Velika Kladuša
Encyclopedia
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...
, located near the border with 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 ...
. The closest city is Cazin
Cazin
Cazin is a town and municipality in northwest Bosnia and Herzegovina, near the border with Croatia. It is located in the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cazinska Krajina is named after Cazin...
, and a bit farther, the cities of Bihać
Bihac
Bihać is a city and municipality on the river Una in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosanska Krajina region. Bihać is located in the Una-Sana Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:...
and Bosanski Novi. Across the border, it is not far from Cetingrad
Cetingrad
Cetingrad is a municipality in Karlovac County, Croatia near Croatia's border with Bosnia. The population of the village itself is 351, while the total municipality population is 2,746...
. Administratively, it is part of the Una-Sana Canton
Una-Sana Canton
The Una-Sana Canton is one of the 10 cantons of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the northwest of the country and has been named after the rivers Una and Sana. The center of canton government is Bihać.-Population:...
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...
.
The Velika Kladuša municipality also has many smaller towns and villages inside it such as Mala Kladuša, Todorovo, Podzvizd and many others. The town of Velika Kladuša is the center for the municipality because most hospitals, stores and government buildings are located there.
History
Velika Kladusa was first mentioned by name on October 30, 1280 (date on its shield) by the name Cladosa. During the Roman EmpireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
it is assumed that the population of Velika Kladusa started to slowly grow. Towards the end of the 13th century up to 1464, Velika Kladusa was controlled by two different Croatian kings. Around 1464 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...
was expanding towards this region until Velika Kladusa was finally captured in 1633 by the Ottoman Empire. Velika Kladusa would later become the center of Ottoman expansion into neighboring Croatia as well as the rest of Europe. At the start of the occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1878, Velika Kladusa along with others in the region, put up the biggest resistance in the region. Nevertheless, it developed with the opening of schools, the introduction of land register books, and a mosque and a catholic church were built.
World War II
During WWII the region of Velika Kladusa fought on the side of the Yugoslav Partisans. At one point Velika Kladusa switched alliances and allowed the Nazi’s to occupy it but this was planned out with the Partisans because they then surprised the Nazi’s by jointly attacking them with the Partisans. The people in this region were always strong supporters of Yugoslav President Josip Broz TitoJosip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
and communism. One café in Velika Kladusa was named “Tito” in his honor.
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...
, the town was the headquarters of Agrokomerc
Agrokomerc
Agrokomerc was a food company headquartered in Velika Kladuša, Bosnia and Herzegovina with operations extending across the entire area of former Yugoslavia. The company became internationally known in the late 1980s due to a corruption scandal known as the Agrokomerc Affair...
, one of biggest food companies in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
. The company started as a single food producing farm and grew to an estimated 13,000 employees at its peak of production. Agrokomerc made Velika Kladusa and the surrounding regions turn from one of the poorest in Yugoslavia to one of the richest. Velika Kladusa was at one point called “The Switzerland of Yugoslavia” due to its small size but great wealth and at other points it was called "The Cayman Islands of the Balkans".
Yugoslav Wars
During the war in Yugoslavia, Agrokomerc still continued to operate as it produced all types of food bound for ZagrebZagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
and other places. Agrokomerc worked with international companies as far away as Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Today Agrokomerc still works but at a smaller capacity than before the war. It is often changing directors and is currently without one.
During 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...
, the town was the capital of the self-declared Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia. The seat of the government was at the Stari Grad Castle which had defense forces guarding it throughout the day and night. The city itself did not suffer much damage as it was mostly spared of large fighting. Following the end of the Bosnian War, the town was the home of the Czech helicopter unit and Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
NATO camp supporting the IFOR
IFOR
The Implementation Force was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename Operation Joint Endeavour. Its task was to implement the military Annexes of The General Framework Agreement for...
and SFOR
SFOR
The Stabilisation Force was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina which was tasked with upholding the Dayton Agreement. It replaced the previous force IFOR...
Peacemaking missions from 1995 to 2003.
Municipality Demographics
| Ethnic Composition | |||||||||||||
| Year | Serb | % | Bosniaks | % | Croats | % | Yugoslavs | % | Others | % | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4,489 | 15.34% | 23,585 | 80.59% | 870 | 2.97% | 250 | 0.85% | 73 | 0.25% | 29,267 | ||
| 1971 | 2,845 | 7.88% | 32,110 | 88.99% | 742 | 2.05% | 191 | 0.52% | 191 | 0.52% | 36,079 | ||
| 1981 | 2,456 | 5.39% | 40,238 | 88.39% | 701 | 1.53% | 1,758 | 3.86% | 367 | 0.80% | 45,520 | ||
| 1991 | 2,266 | 4.28% | 48,305 | 91.29% | 740 | 1.39% | 993 | 1.87% | 604 | 1.14% | 52,908 | ||
Today the people are 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...
but there are still some Serbs who have mainly come from Serbian Krajina and also others including Gypsies, Yugoslavs and Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
.
Town Demographics
In 1991 the town of Velika Kladuša itself had 14,469 residents, of which:- 90% Bosniaks
- 2.3% Serbs
- 2% Croats
- 1% Yugoslavs
- 1% others
Places of interest
- Velika Kladusa Castle (Stari Grad)
- The Bazaar (Pijaca)
- Krajsnik Stadium
- Mujo Hrnjica Park
- Pool in Mala Kladusa
- Central Mosque
- Robna Kuca (Main Store)