Kalinovik
Encyclopedia
Kalinovik is a town and municipality in the Republika Srpska
entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina
.
Kalinovik is located about 40 kilometres south of Sarajevo
, in the middle of one of the karstic landscapes characteristic of the region. The calcareous plateaus, eaten into by water, are strewn with dolines or poljes, types of sinkhole
looking like lunar craters.
Once a prosperous Austro-Hungarian military stronghold, Kalinovik is now an impoverished rural municipality with a population of only 2,500. During the Bosnian war
the area was ethnically cleansed of its Bosniak (Muslim) population by the Bosnian Serb authorities. Many of its Serb inhabitants have since left in search of better lives elsewhere.
The municipality adjoins the municipality of Konjic
. The towns of Konjic and Kalinovik are connected by an asphalt road. Communications were disrupted when the bridge over the Ljuta river at Dindo
was destroyed in autumn 1995, in the last months of the war, but were restored after a replacement bridge was constructed in 2002.
The boundary between the municipalities of Konjic and Kalinovik also forms part of the Inter-Entity Boundary Line (IEBL) between the two constituent entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Bojići
• Boljanovići
• Borija
• Božanovići
• Brda
• Bukvica
• Cerova
• Čestaljevo
• Daganj
• Dobro Polje
• Dragomilići
• Dubrava
• Gapići
• Golubići
• Gradina
• Graiseljići
• Gvozno
• Hotovlje
• Hreljići
• Jablanići
• Jažići
• Jelašci
• Jezero
• Kalinovik
• Klinja
• Kolakovići
• Kovačići
• Krbljine
• Kruščica
• Kuta
• Kutine
• Luko
• Ljusići
• Ljuta
• Mekoča
• Mjehovina
• Mosorovići
• Mušići
• Nedavić
• Obadi
• Obalj
• Obrnja
• Osija
• Plačikus
• Pločnik
• Polje
• Popovići
• Porija
• Presjedovac
• Rajac
• Rastovac
• Ruđice
• Sela
• Sijerča
• Sočani
• Strane
• Susječno
• Šivolji
• Tmuše
• Tomišlja
• Trešnjevica
• Trnovica
• Tuhobić
• Ulog
• Unukovići
• Varizi
• Varoš
• Vihovići
• Vlaholje
• Vrhovina
• Vujinovići
• Zelomići
, indicted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
, was born in the village of Božanovići, in the municipality of Kalinovik. Momčilo Mandić, Republika Srpska Justice minister, was born in Kalinovik.
the municipality of Kalinovik was ethnically cleansed of its Muslim population. Grave crimes were committed against Muslim civilians in Kalinovik by the Bosnian Serbs Ratko Bundalo and Nedjo Zeljaja..
Bundalo was commander of the Tactical Group in Kalinovik and Zeljaja was commander of the Public Safety Station. Under their authority civilians were detained in the "Miladin Radojevic" school building in 1992. Members of paramilitary units who "mistreated all residents, irrespective of ethnicity" took part in the rape of women and other physical abuse of detainees in the school. Men prisoners were taken out and beaten, and some never returned. Aleksandar Cerovina and Slavko Lalović were mentioned by witnesses as accomplices in the crimes and Cerovina as having been involved in intimidation of witnesses.
On 21 December 2009 the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina found Bundalo and Zeljaja guilty of persecution, murder, detention and torture of Muslims from April 1992 to March 1993. Bundalo was sentenced to 19 years in prison, Zeljaja to 15 years. A third defendant. Djordjislav Askraba, director of the Barutni Magacin detention camp, was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
In autumn 1995 the Bosnian Army destroyed the bridge over the Ljuta river at Dindo
to prevent Bosnian Serb tanks attacking Konjic and the Neretva valley. The road link between the towns of Konjic and Kalinovik was restored in 2002 when a Bailey Bridge across the river was constructed by a Spanish army engineering section of SFOR
in a UNHCR-led initiative.
The Upper Drina valley, devastated by the war and bisected by the inter-entity boundary, remains troubled by deep-seated divisions and difficult community relations. Political obstruction by hard-line politicians has isolated the area from international development assistance and the economic mainstream. Core economic problems are exacerbated by geographical remoteness and the mountainous region is peripheral to regional and national markets. Many local communities are among the most deprived in Bosnia.
The war crimes indictee and fugitive Ratko Mladić remains an influential presence locally. Friends and family still express support for him and regard him as a hero though local people are reluctant to talk to outsiders. Serbian officials have said that comrades from Kalinovik are among Mladic's support network.
Newcomers from Sarajevo have settled in the town. The traditional domestic role of women in Kalinovik has changed since Verica Elez, a professor of Serbian language and literature and an newcomer, began to encourage local women to take advantage of the post-war development opportunities offered by international organizations concerned with women’s issues and with strengthening the role of women in rural communities. The women’s group she is president of collaborates with NGOs to obtain computers, develop marketing opportunities and encourage women to take on management roles. The NGO IFAD has supported development in Kalinovik through rural infrastructure reconstruction, credit for livestock, and training and seminars. Some women are involved in wool processing (weaving and scarf and blanket making) and are planning a weaving workshop, others work in milk collection and processing.
