Mrkonjić Grad

Mrkonjić Grad
Мркоњић Град

View on Mrkonjić Grad

Coat of arms

Location of Mrkonjić Grad within Republika Srpska
Coordinates: 44°25′N 17°05′E / 44.417°N 17.083°E / 44.417; 17.083
Country Bosnia and Herzegovina
Entity Republika Srpska
Government
  Mayor Divna Aničić (SNSD) [1]
Area
  Total 677,43 km2 (26,156 sq mi)
Population (2013 census)
  Total 18,136
  Density 26,8/km2 (690/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Area code(s) 50

Mrkonjić Grad (Serbian Cyrillic: Мркоњић Град; pronounced [mr̩koɲit͡ɕ 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.

Name

The town changed its name several times in history: Gornje Kloke, Novo 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 in the uprising (1875–78) against the Ottoman Empire.

History

Church of Saint Sava
Bočac fortress

From 1929 to 1941, Mrkonjić Grad was part of the Vrbas Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

In World War II, the town became renowned by the first meeting of ZAVNOBiH on 25 November 1943, when Bosnia and Herzegovina was proclaimed as a common republic of Serbs, Croats and Muslims.

During the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995, the town was within the territory controlled by Bosnian Serbs. The town is also known for the Mrkonjić Grad incident where the USAF lost one F-16 in June 1995.[2] The pilot of the jet, Scott O'Grady, was stranded in the area for six days before being rescued by US Marines. In 8–12 October 1995, Mrkonjić Grad was in the hands of the Croatian Army and the Croatian Defence Council (HVO).

After the Dayton peace agreement the town was assigned to the entity of Republika Srpska.[3] In 1996, a mass grave containing the bodies of 181 Serbs—mostly civilians—was uncovered in Mrkonjić Grad. Almost all were killed by Bosniak and Croat forces in late 1995.[4]

Residential area

Demographics

1910

According to the 1910 census, the absolute majority in the Varcar Vakuf municipality were Serbian Orthodox Christians.

1971

30,159 total

1981

29,684 total

1991

In the 1991 census, the municipality of Mrkonjić Grad had 37,379 residents, including:

Tourism

Hotel Krajina

The Balkana Lake lies near the town and presents a small, but beautiful tourist resort.

See also

References

  1. (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20061221231954/http://www.izbori.ba/documents/Rezultati%20izbora%202004/Utvrdjeni/2004NacelniciRS.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 21, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. NATO-Allied Forces Southern Europe Website Accessed 17 March 2011
  3. The Dayton Peace Accords Accessed 17 March 2011
  4. "Another Mass Grave Is Excavated in Bosnia". The New York Times. 6 April 1996. Retrieved 26 September 2014.

External links

Coordinates: 44°25′N 17°05′E / 44.417°N 17.083°E / 44.417; 17.083

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