Zenica
Encyclopedia
Zenica is an industrial city in 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...

. It is the capital of the Zenica-Doboj Canton
Zenica-Doboj Canton
The Zenica-Doboj Canton is one of the cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Geography:This canton is situated in the central part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The cantonal capital is Zenica and the other town mentioned in the name is Doboj, which is in Republika Srpska, but part of the...

 of 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...

 entity. Zenica is located about 70 km (43 mi) north 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....

 and is situated on the Bosna river, surrounded by mountains and hills.

The town's Stara Čaršija (old quarter) contains several attractions, including the former synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...

, dating from 1906, which is now the City Museum and Art Gallery. There is also the town mosque (Čaršijska Džamija), an Austrian fountain and an old bey's farm house (Hadžimazića Kuća).

Ancient history

The urban part of today's Zenica was formed during several specific periods which can be chronologically dated to the time of Neolithic community, Illyrian old towns ruins, Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 Municipium Bistua Nova, and the most important archaeological finding; an early Christian double basilica dating from the 2nd to 4th century, one of two that have so far been identified in Europe. Ruins of a substantial ancient settlement were found not far from Bilimišće (a suburb on the south side of the town) and close by the villages of Putovici and Tišina, with sites like a Villa Rustica, baths, pagan temples among other structures.

Medieval times

Known by the Romans as Bistua Nova, the town became known as Bilino Polje (Bilin's Field), Brod and finally took its modern name of Zenica from 20 March 1436. During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

, the town was important in the governance of the Bosnian Kingdom, in particular under Ban Kulin
Ban Kulin
Ban Kulin was a notable Ban of Bosnia who ruled from 1180 to 1204 first as a vassal of the Byzantine Empire and then of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was brought to the power by Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus. He had a son, Stjepan Kulinić who succeeded him as Bosnian Ban...

 in the 12th Century. Nearby were the stone fortress of Vranduk, the residence of the Kings of Bosnia at Bobovac
Bobovac
Bobovac is a fortified city of medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located near today's Vareš.The city was built during the reign of Stephen II, Ban of Bosnia, and was first mentioned in a document dating from 1349...

 and the village of Janjici, where the Did, head of the Bosnian Church resided. The nearby villages of Puhovac and Pojske are the site of several Stećak
Stecak
The Stećci , are monumental medieval tombstones that lie scattered across Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the border parts of Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. An estimated 60,000 are found within the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the rest of 10,000 are found in Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro...

 tombstones, unique to Bosnia and Herzegovina and parts of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

, Croatia
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 ...

 and Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...

.

Zenica is also the place of origin of the Montenegrin Petrović dynasty that migrated in the 14th century to Herzegovina
Herzegovina
Herzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...

 and would rule Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...

 for over two centuries.

Ottoman Rule

During the rule of 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...

 (1463–1878), changes to the main trade routes sidelined the town in Bosnian affairs, except during a brief period until 1557, when Zenica was the residence of the Ottoman Qadi
Qadi
Qadi is a judge ruling in accordance with Islamic religious law appointed by the ruler of a Muslim country. Because Islam makes no distinction between religious and secular domains, qadis traditionally have jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims...

 of Brod. Zenica became a small town with several mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...

s: Sultan Ahmet's, Osman Chelebi's, Seymen and Jali mosques, a Madrassa (Islamic religious school), founded in 1737 and several lower primary schools, with interesting Ottoman tombstones, gardens, inns and several stopping inns for caravans. In one description from the year 1697, Zenica is compared to a delta of the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...

, where melons grow and where the entire landscape is very pleasant. It is estimated that Zenica had 2,000 inhabitants at that time; mostly 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...

, although 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...

 are mentioned in documents at the end of the 18th century and, during the 19th century, Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...

 are also mentioned.

The raids of Eugene of Savoy during the Great Turkish War
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:...

 during the 1680s are remembered as dark times which left a lot destruction and caused an exodus of population, but by 1697, Zenica had started to stabilise and to begin to recover its influential position.

