Bosanska Krajina
Encyclopedia
Frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
is a geographical region, a subregion of Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
, in western Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
enclosed by three rivers - Sava, Una and Vrbas
Vrbas River
The Vrbas is a major river in western Bosnia and Herzegovina.It is a right tributary of the river Sava. The city of Banja Luka is located on the river banks...
. It is also a historic, economic and cultural entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The largest city, and its historical center, is Banja Luka
Banja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
. Other cities include Prijedor
Prijedor
Prijedor is a city and municipality in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the Bosanska Krajina region....
, Bihać
Bihac
Bihać is a city and municipality on the river Una in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosanska Krajina region. Bihać is located in the Una-Sana Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:...
, Bosanska Gradiška, Bosanska Dubica, Velika Kladuša
Velika Kladuša
Velika Kladuša is a city and municipality in the far northwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located near the border with Croatia. The closest city is Cazin, and a bit farther, the cities of Bihać and Bosanski Novi. Across the border, it is not far from Cetingrad...
, Sanski Most
Sanski Most
Sanski Most is a town and municipality in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the Sana River in Bosanska Krajina, between Prijedor and Ključ. Administratively it is part of the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
, Mrkonjić Grad
Mrkonjic Grad
Mrkonjić Grad is a town and municipality in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Republika Srpska entity. It is located in the Bosanska Krajina, between Banja Luka and Jajce.-Name:...
, and Jajce
Jajce
Jajce is a city and municipality located in the central part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity...
.
Bosanska Krajina has no political borders or political representation in the structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina; however it has a significant cultural and historical identity that was formed through several historic and economic events. The territory of Bosanska Krajina is currently divided between two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the two political entities that compose the sovereign country of Bosnia and Herzegovina . The two entities are delineated by the Inter-Entity Boundary Line...
.
Naming
The far northwest corner of Bosanska Krajina is also known as Bihaćka Krajina named after the city of BihaćBihac
Bihać is a city and municipality on the river Una in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosanska Krajina region. Bihać is located in the Una-Sana Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:...
. It is also sometimes called Ljuta Krajina, meaning Mad Frontier, due to the uprisings that often originated there while it was a part of the Ottoman Empire and later Austria-Hungary.
Between the 16th and 19th centuries the territory between the Una and Vrbas rivers was referred by the name Turkish Croatia. The name was first used consistently by Austian military topographers who worked in the Austro-Ottoman border commission after the Treaty of Karlowitz of 1699. In the mid 19th century the name Turkish Croatia was replaced by cartographers in favor of Bosanska Krajina.
The name Turkish Croatia was given to the area by the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and accepted by Austrian, Italian, and German cartographers. In 1860, the Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
population of the area wanted that name abolished in favor of Bosanska Krajina (Bosnian Frontier). Bosanska Krajina first appears on maps in 1869.
History
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
province of Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
. It fell under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Roman Empire. Shortly thereafter, Eurasian Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
and their Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
subjects from northern Europe invaded Dalmatia and settled in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
.
In the 7th century the Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
and Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
formed principalities initially under the Eastern Roman Empire.
Northwestern Bosnia, along with the rest of Pannonian Croatia, soon fell to the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
. During this time many Croats were Christianized. The Croats scored several victories against the Franks; as a result, the Franks relinquished their claims on Pannonian Croatia. In the 10th century, Pannonian Croatia joined with other Croatian lands in an independent Croatian kingdom. Northwest Bosnia remained part of Pannonian Croatia until 1102, when Croatia joined the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
.
By the 14th century, the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
had significantly expanded into the western Balkans in a series of wars
Ottoman wars in Europe
The wars of the Ottoman Empire in Europe are also sometimes referred to as the Ottoman Wars or as Turkish Wars, particularly in older, European texts.- Rise :...
, and the Turkish westward incursions eventually made this region an Ottoman borderland. Jajce
Jajce
Jajce is a city and municipality located in the central part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity...
had fallen to the Ottomans in 1463, marking the downfall of the Kingdom of Bosnia
Kingdom of Bosnia
The Kingdom of Bosnia or the Bosnian Kingdom was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Balkans, existing between 1377 and 1463.- Establishment :...
