Travnik

Travnik (Cyrillic: Травник) is a city and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, 90 km west of Sarajevo. It is the capital of the Central Bosnia Canton, and is located in the Travnik Municipality. Travnik today has some 27,000 residents, with a metro (municipality) population that is probably close to 70,000 people. It is famous for being the capital city of the governors of Bosnia from 1686 to 1850, and its cultural heritage dating from that period.

Geography and climate

Geography

Travnik is located near the geographic center of Bosnia and Herzegovina at . The river Lašva passes through the city, flowing from west to east before joining the Bosna. Travnik itself is built in the large Lašva river valley, which connects the Bosna river valley in the east with the Vrbas river valley in the west.

Travnik is found 514 meters above sea level. Its most distinguishing geographic feature are its mountains, Vilenica and Vlašić. Vlašić, named after the Vlachs, is one of the tallest mountains in the country at 1933 meters (6342 ft).

Climate

Travnik has a continental climate, located between the Adriatic sea to the South and Pannonia to the North. Average summer temperature is 18.2°C (64.8°F). Average winter temperature on the other hand is a cold 0.5°C (33°F). It snows in Travnik every year.

History

Although there is evidence of some settlement in the region dating back to the Bronze Age, the true history of Travnik begins during the first few centuries AD. Dating from this time there are numerous indications of Roman settlement in the region, including graves, forts, the remains of various other structures, early Christian basilicas, etc. etc. In the city 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, away.

In the Middle Ages the Travnik area is known as the župa Lašva province of the medieval Bosnian kingdom. 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 city itself is first mentioned by the Ottomans during their conquest of nearby Jajce.

After the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia, much of the local Croatian Catholic population converted to Islam. The city quickly grew into one of the more important settlements in the region, as authorities constructed mosques, marketplaces, and various infrastructure. During 1699 when Sarajevo was set afire by soldiers of Field-Marshall Prince Eugene of Savoy, Travnik became the capital of the Ottoman province of Bosnia and residence of the Bosnian viziers. The city became an important center of government in the whole Western frontier of the empire, and consulates were established by the governments of France and Austria-Hungary.

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

During the Bosnian War, the town mostly escaped damage from conflict with Serbian forces, but the area experienced fighting between local Bosniak and Croat factions before the Washington Agreement was signed. After the war, Travnik was made the capital of the Central Bosnia Canton.

Demographics

1971

55.822 total

Muslims - 24.480 (43,85%)
Croats - 22.645 (40,56%)
Serbs - 7.554 (13,53%)
Yugoslavs - 626 (1,12%)
others - 517 (0,94%)

1991

Demographic statistics for Travnik are scarce. According to the 1991 Yugoslav census, the area had a population of 70,747. Of these, 31,813 were Bosniaks (45%), 26,118 were Croats (37%), 7,777 were Serbs (11%), and 5,039 "others" (7%). In city itself there was a Croat majority;

Settlement: Bos Srbs Croats Yugos Others Sum B% S% C% Y% O%
Bojna 0 1 94 5 0 100 0% 1% 94% 5% 0%
Centar 4166 1367 2300 1736 391 9960 42% 14% 23% 17% 4%
Gornji Dolac 647 31 976 93 47 1794 36% 2% 54% 5% 3%
Kalibunar 1516 556 3173 770 112 6127 25% 9% 52% 13% 2%
Pirota 216 135 1225 92 80 1748 12% 8% 70% 5% 5%
Stari Grad 1024 36 77 122 50 1309 78% 3% 6% 9% 4%

Croats made 37,29% city population, Bosniaks 35,98%, Serbs 10,11%, Yugoslavs 13,4%, and others 3,22%. Croats made majority in Bojna, Gornji DOlac, Kalibunar and Poirota, while Bosniaks were majority in Centar and Stari grad (old city).

1997

After the war were great population shifts, as well as possible ethnic cleansing in the region. Thousands of Croats and Serbs left the area, while thousands of Bosniak refugees came in. By December 1997, the area's population was only 59,367. Of these, 48,861 were Bosniaks (82%), 539 Serbs (1%), 9,144 Croats (15%), and 823 others (1.4*).

2004

Latest population figures are mostly estimates. It is assumed that since 1997, a combination of returning refugees and steady birth rate has resulted in the area's population increasing to about 70,000 residents. As for the city itself, international organizations estimated that by 2004 there were 26,510 people in the city itself.

2005

In 2005, most of the inhabitants of the Travnik municipality were ethnic Bosniaks (86%), while ethnic Croats comprised 14%.

Government

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, very few cities actually have what would be considered "city governments". Instead, the country's municipalities are essentially based from chief settlement to chief settlement. Thus, though Travnik doesn't really have a city government of its own, it is part of "Municipality Travnik" which for all practical purposes is the de facto city government since its area of jurisdiction covers Travnik and the outlying villages and small towns. An exception to this rule are cities so large they cover more than one municipality (for example, Sarajevo).

Asides from being the obvious center of municipality government, Travnik is also the capital of the Central Bosnia Canton, one of the 10 Cantons of Bosnia. Its current mayor is Tahir Lendo;. 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, which was never anything extraordinary, suffered greatly during the war period of the early 1990s. 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 to furniture. Food processing is also a strong industry in the region, especially meat and milk companies.

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 Croatian Catholic churches exist in the region, as do tombs of important historical figures and excellent examples of Ottoman architecture. The city museum, built in 1950, is one of the more impressive cultural institutions in the region. Travnik became famous by important persons who were born or lived in Travnik. The most important are Ivo Andrić (writer, Nobel Prize for literature in 1961), Zoran Đinđić (philosopher, politician, prime minister of Serbia 2001-2003), Miroslav Ćiro Blažević (soccer coach of Croatian national team, won third place 1998 in France), Josip Pejaković (actor), Seid Memić Vajta (pop-singer) and Davor Džalto (artist and art historian, the youngest Ph.D. in Germany and in the South-East European region).

Tourism

Like many Bosnian towns, Travnik's tourism is based largely on its history and geography. Nearby Mt.Vlaišić is one of the tallest peaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and an excellent spot for skiing, hiking, and sledding. Though tourism isn't very strong for the city, Vlaišić is probably its chief tourist attraction. The city itself is also of interest. Numerous structures dating to the Ottoman era have survived in near perfect conditions, such as numerous mosques, oriental homes, two clock towers (it is the only city in Bosnia and Herzegovina to have two clock towers), and fountains. The city's old town dates back to the early 15th century, making it one of the most popular widely accessible sites from that time.

Miscellaneous

Nobel Prize for literature winner Ivo Andric was born in Travnik on September 10 1892; a popular work of his, Travnička hronika ("The Chronicles of Travnik" 1945, title translated as "The Days of the Consuls" or "Bosnian Chronicle"), is set here. The Bosnian Tornjak, one of Bosnia's two major dog breeds and national symbol, originated in the area, found around Mt.Vlašić. The local football (soccer) team is NK Travnik, established in 1922.