Kneževo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Kneževo Kneževo
Coat of arms
Location within Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordinates:
Country	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Entity	Republika Srpska
Municipality	Kneževo (seat)
Government
• Mayor	Bore Škeljić (SDS)
Area
• Total	332,9 km2 (1,285 sq mi)
Population (2013 census)
• Total	10,428
• Density	31,3/km2 (810/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Area code(s)	51
Website	Official Kneževo Municipality Website

Kneževo , formerly named Skender Vakuf, is a Bosnian town.

Name

Some Bosniaks still refer to Kneževo as "Skender Vakuf." However this is only by small minority.

Geography

Kneževo is located between the rivers Ugar, Vrbas and Vrbanja and surrounded by the mountain chains of Čemernica, Ranča in the west, Vlašić in the south and Ježica in the north-east. The municipality has an official altitude of 864 metres (2,835 ft), but really ranges from 600 to 1,493 metres (1,969 to 4,898 ft). Kneževo is 50 kilometres (31 mi) southeast of Banja Luka by the M56 motorway.

Neighbouring municipalities are Čelinac (extreme north), Kotor Varoš (east), Travnik, Dobretići, Jajce (south), Mrkonjić Grad and the city of Banja Luka (west). The southern border is defined by the border of the Republika Srpska with the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country's other entity. The mountainous region in the south is forested and impracticable; its limestone mountains reach a height of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft).

Municipality

Today, the Kneževo municipality includes Bastaji, Bekići, Bokani, Borak, Bregovi, Vlatkovići, Golo Brdo, Gornji Korićani, Doline, Donji Korićani, Živinice, Imljani, Javorani, Kneževo, Kobilja, Korićani, Kostići, Milovići, Mokri Lug, Pavlovići, Paunovići, Petrovo Polje, Ravni Sto, Rađići, Ćeleši, Ćukovac, Čarići, Šolaji.

History

Roman basilica have been found in Imljani and Javorani, and remains of the Roman road from Servitium (Banja Luka) to Levsaba (Travnik) were also found in the vicinity. Tombstones of the Stećak type date back to the 14th and 15th centuries, when the area was part of the Kingdom of Bosnia. In 1463 the town became part of the Ottoman Empire and Islam was to become the dominant religion of the region. The charitable endowment (vakuf) that is reflected in the town's traditional name Skender Vakuf (after Ali-dedo Skender) contributed to urbanization. The Old Mosque was significant and one of the first in the region. It was destroyed, along with the New Mosque, in 1992 during the Bosnian War.

In the Korićani Cliffs massacre of 21 August 1992, some 200 Bosniaks and Croats detainees were massacred by the Bosnian Serbs Police and Army forces (in deep cliff in the canyon of Ilomska) river.

After the Bosnian War, part of the municipality was split off to form the Dobretići municipality of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity.

Culture

The municipality houses several cultural monuments, such as the Old Church of St. Nicholas from 1757, the 18th-century Church of Prophet Elijah.

In Imljani there is a monument dedicated to 43 fallen soldiers of the Army of Republika Srpska who fell at the Vlašić battlefield on 20 March 1995.

• 

  Wooden church in Javorani.

• 

  Serbian Orthodox church in Kneževo

• 

  Kneževo municipality building

Politics

The mayor of Skender Vakuf is Bore Škeljić, of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS).

Demographics

According to the preliminary results of the 2013 population census in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there were 3.958 inhabitants in Skender Vakuf town, and 10.428 inhabitants in the Skender Vakufmunicipality.

Municipality

Ethnic Composition
Year	Serbs	%	Croats	%	Muslims/Bosniaks	%	Yugoslavs	%	Others	%	Total
1961	8,564	93.12%	19	0.21%	560	6.09%	28	0.89%	19	0.21%	9,190
1971	15,926	74.35%	4,431	20.69%	947	4.42%	9	0.04%	106	0.49%	21,419
1981	15,953	69.52%	5,395	23.51%	1,141	4.97%	322	1.40%	141	0.61%	22,948
1991	13,263	68.30%	4,770	24.56%	1,071	5.52%	169	0.87%	145	0.75%	19,418
Note:After 1961 the municipal borders changed. The municipality became significantly larger.

After the war, the majority of the old Skender Vakuf municipality became part of the new Kneževo municipality of the Republika Srpska entity. Four Croatian pre-war settlements became part of the new Dobretići municipality of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity.

Town

Ethnic Composition
Year	Serbs	%	Croats	%	Muslims/Bosniaks	%	Yugoslavs	%	Others	%	Total
1961	383	38.61%	16	1.61%	560	56.45%	28	2.82%	5	0.50%	992
1971	723	42.83%	17	1.01%	923	54.68%	5	0.30%	20	1.18%	1,688
1981	1,491	51.24%	45	1.55%	1,118	38.42%	205	7.04%	51	1.75%	2,910
1991	2,484	66.08%	42	1.12%	1,063	28.28%	111	2.95%	59	1.57%	3,759

Notable people

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Radojka Lakić, National Hero of Yugoslavia
• Luka Radetić, National Hero of Yugoslavia
• Dujko Komljenović, National Hero of Yugoslavia
• Lazar Tešanović, Chetnik officer, born in Javorani
• Željko Raljić, journalist
• Momir Ćelić, professor
• Tihomir Radetić, film director

Annotations

According to the 1991 census, the municipality consisted of: Bastaji, Bokani, Borak, Bregovi, Brnjići, Bunar, Čarići, Ćukovac, Davidovići, Dobratići, Donji Orašac, Golo Brdo, Gornji Orašac, Imljani, Javorani, Kobilja, Kostići, Kričići - Jejići, Melina, Mijatovići, Milaševci, Mokri Lug, Paunovići, Pavlovići, Prisika, Rađići, Skender Vakuf, Slipčevići, Šolaji, Vitovlje Malo, Vlatkovići, Vukovići, Zapeće, Zasavica, Zubovići and Živinice.

In 1995, the municipality included Bastaji, Bokani, Borak, Bregovi, Čarići, Ćukovac, Golo Brdo, Imljani, Javorani, Kobilja, Kostići, Malići, Mokri Lug, Paunovići, Rađići, Kneževo, Šolaji, Vlatkovići and Živinice; the south-western settlements of Davidovići, Dobretići, Kričići and Melina became part of the municipality of Dobretići in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

External links

• Official Municipality Website