Austro-Hungarian Rule

At the end of the 19th century, during Austro-Hungarian occupation, there were investments in capital projects that had wider social and economic importance, and were soon to become life and fate of Zenica. Those projects include a railway from Bosanski Brod
Bosanski Brod
Brod also known as Bosanski Brod is a town and municipality located on the south bank of the river Sava in the northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the north-western part of the Republika Srpska and the western part of the Posavina region.-Name:Prior to the Bosnian War it...

 to Zenica built in 1879, a Coal Mine (1880), Paper Works (1885), Steel Factory (1892) and a Prison (1886), all of which improved both the quality and quantity of city's development.

In the beginning of the 20th century, there was an urban boom and the official State Register for the year 1910 shows that in only a few years the number of population had increased to 7,215 inhabitants. An Orthodox Church was built in 1882, two Catholic Churches in 1910, a Synagogue in 1903, several coaching inns, a hotel, a school, sewerage, paved roads and more. The city changed markedly in character during this period as might be expected during such a developmental boom.

Yugoslavia

During the Second World War, the local population (predominantly Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

) signed the Resolution of the Muslims of Zenica in May 1942, and formed Muslim militias in the villages of Šerići, Doglodima, Babino and other places who joined the Yugoslav Partisans. Zenica managed to escape major physical damage or large-scale reprisals and human casualties.

Following the liberation of Zenica by the Partisans in 1945, the town began to grow rapidly as the steel industry developed further. The town spread to encompass the former villages of Bilino Polje, Klopce and Radakovo, and new apartment blocks were built to house the new miners and steelworkers. In 1948 the population was only 12,000 people, but by 1961 it had grown to over 30,000. In 1981 the town had over 63,000 people, and in the last census taken 1991 Zenica was a city of some 96,027 people. Zenica had seen a sixfold increase in its population over 50 years.

The Bosnian War and Independence

In 1991, just one year before 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...

 began, Zenica became the headquarters of one of the first private and independent radio stations in Eastern Europe, Radio CD-CEMP. In the spring of 1993, Zoran Misetic, a journalist and the owner of Radio CD-CEMP, was awarded with the Belgian Award for Independent Journalism; the "Pen Of Peace".

During the Bosnian War, the demographics of the city were altered to a certain extent, whereby the city received a large number of ethnic Bosniaks from other parts of Bosnia, while the Serb population left Zenica to parts of Serb-controlled Bosnia. Today, Zenica is trying to regain the economic influence it used to have before the war. One of the biggest steel mills in South Central Europe has been privatized and now bears the name of the Mittal Steel Corp.

Municipality Population

Ethnic Composition
Year Serb  % Bosniaks  % Croats  % Yugoslavs  % Others  % Total
1961 20,369 24.15% 31,177 36.97% 20,509 24.32% 10,755 12.75% -
84,341
1971 21,875 19.45% 61,204 54.43% 24,658 21.93% 2,133 1.90% 2,577 2.29% 112,447
1981 21,204 15.97% 66,930 50.42% 23,595 17.78% 17,536 13.21% - -% 132,733
1991 22,592 15.52% 80,377 55.21% 22,651 15.56% 15,651 10.75% 4,306 2.96% 145,577


In 2005, population of Zenica municipality included 85% Bosniaks, 8% Croats and 5% Serbs.

Town Population

Ethnic Composition
Year Serb  % Bosniaks  % Croats  % Yugoslavs  % Others  % Total
1961 10,525 32.41% 5,908 18.19% 9,393 28.92% 5,517 15.31% -
32,476
1971 12,779 24.93% 21,365 41.68% 13,250 25.85% 1,945 3.79% -
51,263
1981 12,728 20.02% 22,146 34.84% 11,716 18.43% 14,437 22.71% -
63,569
1991 18,488 19.21% 43,166 44.85% 15,917 16.54% 14,748 15.32% 3,919 4.07% 96,238