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
entity of 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...
.
Kalinovik is located about 40 kilometres south of Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, in the middle of one of the karstic landscapes characteristic of the region. The calcareous plateaus, eaten into by water, are strewn with dolines or poljes, types of sinkhole
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
looking like lunar craters.
Once a prosperous Austro-Hungarian military stronghold, Kalinovik is now an impoverished rural municipality with a population of only 2,500. During the 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...
the area was ethnically cleansed of its Bosniak (Muslim) population by the Bosnian Serb authorities. Many of its Serb inhabitants have since left in search of better lives elsewhere.
The municipality adjoins the municipality of Konjic
Konjic
Konjic is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northern Herzegovina, around southwest of Sarajevo. It is a mountainous, heavily wooded area, and is above sea level. The municipality extends on both sides of the Neretva River. The town of Konjic, housed about a third...
. The towns of Konjic and Kalinovik are connected by an asphalt road. Communications were disrupted when the bridge over the Ljuta river at Dindo
Dindo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dindo is a village in the municipality of Konjic, in the Bosnian Federation entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Latitude 43.5127778 - Longitude 18.3025 Elevation: 700 m / 2297 ft...
was destroyed in autumn 1995, in the last months of the war, but were restored after a replacement bridge was constructed in 2002.
The boundary between the municipalities of Konjic and Kalinovik also forms part of the Inter-Entity Boundary Line (IEBL) between the two constituent entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Settlements
• Bak• Bojići
Bojići
Bojići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Boljanovići
• Borija
Borija
Borija is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Božanovići
Božanovići
Božanovići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located northwest of the town of Kalinovik. As of 1991 it had a population of 66 people....
• Brda
• Bukvica
Bukvica
Bukvica is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Cerova
Cerova (Kalinovik)
Cerova is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Čestaljevo
Čestaljevo
Čestaljevo is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Daganj
Daganj
Daganj is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Dobro Polje
Dobro Polje
Dobro Polje is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Dragomilići
Dragomilići
Dragomilići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Dubrava
Dubrava (Kalinovik)
Dubrava is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Gapići
Gapići
Gapići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Golubići
Golubići
Golubići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Gradina
Gradina (Kalinovik)
Gradina is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Graiseljići
Graiseljići
Graiseljići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Gvozno
Gvozno
Gvozno is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Hotovlje
Hotovlje
Hotovlje is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Hreljići
Hreljići
Hreljići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Jablanići
Jablanići
Jablanići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Jažići
Jažići
Jažići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Jelašci
Jelašci (Kalinovik)
Jelašci is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Jezero
Jezero (Kalinovik)
Jezero is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Kalinovik
• Klinja
Klinja
Klinja is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Kolakovići
• Kovačići
• Krbljine
Krbljine
Krbljine is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Kruščica
• Kuta
• Kutine
Kutine
Kutine is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Luko
Luko
Luko is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Ljusići
Ljusići
Ljusići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Ljuta
Ljuta (Kalinovik)
Ljuta is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Mekoča
Mekoča
Mekoča is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Mjehovina
Mjehovina
Mjehovina is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Mosorovići
Mosorovići
Mosorovići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Mušići
Mušići (Kalinovik)
Mušići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Nedavić
Nedavić
Nedavić is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Obadi
Obadi (Kalinovik)
Obadi is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Obalj
Obalj
Obalj is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Obrnja
Obrnja
Obrnja is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Osija
Osija
Osija is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Plačikus
Plačikus
Plačikus is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Pločnik
Pločnik (Kalinovik)
Pločnik is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Polje
Polje (Kalinovik)
Polje is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Popovići
Popovići (Kalinovik)
Popovići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Porija
Porija
Porija is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Presjedovac
Presjedovac
Presjedovac is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Rajac
• Rastovac
Rastovac
Rastovac is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Ruđice
Ruđice
Ruđice is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Sela
• Sijerča
Sijerča
Sijerča is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Sočani
Sočani
Sočani is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Strane
• Susječno
Susječno
Susječno is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Šivolji
Šivolji
Šivolji is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Tmuše
Tmuše
Tmuše is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Tomišlja
Tomišlja
Tomišlja is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Trešnjevica
Trešnjevica (Kalinovik)
Trešnjevica is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Trnovica
Trnovica (Kalinovik)
Trnovica is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Tuhobić
Tuhobić
Tuhobić is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Ulog
Ulog
Ulog is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Unukovići
Unukovići
Unukovići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Varizi
Varizi
Varizi is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Varoš
Varoš (Kalinovik)
Varoš is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Vihovići
Vihovići (Kalinovik)
Vihovići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Vlaholje
Vlaholje
Vlaholje is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
• Vrhovina
Vrhovina (Kalinovik)
Vrhovina is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Vujinovići
Vujinovići
Vujinovići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
• Zelomići
Zelomići
Zelomići is a village in the municipality of Kalinovik, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
1971
9.458 total- Serbs - 5.536 (58,53%)
- Muslims - 3.796 (40,13%)
- Croats - 44 (0,46%)
- Yugoslavs - 20 (0,21%)
- others - 62 (0,67%)
1991
In 1991, the population of Kalinovik municipality was 4,657, including:- 2,821 SerbsSerbsThe 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...