. The Battle of Krbava field
Battle of Krbava field
The Battle of Krbava field , was fought between the Ottoman Empire of Bayezid II and a Croatian army of the Kingdom of Croatia in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary on September 9, 1493 in the Krbava field, a part of Lika region, southern Croatia...
in 1493 effectively ended the Kingdom of Croatia
Kingdom of Croatia (medieval)
The Kingdom of Croatia , also known as the Kingdom of the Croats , was a medieval kingdom covering most of what is today Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Balkans.Established in 925, it ruled as a sovereign state for almost two centuries...
's persistent hold over the entire region, restricting them to fortified cities.
In the late 15th century, a local Croatian lord (knez) Juraj Mikuličić erected a fort in the village of Bužim
Bužim
Bužim is a village and municipality situated in the most northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Administratively, it is part of the Una-Sana Canton.-Geography:...
near Bihać, fearing the advancing Ottoman army. Mikuličić died in 1495, but the Bužim fort would not pass to Ottoman control until 1576.
Over the course of the 16th century, the Turks took hold of much of the region. The fort of Ostrovica
Ostrovica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ostrovica is a small village named after a small river in the Una-Sana Canton of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located on a hill near the town of Kulen Vakuf....
(near Kulen Vakuf
Kulen Vakuf
Kulen Vakuf is a village in the municipality of Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Kulen Vakuf was the birthplace of the respected Mehmed-beg Kulenović.-References:...
) passed to one Skender-pasha in 1501. In 1520, the Croatian ban
Ban (title)
Ban was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...
Petar Berislavić
Petar Berislavic
Petar Berislavić , a member of the noble family of Berislavić, was the ban of Croatia from 1513 to 1520 and also bishop of Veszprém....
was killed in a Turkish ambush in the Bihać area. Turkish commander Gazi Husrev-beg
Gazi Husrev-beg
Gazi Husrev-beg was a Bosniak bey in the Ottoman Empire during the first half of the 16th century...
was made the governor of the Sanjak of Bosnia in 1521 and proceeded to expand its territory, and conquered Udbina
Udbina
Udbina is a village and a municipality in the Lika region of Croatia. It is an administratively part of in the Lika-Senj county.-Geography:The village is located in the large karst field called Krbava...
the same year. By 1523, Gazi Husrev-beg's army had also captured the southern regions including the forts of Knin
Knin
Knin is a historical town in the Šibenik-Knin county of Croatia, located near the source of the river Krka at , in the Dalmatian hinterland, on the railroad Zagreb–Split. Knin rose to prominence twice in history, as a one-time capital of both the Kingdom of Croatia and briefly of the...
, Ostrovica
Ostrovica, Croatia
Ostrovica is a village in Croatia in the Zadar County, in the Lišane Ostrovičke municipality at .Near the village there is a ruined medieval castle of the Šubić noble family.- External links :* *...
(near Benkovac) and Skradin
Skradin
Skradin is a small town in the Šibenik-Knin county of Croatia it has a population about 3,986 . It is located near the Krka river and at the entrance to the Krka National Park, from Šibenik and from Split...
. In the following years, his army gradually overtook much of the Bosanska Krajina region.
After the crucial 1526 Battle of Mohacs
Battle of Mohács
The Battle of Mohács was fought on August 29, 1526 near Mohács, Hungary. In the battle, forces of the Kingdom of Hungary led by King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia were defeated by forces of the Ottoman Empire led by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent....
, the Croatian nobility convened the Parliament on Cetin
Parliament on Cetin
The Parliament on Cetin was a gathering of the Croatian nobility in the town of Cetin caused by a monarchical crisis after the death of their king Louis II and a major defeat of the Kingdom of Hungary at the Battle of Mohács...
and in 1527 Croatia became part of the Austrian Habsburg Empire, and the Ottoman Empire formally established the Eyalet of Bosnia
Bosnia Province, Ottoman Empire
The Bosnia Vilayet was an Ottoman vilayet, mostly based on the territory of the present-day state of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as most of Slavonia, Lika and Dalmatia in present-day Croatia. It bordered Kosovo Vilayet to the south. Before the administrative reform in 1864, it was called the...
.
