musicians *

Davor Džalto Davor Džalto ( sr-Cyrl, Давор Џалто; born 17 May 1980) is an artist, art historian, theologian and philosopher of Bosnian-Herzegovinian origin.Travnik International University https://iu-travnik.com/about-travnik/ Biography Džalto wa ...

, artist, art historian, theologian and philosopher *

Nikša Bratoš Nikša Bratoš (born 17 August 1959 in Travnik, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia) is a Bosnian musician. He is known for having played in bands Valentino and Crvena jabuka. He has worked on so ...

, composer and arranger of contemporary music * Oliver Frljić, theatre director * Vjekoslav Kramer, chef *

Sena Jurinac Srebrenka "Sena" Jurinac () (24 October 1921 – 22 November 2011) was a Bosnian-born Austrian operatic soprano. Biography Jurinac was born in Travnik, Bosnia-Herzegovina (then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia), the daughter of a Croatia ...

, operatic soprano *

Solomon Gaon Solomon Gaon (1912–1994) was Sephardic Rabbi and Hakham of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of the British Commonwealth. Biography Solomon Gaon was born in Travnik, Yugoslavia in 1912 and studied at the yeshiva in Sarajevo. Both his parents were ...

, Sephardic Rabbi and Hakham * Mirosław Ferić, fighter pilot *

Nikola Mandić Nikola Mandić (; 20 January 1869 – 7 June 1945) was a Croatian politician and one of the leading political figures in Bosnia and Herzegovina under Austrian-Hungarian rule. He also served as a Prime Minister of the Independent State of Croati ...

, politician *

Zlata Bartl Zlata Bartl ( Dolac, 20 February 1920 – Koprivnica, 30 July 2008) was a Bosnian Croat scientist and is the creator of Vegeta. Bartl finished school in Sarajevo and went to Zagreb to study natural sciences, engineering, medicine and health, biote ...

, scientist and is the creator of

Vegeta ( ), also referred as is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise created by Akira Toriyama. Vegeta first appears in chapter #204 "Sayonara, Son Goku", published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine on November 7, 1988, seeking ...

* Frano Zubić, Bosnian Franciscan * Larisa Cerić, judoka and European Championship silver medalist *

Mladen Solomun Mladen Solomun (born December 27, 1975), better known under his stage name Solomun, is a Bosnian-German DJ. He is a four-time DJ Awards winner for Best Producer, Best DJ and Best Melodic House DJ. Musical career After Solomun was born in Trav ...

, DJ and music producer *

Vildana Selimbegović Vildana Selimbegović (, July 27, 1963) is a Bosnian journalist, editor-in-chief of the daily ''Oslobođenje''. Early years Vildana Selimbegović was born in Travnik in 1963. She finished elementary school and high school in her hometown. She com ...

, journalist and editor of

Oslobođenje ''Oslobođenje'' (; 'Liberation') is a daily newspaper in Bosnia and Herzegovina based in the capital city Sarajevo. Founded on 30 August 1943, in the midst of World War II, on a patch of territory liberated by Partisans, in what was otherwise a ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Travnik is twinned with: *

İzmit İzmit () is a district and the central district of Kocaeli province, Turkey. It is located at the Gulf of İzmit in the Sea of Marmara, about east of Istanbul, on the northwestern part of Anatolia. As of the last 31/12/2019 estimation, the c ...

, Turkey * Karpoš, North Macedonia *

Kırıkkale Kırıkkale is the capital of the Kırıkkale Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is located 80 km east of Ankara which is the capital city of Turkey. According to the 2000 census, the population of the province is 280,83 ...

, Turkey *

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

, Germany *

Makarska Makarska (; it, Macarsca, ; german: Macharscha) is a town on the Adriatic coastline of Croatia, about southeast of Split (city), Split and northwest of Dubrovnik, in the Split-Dalmatia County. Makarska is a prominent regional tourist center, ...

, Croatia * Pendik, Turkey *

Police nad Metují Police nad Metují (, german: Politz an der Mettau) is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monumen ...

, Czech Republic *

Yalova Yalova is a market-gardening town located in northwestern Turkey on the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara. The town has a population of 156,838, while the population of the surrounding Yalova Province is 291,001 . A largely modern town, it is ...

, Turkey

Gallery

File:Suleimania Mosque.JPG, Suleimania Mosque File:Suleimania Mosque.jpg, Suleimania Mosque File:Suleimania Mosque 02.JPG, Suleimania Mosque File:Suleimania Mosque 03.JPG, Suleimania Mosque File:Sahat Kule 01.JPG, Sahat Kula, Clock Tower File:Sahat Kule 02.JPG, Another Clock Tower File:TravnikCastle01.JPG, View from Travnik Castle File:Travnik Ivo Andric1.jpg, Birthplace (home) of

File:Travnik street 01.jpg, Poturmahala. File:Travnik 02.jpg, Old Town File:Travnik 06.jpg File:Travnik entry.png, Entry to Travnik from eastern side

References

External links

Travnik official website

Dnevnik srednje bosne

Internacionalni Univerzitet Travnik

Information about town

Travnik
— A town guide {{Authority control Populated places in Travnik