Vrbànjci ( sr-cyrl, Врбањци) is a village in the
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 ...
,
Republika 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 locat ...
, in the Municipality of
Kotor Varoš, as well as former Municipality in
Kotor Varoš former County.
Geography
Vrbanjci lies along the
Vrbanja river (for which it is named), between its tributaries
Jezerka,
Bosanka, and
Cvrcka. Vrbanjci was formerly known as Plitska. This name was given to the village when the largest part of the settlement was situated near Bosanka (Plitka Rika, Shallow River). On this toponym there is a neighboring village named Plitska, almost forgotten since its destruction in 1992.
The intensive colonization of the fields surrounding the Vrbanja river occurred during the construction of a narrow-rails railway and the regional road in the direction of
Šiprage
Šiprage ( sr-Cyrl, Шипраге) is a settlement municipality in the Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska entity, Kotor Varoš Municipality.
The administrative status of this populated place was changed – from the local community has gr ...
and
Maslovare, i.e.
Teslić to
Doboj
Doboj ( sr-cyrl, Добој, ) is a city located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of Bosna river, in the northern region of the Republika Srpska. As of 2013, it has a population of 71,441 ...
. Vrbanjci was once a separate municipality (to 1964th) in the former County of
Kotor Varoš.
History
The history of this area commemorates the battle on The Field of
Večići, approximately Mlâvâ locality, on the Vrbanja river, where was the clash between the
Ottomans army and repressed pro Bosnian forces, from almost the entire State of
Bosnia. Legend of there slayed brothers (
shahid
''Shaheed'' ( , , ; pa, ਸ਼ਹੀਦ) denotes a martyr in Islam. The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); ...
s), who while dead carried their own heads is recounted until today. There is a
turbeh, in the village of
Večići in the memory. According to the historical context, it probably occurred around 1463, when Bosnia fell under Ottoman Administration.
During the
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 opposing ...
, this area was alternately ruled by
partisans (the Third and Fourth Proletarian Brigade) and the German occupiers with the assistance of
Ustasha and
Chetniks. In the course of one such German occupation, all of inhabitants of Večići were arrested for the murder of two German soldiers 1942, for the murder of two German soldiers in the village of Staza, all of the inhabitants of
Večići (village in Vrbanjci's local community) were arrested (1942). It is here also that toward end of the war, in the Partisans made preparations for the liberation of the Kotor Varoš. This town was one of the last strongholds of Ustasha and so called "home-defender"'s forces in Bosnia.
During the last
War in Bosnia
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 ...
(1992–1995), Serb paramilitary and police forces have committed crimes against the civilian population in Vrbanjci and surrounding villages.
Most of the Bosniak population are back in their native lands and have restored their estates, with the assistance of the international community, but above all thanks to their own resources.
Since 1995, parents of
Bosniak's pupils at the local Elementary school "Sveti Sava" have been running a lengthy court case to exercise their Constitutional right to teach in their native
Bosnian language. Following a decade-long denial of the lawsuit at the Municipal Court in
Kotor Varoš and the District Court in
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 ...
, the Constitutional Court of RS issued a verdict in their favor only in December 2019, obliging the defendant to reimburse all costs of the trial.
Population
Municipality populations of Kotor Varoš County, 1953
See also
*
Vrbanja river
*
Kotor Varoš
*
Večići
References
{{reflist
Villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Villages in Republika Srpska
Populated places in Kotor Varoš