The Croatian lands in general were reduced to a fraction of what they encompassed, and only the westernmost parts of today's Bosanska Krajina still resisted the Ottoman rule. Nevertheless the Ottoman armies preferred to advance towards their targets in the northwest through more easily passable terrain, such as along the river Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, for example Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
was first besieged in 1529
Siege of Vienna
The Siege of Vienna in 1529 was the first attempt by the Ottoman Empire, led by Suleiman the Magnificent, to capture the city of Vienna, Austria. The siege signalled the pinnacle of the Ottoman Empire's power, the maximum extent of Ottoman expansion in central Europe, and was the result of a...
after the army had gone through Osijek
Osijek
Osijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
, Mohács
Mohács
Mohács is a town in Baranya county, Hungary on the right bank of the Danube.-History:Two famous battles took place there:# Battle of Mohács, 1526# Battle of Mohács, 1687...
and Buda
Buda
For detailed information see: History of Buda CastleBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian.Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's...
. The natural obstacles in and around the region, especially at the time, included the rivers Sava, Vrbas, Una and Sana, as well as the mountains such as Plješevica
Plješevica
Plješivica or Plješevica is a mountain in Croatia and on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, part of the Dinaric Alps. It stretches in the direction north–south, and it extends from the mountain pass that separates it from Mala Kapela, along the Krbava field to the west and the Una River...
, Šator
Šator
Šator is a mountain in the Dinaric Alps, in the western regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The name šator means "tent". The highest peak Veliki Šator is a.s.l...
, Klekovača
Klekovača
Klekovača is a mountain in the Dinaric Alps of western Bosnia and Herzegovina, located near Drvar and Bosanski Petrovac. The highest peak is the Velika Klekovača at ....
, Raduša
Raduša (mountain)
Raduša is a mountain in the Dinaric Alps of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located near Gornji Vakuf, spanning the area between Vukovsko polje in the north, the Stožer mountain in the east, the Rama River basin in the south, the Makljen mountain pass in the west, near the source of the Vrbas. The highest...
, Grmeč
Grmeč
Grmeč is a mountain in the municipality of Bosanski Petrovac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has an altitude of ....
, Kozara
Kozara
Kozara is a mountain in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosanska Krajina region. It is bounded by the rivers Sava - north, Vrbas - east, Sana - south and Una - west...
and Vlašić
Vlašic (mountain)
Vlašić is a mountain in the very center of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its peak is called Vlašićka Gromila and has an elevation of 1,969 meters above sea level. The mountain is a major center for winter tourism due to its excellent accommodation for skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports...
.
In January 1528, the Ottomans under Gazi Husrev-beg took command of Jajce
Jajce
Jajce is a city and municipality located in the central part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity...
, Banja Luka
Banja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
and Ključ
Kljuc
Ključ is a town and municipality by the same name in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically the Una-Sana Canton. The name of the town and the municipality translates to "Key" in Bosnian....
, followed by Krbava
Krbava
Krbava is a region of mountainous Croatia. It can be considered either located east of Lika, or indeed as the eastern part of Lika. The town of Udbina is the central settlement of the Krbava karst field....
and Lika
Lika
Lika is a mountainous region in central Croatia, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by the Malovan pass...
in the spring of that year.
Turkish incursions expanded further to the north, and Charles of Styria erected a new fortified city of Karlovac
Karlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
in 1579. In 1580 the Turks responded by declaring the Pashaluk of Bosnia
Bosnia Province, Ottoman Empire
The Bosnia Vilayet was an Ottoman vilayet, mostly based on the territory of the present-day state of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as most of Slavonia, Lika and Dalmatia in present-day Croatia. It bordered Kosovo Vilayet to the south. Before the administrative reform in 1864, it was called the...
which unified all the Sanjaks, including territory in modern-day Croatia. As a result of the wars and border changes, the Catholic Croat population moved north, and was replaced with Orthodox Serbs and Vlachs.
The Bužim fort, under Ottoman control since 1576, was successfully held by the Ottomans in numerous battles (1685, 1686, 1688, 1737) and it was also upgraded (1626, 1834) until their eventual surrender in the 19th century. The building remains to this day as a monument to the Ottoman conquest.
Bihać held out longer than Bužim, and even at one point served as the capital of Croatia. But, in 1592 the Turkish army of about 20,000 under Hasan-pasa Predojević
Hasan Predojević
Hasan Predojević, Telli Hasan Paşa, Gazi Hasan-paša Predojević, was a military leader of the Ottoman army. Born Niko Predojević in Herzegovina, he was given the name Hasan after he converted to Islam.During the rule of Murat III he became Sandjakbey of the Sanjak of Segedin where he stayed until...
