HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Bihać is a city and the administrative centre of Una-Sana Canton 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 on the banks of river Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosanska Krajina region close to the border with
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
. In 2013 its population was 56,261.


Settlements

* Bajrići * Brekovica * Bugar * Ćukovi * Doljani * Donja Gata * Dubovsko * Gorjevac * Grabež * Grmuša * Hrgar * Izačić * Jezero * Kalati * Kulen Vakuf * Lohovo * Lohovska Brda * Mala Peća * Mali Skočaj * Međudražje * Muslići * Ostrovica * Papari * Praščijak * Pritoka * Račić * Rajinovci * Ripač * Spahići * Srbljani * Velika Gata * Veliki Skočaj * Veliki Stjenjani * Vikići * Vrsta * Zavalje i Zlopoljac


History

According to documents and historical sources, the first medieval urban settlements and towns around the Una river, began to appear in the middle of the 13th century. Bihać, as the centre of Pounje, was first mentioned on 26 February 1260, in the charter of Hungarian King Bela IV, and was described as a town built on the river's Island of St. Ladislav, owned by the
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
abbey of Topusko. Just two years later, in 1262, Bela proclaimed Bihać a ''
royal free city A royal free city, or free royal city (Latin: ''libera regia civitas''), was the official term for the most important cities in the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 12th centuryBácskai Vera – Nagy Lajos: Piackörzetek, piacközpontok és város ...
'' and placed it under the direct authority of the Hungarian throne, with all rights and privileges pertaining thereto, which ensured its ability to develop completely independent from the political powers of local lords. The following mention in the charter of 1271 confirms that Bihać at that time enjoyed the status of a ''free city''. At the head of the municipality was the town elder or ''major villae'', who was often called a judge, and whose decision could only be changed by the king. Bihać also had a ''
curia Curia (: curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally probably had wider powers, they came to meet ...
'' or ''
magistrates The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
'', an assembly of local citizens who took the oath of office for this duty, and notaries who kept court and other civil records. In 1530 Austria sent troops to defend seven key strongholds in Croatia, one of them was Bihać and another the nearby Ripač. The
Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
occupied Bihać in 1592 after a siege and from that time Bihać was the most important forts in
Bosnia 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 ...
until the 19th century. Ottoman rule was briefly interrupted by Auguste Marmont, general-governor of
Illyrian Provinces The Illyrian Provinces were an autonomous province of France during the First French Empire that existed under Napoleonic Rule from 1809 to 1814. The province encompassed large parts of modern Italy and Croatia, extending their reach further e ...
on 5 May 1810. He sought to prevent Ottomans from raiding French Croatia and finishing the Ottoman occupation of Cetin. After fulfilling these goals, he withdrew from Bihac. Ottoman rule in Bihac ended ''de facto'' after the
Congress of Berlin At the Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878), the major European powers revised the territorial and political terms imposed by the Russian Empire on the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of San Stefano (March 1878), which had ended the Rus ...
. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the town was occupied by
Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...
troops and was included into Pavelić's
Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...
(NDH). The fascist Ustashe regime committed the Genocide of the Serbs and
the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
. From July to September 1941, some 15,000
Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...
were massacred along with some Jews and Roma victims by the
Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...
at the Garavice, an extermination location near Bihać. When the German and Italian Zones of Influence were revised on 24 June 1942, Bihać fell in , administered civilly by Croatia and militarily by Croatia and Germany. The town was the capital of a short-lived territory, the Bihać Republic, for two months in late 1942 and early 1943, until it was recaptured by German forces. From 1943 Judita Alargić served near to Bihać as an instructor of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. Bihać returned to Bosnian territory on 28 March 1945. Bihać was besieged for three years from 1992 to 1995 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 ...
. Pecat i grb Bihaca iz XIV st.jpg, The Seal and Armorial Bearings of Bihać town from the 14th century. The siege of Bihać in 1592.jpg, Siege of Bihać in 1592 Bihac 1686.jpg, Bihac fortress (''Wihitsch''), 1686 Bihac_kavana_paviljon.png, Coffee pavilion in Bihac, Bihac_Orthodox_Church_and_Medresa.jpg, Bihac Orthodox Church and Medresa, Domky v Bihaći.jpg, Rural houses in Bihac, Partisans in Bihać 1942.jpg, Partisans in Bihać, 1942 First session of the AVNOJ in Bihać.jpg, First session of the AVNOJ in Bihać, 1942


Demographics

According to the 2013 census, the city of Bihać has a population of 56,261 inhabitants.


Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the municipality: In the 1991 population census in Bosnia and Herzegovina the ethnic composition of the municipality was 46,737 Bosniaks, 12,689 Serbs, 5,580 Croats, 4,356 Yugoslavs and 1,370 Others.


Religion

According to the 2013 census, the religious makeup of Bihać includes: *49,550
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
(88.01%) *3,265
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
(5.08%) *910 Orthodox (1.62%) *2,536 others (4.47%)


Geography


Climate


Economy

The agricultural sector is significant, due to the large and fertile soil.


Notable people

*
Mehmed Alajbegović Mehmed Alajbegović (7 May 1906 – 7 June 1947) was a Bosnian Muslim politician, lawyer and a government minister of the Independent State of Croatia, an Axis puppet state. He was executed for war crimes by Yugoslav authorities following t ...
, politician and lawyer * Mersada Bećirspahić, basketball player * Christopher Corvinus (Christopher Hunyadi, 1499–1505), Prince of Hungary and the last male member of the Hungarian Royal House of Hunyadi * Zlatko Dedić, Slovenian footballer * Ferid Džanić, World War II Axis soldier (SS Handschar Division) * Nihad Hasanović, writer and translator * Alen Islamović, singer, lead vocalist of the bands Divlje Jagode and
Bijelo Dugme () is a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Rock music, rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. is widely considered to have been the most popular and the best-selling band ever to exist in the former S ...
* Azra Kolaković, singer * Zele Lipovača, musician, leading member of Divlje Jagode * Irfan Ljubijankić, facial surgeon, classical music composer, politician and diplomat of Bosnia and Herzegovina * Dejan Matić, singer * Saša Matić, pop singer * Džanan Musa, basketball player, European U16 champion * Milan Muškatirović, water polo goalkeeper and professor of
organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic matter, organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain ...
* Saša Radulović, Serbian engineer, politician and former Minister of Economy * Branka Raunig, archaeologist and museum curator * Faruk Šehić, poet *
Borislav Stanković ),Boris (Борис) , image = Borislav Bora Stanković.jpg , imagesize = , caption = , order = 2nd , office = Secretary General of FIBA , term_start = 1 January 1976 , ter ...
, Serbian basketball player, coach and secretary General of
FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...


Twin towns – sister cities

Bihać is twinned with: * Bondeno, Italy *
Kikinda Kikinda ( sr-Cyrl, Кикинда, ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the North Banat District in Serbia. The city's urban area has 32,084 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 49,326 inhabit ...
, Serbia * Kuşadası, Turkey * Nagykanizsa, Hungary *
Novo Mesto Novo Mesto (; ; also known by #Name, alternative names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, seventh-largest city of Slovenia. It is the economic and cultural centre of the traditional region of Lower Carniola (southeastern Slovenia) and ...
, Slovenia *
Reșița Reșița (; ; ; ; ; ; ) is a city in western Romania and the capital of Caraș-Severin County. It is located in the Banat region. The city had a population of 58,393 in 2021. It administers six villages: Câlnic (''Kölnök''), Cuptoare (''Kupt ...
, Romania * Villefranche-de-Rouergue, France * Kartepe, Turkey * Gospić, Croatia


See also

* Fethija mosque * Turbe Mausoleum * Siege of Bihać (disambiguation) * University of Bihać, opened in 1997 * NK Jedinstvo Bihać, local soccer club * Željava Air Base * Bihać Republic * Una National Park * Bihać Oblast


Notes

* Official results from the book: Ethnic composition of Bosnia-Herzegovina population, by municipalities and settlements, 1991. census, Zavod za statistiku Bosne i Hercegovine - Bilten no.234, Sarajevo 1991.


References


Bibliography

*


External links


Official city presentation

Preminger Brewery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bihac Populated places in Bihać Bosnia and Herzegovina–Croatia border crossings Cities and towns in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina City walls in Bosnia and Herzegovina