Vareš
Encyclopedia
Vareš is a town and municipality in central 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...

, famous for the local mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

 activities and production of iron. It is part 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...

 and 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...

.

About Vareš

Vareš is a mountainous town located 45 km from 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 valley of the small Stavnja River 828 m above sea level surrounded by the massive high Kapija, Stijene, Zvijezda and Perun Mountains, named after Perun
Perun
In Slavic mythology, Perun is the highest god of the pantheon and the god of thunder and lightning. His other attributes were the fire, mountains, the oak, iris, eagle, firmament , horses and carts, weapons and war...

 / Перун, the highest god of the Slavic pantheon (Perkūnas
Perkunas
Perkūnas was the common Baltic god of thunder, one of the most important deities in the Baltic pantheon. In both Lithuanian and Latvian mythology, he is documented as the god of thunder, rain, mountains, oak trees and the sky.-Etymology:...

/Perkons. The town is rich with archeological findings from different epochs – on several surrounding locations are found remains of prehistorical period, such as copper artifacts in Brgula.

In the town center itself, there is an old stone bridge that resembles to the majority of one arched bridges from Ottoman
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...

 period. This bridge is considered to be similar by the building method to the Old Bridge
Stari most
Stari Most is a 16th century Ottoman bridge in the city of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina that crosses the river Neretva and connects two parts of the city. The Old Bridge stood for 427 years, until it was destroyed on November 9, 1993 during the Croat-Bosniak War...

 in Mostar
Mostar
Mostar is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the largest and one of the most important cities in the Herzegovina region and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country...

.

1971

23.523 total
  • Croats - 11.134 (47,33%)
  • Bosniaks - 6.631 (28,18%)
  • Serbs - 5.166 (21,96%)
  • Yugoslavs - 307 (1,30%)
  • Others - 285 (1,23%)

1991

22.203 total
  • Croats - 9.016 (40,60%)
  • Bosniaks - 6.714 (30,23%)
  • Serbs - 3.644 (16,41%)
  • Yugoslavs - 2.071 (9,32%)
  • Others - 758 (3,44%)

1991

In the 1991 census
Census
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 Vareš had 22,203 residents: 9,016 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...

 (40.60%), 6,714 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...

 (30.23%), 3,644 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...

 (16.41%), 2,071 Yugoslavs (9.32%) and 758 others and unknown (3.44%).

Town of Vareš:

total: 5,888
  • Croats - 3,035 (51.54%)
  • Bosniaks - 1,068 (18.13%)
  • Serbs - 627 (10,64%)
  • Yugoslavs - 859 (14.58%)
  • others and unknown - 299 (5.07%)

2001

Due to 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 population of the area had been reduced to 13,293 residents in the 2001 estimation
Estimation
Estimation is the calculated approximation of a result which is usable even if input data may be incomplete or uncertain.In statistics,*estimation theory and estimator, for topics involving inferences about probability distributions...

. Ethnically, the municipality of Vareš had 9,700 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...

 (73.0%), 3,500 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...

 (26.3%), 56 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...

 (0.4%), and 37 others (0.3%).

History

The town of Vareš has a rich history. There are remainings of metallurgical activities dating back to Bronze Age. Also during Roman era the town was famous for its miners and smiths.

During Middle Ages the Bosnian kings had their center in close proximity of the modern city of Vareš. Bosnia's greatest king, Tvrtko, considered the Vareš' village Duboštica for the center of his kingdom, since it was the mining center of his country.

The remainings of the medieval royal city and castle 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...

 were recently proclaimed as national monuments, as was the Catholic Church of St. Michael in the town of Vareš. Some of the oldest preserved Catholic churches in Bosnia can be found in the town.

The town was earlier dominated by Catholic (i.e. Croat or Bosnian-Croat) population. The church books are among the oldest preserved in Bosnia and date back to 1643.

During the Austrian rule of Bosnia-Herzegovina the ironworks of Vareš were an important exporter of various iron products to the rest of the Habsburg empire
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...

.

Tourism

The Vareš region also has possibilities for winter tourism development. Due to its position and elevation snow stays longer than in other regions, and the beautiful areas surrounding it are really good for skiing and skating. The mountain resort Doli is located on Zvijezda Mountain.

Places in the municipality

Bijelo Borje, Blaža, Borovica Donja, Borovica Gornja, Borovičke Njive, Brda, Brezik, Brgule, Budoželje, Čamovine, Ćeće, Dabravine, Daštansko, Debela Međa, Diknjići, Dragovići, Draževići, Duboštica, Hodžići, Ivančevo, Javornik, Kadarići, Karići, Kokoščići, Kolovići, Kopališta, Kopijari, Krčevine, Kunosići, Letevci, Ligatići, Luke, Ljepovići, Mijakovići, Mir, Mižnovići, Mlakve, Naseoci, Neprivaj, Očevlje Donje, Očevlje Gornje, Okruglica, Orah, Osoje, Osredak, Ostrlja, Pajtov Han, Pajtovići, Planinica, Pobilje, Podjavor, Pogar, Položac, Poljanice, Pomenići, Pržići, Pržići Kolonija, Radonjići, Radoševići, Ravne, Rokoč, Samari, Semizova Ponikva, Seoci, Sjenokos, Slavin, Sršljenci, Strica, Striježevo, Stupni Do, Šikulje, Tisovci, Toljenak, Tribija, Vareš, Vareš Majdan, Vijaka Donja, Vijaka Gornja, Višnjići, Zabrezje, Zaruđe, Zubeta, Zvijezda, Žalja i Žižci.

External links

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