(See: Serbs of Bosnia and HerzegovinaSerbs of Bosnia and HerzegovinaThe Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina are people of Serb ethnicity inhabiting the Balkan regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, or, since the establishment of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a state in the 1990s, the Serbs who have its citizenship. The Serbs are one of the three constitutive nations of this...
) - 1,726 Muslims by nationalityMuslims by nationalityMuslims by nationality was a term used in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as an official designation of nationality of Slavic Muslims. They were one of the constitutive groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
- 46 YugoslavsYugoslavsYugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
- 18 CroatsCroatsCroats 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...
(See: Croats of Bosnia and HerzegovinaCroats of Bosnia and HerzegovinaCroats of Bosnia and Herzegovina form one of the three constitutive nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.There is no precise data regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina's population since the last war. Ethnic cleansing within Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s saw the vast majority of Croats move and take...
) - 46 others
Famous residents
Bosnian Serb Army General Ratko MladićRatko Mladić
Ratko Mladić is an accused war criminal and a former Bosnian Serb military leader. On May 31, 2011, Mladić was extradited to The Hague, where he was processed at the detention center that holds suspects for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia...
, indicted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
, was born in the village of Božanovići, in the municipality of Kalinovik. Momčilo Mandić, Republika Srpska Justice minister, was born in Kalinovik.
The Bosnian war
Between April 1992 and April 1993 during the first year of the Bosnian warBosnian 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...
the municipality of Kalinovik was ethnically cleansed of its Muslim population. Grave crimes were committed against Muslim civilians in Kalinovik by the Bosnian Serbs Ratko Bundalo and Nedjo Zeljaja..
Bundalo was commander of the Tactical Group in Kalinovik and Zeljaja was commander of the Public Safety Station. Under their authority civilians were detained in the "Miladin Radojevic" school building in 1992. Members of paramilitary units who "mistreated all residents, irrespective of ethnicity" took part in the rape of women and other physical abuse of detainees in the school. Men prisoners were taken out and beaten, and some never returned. Aleksandar Cerovina and Slavko Lalović were mentioned by witnesses as accomplices in the crimes and Cerovina as having been involved in intimidation of witnesses.
On 21 December 2009 the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina found Bundalo and Zeljaja guilty of persecution, murder, detention and torture of Muslims from April 1992 to March 1993. Bundalo was sentenced to 19 years in prison, Zeljaja to 15 years. A third defendant. Djordjislav Askraba, director of the Barutni Magacin detention camp, was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
In autumn 1995 the Bosnian Army destroyed the bridge over the Ljuta river at Dindo
Dindo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dindo is a village in the municipality of Konjic, in the Bosnian Federation entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Latitude 43.5127778 - Longitude 18.3025 Elevation: 700 m / 2297 ft...
to prevent Bosnian Serb tanks attacking Konjic and the Neretva valley. The road link between the towns of Konjic and Kalinovik was restored in 2002 when a Bailey Bridge across the river was constructed by a Spanish army engineering section of SFOR
SFOR
The Stabilisation Force was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina which was tasked with upholding the Dayton Agreement. It replaced the previous force IFOR...
in a UNHCR-led initiative.
Post-war social developments
There is unemployment and rural deprivation in Kalinovik.The Upper Drina valley, devastated by the war and bisected by the inter-entity boundary, remains troubled by deep-seated divisions and difficult community relations. Political obstruction by hard-line politicians has isolated the area from international development assistance and the economic mainstream. Core economic problems are exacerbated by geographical remoteness and the mountainous region is peripheral to regional and national markets. Many local communities are among the most deprived in Bosnia.
The war crimes indictee and fugitive Ratko Mladić remains an influential presence locally. Friends and family still express support for him and regard him as a hero though local people are reluctant to talk to outsiders. Serbian officials have said that comrades from Kalinovik are among Mladic's support network.
Newcomers from Sarajevo have settled in the town. The traditional domestic role of women in Kalinovik has changed since Verica Elez, a professor of Serbian language and literature and an newcomer, began to encourage local women to take advantage of the post-war development opportunities offered by international organizations concerned with women’s issues and with strengthening the role of women in rural communities. The women’s group she is president of collaborates with NGOs to obtain computers, develop marketing opportunities and encourage women to take on management roles. The NGO IFAD has supported development in Kalinovik through rural infrastructure reconstruction, credit for livestock, and training and seminars. Some women are involved in wool processing (weaving and scarf and blanket making) and are planning a weaving workshop, others work in milk collection and processing.