Mrkonjic Grad
Encyclopedia
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
.
in the uprising (1875-1878) against the Ottoman Empire
.
, the city became renowned by the first meeting of ZAVNOBiH
on November 25, 1943, when Bosnia and Herzegovina was proclaimed as a common republic of Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Muslims/Bosniaks
.
During the Bosnian Civil War from 1992 to 1995, the city was in Bosnian Serbs hands. On Oct 8-12 1995, the Croatian forces (Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia and Croatian Defence Council) took over the municipality of Mrkonjic Grad by committing atrocities against local Serbian population. Of the 480 Serbs killed, only 219 bodies have been exhumed and identified, so far. As a result, a high majority of the Bosnian-Serb population was forced to leave the municipality. The Croatian forces destroyed close to 90% of Mrkonjic Grad's infrastructure in an attempt to prevent the return of the Serbian population after the war. These forces completely destroyed 3644 houses and 700 apartments/condos, and rendered 6017 other buildings totally unusable.
Mrkonjic Grad is preparing a lawsuit against Croatia as a compensation for material damage caused by their regular army during the city's occupation from October 10, 1995 to February 4, 1996.
The city is also known for the Mrkonjić Grad incident
where the USAF lost one F-16 in June 1995. The pilot of the jet, Scott O'Grady
, was stranded in the area for six days before being rescued by US Marines
.
After the Dayton peace agreement the city was assigned to the entity of Republika Srpska.
, the municipality of Mrkonjić Grad had 27,379 residents, including:
The town itself had 11,261 residents, including:
.
The Mrkonjić Grad Incident Mrkonji%C4%87 Grad incident
The Dayton Peace Accords http://www.state.gov/www/regions/eur/bosnia/bosagree.html Accessed March 17, 2011
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 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...
entity
Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina were created by the Dayton Agreement, which recognized a second tier of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina comprising two entities—a joint Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska -- each presiding over roughly one half of...
. It is located in the Bosanska Krajina
Bosanska Krajina
Bosanska Krajina or Bosnian Frontier is a geographical region, a subregion of Bosnia, in western Bosnia and Herzegovina enclosed by three rivers - Sava, Una and Vrbas. It is also a historic, economic and cultural entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
, between 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 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...
.
Name
The city changed its name several times in history: Gornje Kloke, Novo Jajce (Jenidži Jajce), Varcarev Vakuf, Varcar Vakuf, and ultimately the present one. The last renaming took place in 1924 after King Peter I of Serbia, who had taken the nom de guerre 'Mrkonjić' while fighting as a hajdukHajduk
Hajduk is a term most commonly referring to outlaws, highwaymen or freedom fighters in the Balkans, Central- and Eastern Europe....
in the uprising (1875-1878) against 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...
.
History
In World War IIWorld 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...
, the city became renowned by the first meeting of ZAVNOBiH
ZAVNOBiH
The National Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was formed as the highest governing organ of the anti-fascist movement in Bosnia and Herzegovina and during World War II developed to be bearer of Bosnian statehood...
on November 25, 1943, when Bosnia and Herzegovina was proclaimed as a common republic of Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Muslims/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...
.
During the Bosnian Civil War from 1992 to 1995, the city was in Bosnian Serbs hands. On Oct 8-12 1995, the Croatian forces (Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia and Croatian Defence Council) took over the municipality of Mrkonjic Grad by committing atrocities against local Serbian population. Of the 480 Serbs killed, only 219 bodies have been exhumed and identified, so far. As a result, a high majority of the Bosnian-Serb population was forced to leave the municipality. The Croatian forces destroyed close to 90% of Mrkonjic Grad's infrastructure in an attempt to prevent the return of the Serbian population after the war. These forces completely destroyed 3644 houses and 700 apartments/condos, and rendered 6017 other buildings totally unusable.
Mrkonjic Grad is preparing a lawsuit against Croatia as a compensation for material damage caused by their regular army during the city's occupation from October 10, 1995 to February 4, 1996.
The city is also known for the Mrkonjić Grad incident
Mrkonjic Grad incident
The Mrkonjić Grad incident was the shooting down of a United States Air Force F-16C by a Bosnian Serb Army SA-6 surface-to-air missile near Mrkonjić Grad, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on June 2, 1995...
where the USAF lost one F-16 in June 1995. The pilot of the jet, Scott O'Grady
Scott O'Grady
Scott Francis O'Grady is a former USAF Captain and former United States Air Force fighter pilot who gained prominence after the June 2, 1995 Mrkonjić Grad incident, in which he ejected over Bosnia when his F-16C was shot down by a Bosnian Serb SA-6 while he was patrolling the no-fly zone...
, was stranded in the area for six days before being rescued by US Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
.
After the Dayton peace agreement the city was assigned to the entity of Republika Srpska.
1910
According to the 1910 census, the absolute majority in the Varcar Vakuf municipality were Serbian Orthodox Christians (79.61%).1971
30.159 total- Serbs - 24.990 (82,86%)
- Muslims - 2.734 (9,06%)
- Croats - 2.204 (7,30%)
- Yugoslavs - 98 (0,32%)
- others - 133 (0,46%)
1981
29.684 total- Serbs - 23.364 (78,70%)
- Muslims - 3.009 (10,13%)
- Croats - 2.290 (7,71%)
- Yugoslavs - 855 (2,88%)
- others - 166 (0,58%)
1991
In the 1991 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, the municipality of Mrkonjić Grad had 27,379 residents, including:
- 21,159 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...
) - 3,275 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...
- 2,141 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...
) - 584 YugoslavsYugoslavsYugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
- 220 others
The town itself had 11,261 residents, including:
- 78% Serbs
- 13% Muslims by nationality
- 4% Yugoslavs
- 3% Croats
- 2% others
Features
The Balkana lake lies near the town and presents a small, but beautiful tourist resortResort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
.
See also
- Municipalities of Republika SrpskaMunicipalities of Republika SrpskaUnder the "Law on Territorial Organization and Local Self-Government" adopted in 1994, Republika Srpska was divided into 80 municipalities. After the conclusion of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the law was amended in 1996 to reflect the changes to the entity's borders and now provides for the...
The Mrkonjić Grad Incident Mrkonji%C4%87 Grad incident
The Dayton Peace Accords http://www.state.gov/www/regions/eur/bosnia/bosagree.html Accessed March 17, 2011