Geography

Zenica is situated in the middle part of the River Bosna from which the country takes its name, and stands at 316 metres (1,037 ft) above sea level. The source of the River Bosna is in Ilidža
Ilidža
Ilidža is a town and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has a metro population of 157,654, making it the 7th largest city in the country. Ilidža is the chief suburb of Sarajevo. It is famous for the natural beauty of its surroundings and historical tradition dating back to...

 near Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....

 and the confluence with the River Sava is near Bosanski Šamac, which makes the river a natural north-south axis. The Zenica valley itself stretches from Lasva canyon in the south to Vranduk canyon to the north.

Transport

Zenica is connected with Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....

 (70 kilometres (43.5 mi) to the southeast), by rail and road, both of which run along the valley of the river Bosna. The closest airport is Sarajevo International
Sarajevo International Airport
Sarajevo International Airport , also known as Butmir Airport, is the main international airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located southwest of the railway station in the capital city of Sarajevo in the suburb of Butmir....

. The railway line continues to the south, eventually reaching the coast at Ploče
Ploce
Ploče is a town and a notable seaport in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia.The total population of Ploče is 10,102 , in the following settlements:* Baćina, population 564* Banja, population 176* Komin, population 1,222...

 in Croatia.
  • Surface: 500 square kilometres (193.1 sq mi)
  • Geographic latitude and longitude: 44°12' and 17°56'
  • Height above sea level: 316 metres (1,037 ft)
  • Cultivable soil: 64.14 square kilometres (24.8 sq mi) (12.69 %)
  • Forests: 37.84 square kilometres (14.6 sq mi) (60.90 %)
  • Pastures: 11.81 square kilometres (4.6 sq mi) (2.34 %)
  • Meadows: 72.63 square kilometres (28 sq mi) (14.37 %)

Twin cities

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Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....

, Germany Hunedoara
Hunedoara
Hunedoara is a city in Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in southeastern Transylvania near the Poiana Ruscă Mountains, and administers five villages: Boş, Groş, Hăşdat, Peştişu Mare and Răcăştia....

, Romania Üsküdar
Üsküdar
Üsküdar is a large and densely populated municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Beykoz, on the east by Ümraniye, on the southeast by Ataşehir, on the south by Kadıköy, and on the west by the Bosphorus, with the areas of Beşiktaş,...

, Turkey Karşıyaka
Karsiyaka
Karşıyaka is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey. It is part of the Greater Metropolitan Area of İzmir, in other words a metropolitan district, the second largest after Konak in terms of population, and it is almost entirely urbanized at the rate of 99,9 per cent, with corresponding high levels...

, Turkey Kranj
Kranj
' is the third largest municipality and fourth largest city in Slovenia, with a population of 54,500 . It is located approximately 20 km north-west of Ljubljana...

, Slovenia Luleå
Luleå
- Transportation :Local buses are run by .A passenger train service is available from Luleå Centralstation on Sweden's national SJ railway service northbound to Narvik on the Norwegian coast, or southbound to Stockholm. See Rail transport in Sweden....

, Sweden Temirtau
Temirtau
Temirtau is a city in the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan. Pop 180,000.-History:*1905, June, 15 - the first groups of settlers settled down on the left bank of the Nura River. There were 40 families, that had arrived from Samara...

, Kazakhstan Fiorenzuola d'Arda
Fiorenzuola d'Arda
Fiorenzuola d'Arda is a city and comune in Italy in the province of Piacenza, of the Emilia-Romagna region. Its name derives from Florentia . The "d'Arda" portion refers to the River Arda which flows from the Apennines into the valley where Fiorenzuola is situated...

, Italy Zalaegerszeg
Zalaegerszeg
In 2001 Zalaegerszeg had 61,654 inhabitants . The distribution of religions were, 71.1% Roman Catholic, 3.8% Calvinist, 1.6% Lutheran, 11.6% Atheist .-Notable people:* Lajos Botfy , mayor...

, Hungary

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