, an Ottoman vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
, attacked and forcefully occupied Bihać. Records show that nearly 2,000 people died in defense of Bihać, and an estimated 800 Croat children from Bihać were sent into servitude in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, to be educated in Islam and become Yenicari. Hasan-pasha Predojević pressed further north into Croatia, but was defeated in the June 1593 Battle of Sisak
Battle of Sisak
The Battle of Sisak was fought on June 22, 1593, between Ottoman forces of the Bosnian governor-general, or Beylerbeyi, Hasan-paša Predojević, and forces of the Holy Roman Empire under the supreme command of the Styrian general Ruprecht von Eggenberg...
.
When the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
lost the 1683-1690 War of the Holy League
Great Turkish War
The Great Turkish War refers to a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and contemporary European powers, then joined into a Holy League, during the second half of the 17th century.-1667–1683:...
to the Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
and her allies, and ceded Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
and Hungary to Austria at the 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz
Treaty of Karlowitz
The Treaty of Karlowitz was signed on 26 January 1699 in Sremski Karlovci , concluding the Austro-Ottoman War of 1683–1697 in which the Ottoman side had been defeated at the Battle of Zenta...
, the northern and western borders of the Bosnian Province (corresponding to the modern Bosnian borders), became a permanent frontier between the Austrian and Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
empires. The Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
wanted to turn the tide of warfare to their side, so, opposite to the Habsburg Military Frontier
Military Frontier
The Military Frontier was a borderland of Habsburg Austria and later the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, which acted as the cordon sanitaire against incursions from the Ottoman Empire...
, they formed a Bosnian Frontier which was in the Military Frontiers like, split on captains, each having its own fortifications and military regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
s.
The Frontier was further settled by Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
herder
Herder
A herder is a worker who lives a possibly semi-nomadic life, caring for various domestic animals, in places where these animals wander pasture lands....
s, who served as militia, defending it from hostile incursions and maintaining order, or as medics and workforce for the much needed frontline with the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
. Since then, the Serbs formed the majority of the Bosnian Frontier's population.
During the military intrusions of their fellowmen from the Military Frontier
Military Frontier
The Military Frontier was a borderland of Habsburg Austria and later the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, which acted as the cordon sanitaire against incursions from the Ottoman Empire...
, the Uskoci, mostly helped them.
The Bosnian Frontier, like the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, participated in the 1875 - 1878 Herzegovina Uprising
Herzegovina Uprising
Several uprisings were led by Serbs and Croats in the region of Herzegovina, then under Ottoman rule:*1852-1878 Uprising*1875-1878 Uprising*1882 Uprising...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Bosanska Krajina was known for its very strong resistance to the Fascist regime. The anti-fascist Partisan movement
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
in Bosanska Krajina region had one of the most ethnically mixed compositions than in any other part of former Yugoslavia during WWII. In the winter of 1942/1943 the Partisans established the so-called Republic of Bihać
Republic of Bihać
The Republic of Bihać was a short-lived liberated Yugoslav territory organized as a military mini-state that existed between the November of 1942 and January of 1943 in Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia. The Republic was established by the Partisan resistance movement after Bihać operation. Its...
in Bosanska Krajina. Soon afterwards, Bosanska Krajina was also the place of historical agreements that have taken place in Jajce and Mrkonjić Grad in 1943, ones that established the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in its current borders, as well as the Federation of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
.
During WWII the Ustasha Jasenovac concentration camp was established just across the river Sava from Bosanska Krajina, and many of the region's inhabitants (mainly Serbs, Gypsies and Jews but also some communist Bosnians and Croats) were killed there.
During the 1992-95 Bosnian war
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
, Bosanska Krajina was divided between Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was the direct main predecessor to the modern-day state of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, and the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia. The region was also a place of concentration camps, including Manjača
Manjaca
Manjača is a name of a mountain located 25 km south of the city Banja Luka, in northern part of Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The mountain held a significant military base of the Yugoslav Peoples Army in second part of 20th century and was one of the military strongholds of the...
and Omarska
Omarska
Omarska is a small town near Prijedor in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It includes an old iron mine and ore processing plant...
where predominantly Bosniaks
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
were held, tortured, raped, and killed.
Demographics
The population of the region numbered almost one million before the war in Bosnia.The ethnic composition of Bosanska Krajina was in 1991 (per census data) 44% Serbs, 40% Bosniaks, 7% Croats, 5% Yugoslavs and 3% others (Romas, Ukrainians, Hungarians and Valachians). The composition of the current population of Bosanska Krajina has dramatically changed since, because of expulsions, (voluntary) relocation and emigration during the Bosnian war in 1992-95. Various parts have become less ethnically diverse, mainly Bosniak in the Northwest and Serb in Republika Srpska and a few other municipalities that border Croatia.
Economics
In the immediate aftermath of WWII Bosanska Krajina was considered one of the poorest regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This poverty was a contributing factor to 1950's Cazinska Buna uprising against the communist government, the only such uprising in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina and Yugoslavia.The later economic boom and prosperity of Bosanska Krajina was mostly due to planned urban development programs that were created specifically for this region in early and mid-1970s by Urban Institute in Banja Luka. The development was further stimulated by the simplification of the banking system that encouraged investments in resource processing industry. As a result the region has seen a boom in agricultural and industrial production.
Agrokomerc
Agrokomerc
Agrokomerc was a food company headquartered in Velika Kladuša, Bosnia and Herzegovina with operations extending across the entire area of former Yugoslavia. The company became internationally known in the late 1980s due to a corruption scandal known as the Agrokomerc Affair...
, a food manufacturing industry located in northwest region was the largest food manufacturer in Bosnia and Herzegovina and former Yugoslavia. Other industries included chemical industry Saniteks in Velika Kladuša, electronics industry Rudi Cajevec in Banja Luka, Textile industry Sana in Bosanski Novi as well as a range of wood and food processing companies that stimulated an economic boom in this region. There was also a significant ore industry developed around the Kozara Mountain.
Transport and Aviation
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, existing as an expressway from Banja Luka to Laktasi
Laktaši
Laktaši is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the Republika Srpska entity near the city of Banja Luka.-Geography:...
and as a two-lane road from Laktasi
Laktaši
Laktaši is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the Republika Srpska entity near the city of Banja Luka.-Geography:...
to the Bosnian/Croatian border. This second section of the road is currently being upgraded to an expressway.
Under planning is two new expressways. One from Prijedor to Bosanska Dubica to short down the travelling time to Zagreb. The other one is to the east heading towards Doboj and connecting Bosanska Krajina to the important Corridor Vc
Corridor Vc
The European route E 73 is a Class-A north-south European route that connects the central part of the continent, specifically Hungary and eastern Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Adriatic Sea in the area of the port of Ploče. This route is also designated as the Pan-European Corridor...
in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Banja Luka International Airport
Banja Luka International Airport
Banja Luka International Airport , also known as Mahovljani Airport, after the nearby village of the same name, is an airport located north northeast of the railway station in the city of Banja Luka, the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the...
is located 23 km from Banja Luka.
There are two airlines currently, B&H Airlines and Adria Airways, with regular flights to Ljubljana (four times weekly) and Zurich (three times weekly). Charter flights also operate from the airport, and the airport can be used as a back-up to Sarajevo Airport. Zagreb Airport, due to weather conditions in winter often preferable to Sarajevo, is approximately two hours away from Banja Luka by car.
Željava Air Base
Željava Air Base
Željava Air Base, situated on the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina under Plješevica Mountain, near the town of Bihać in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was the largest underground airport and military airbase in the former Yugoslavia and one of the largest in Europe.-History:Construction...
, situated on the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina under Plješevica Mountain, near the town of Bihać in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was the largest underground airport and military airbase in the former Yugoslavia and one of the largest in Europe.
Prijedor
Prijedor
Prijedor is a city and municipality in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the Bosanska Krajina region....
also has an airfield in the north-eastern part of the city in the area of Urije. The airfield has a fleet of light aircraft and sailplanes. The airfield was used by the Yugoslav partisans and was the first operative partisan airfield during World War II. The airfield also serves as the home of the city's renovated Parachuting club.
Bosanska Krajina is the hub of the railway services in Bosnia and Herzegovina, comprising more than one-half of the railway network of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Services operate to the northern and western Bosnian towns Banja Luka, Prijedor, Bosanski Novi and Bihać. The rail network also operates to Zagreb (twice daily), and Belgrade.
Culture
The brutal history of Bosanska Krajina may be a reason for a specific nature of its people that pride themselves on toughness and rebelliousness towards other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.The cultural center of Bosanska Krajina is located in Banja Luka. Institutions such as Museum of Bosanska Krajina and National Theatre of Bosanska Krajina located in Banja Luka held evidence of long history and culture of this region.