Bihać
—  Municipality and town  —
Coat of arms of Bihać Coat of arms
Location of Bihać within Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bihać Location in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordinates: 44°49′N 15°52′E / 44.817°N 15.867°E / 44.817; 15.867
Country	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Government
• Municipality president	Albin Muslić (SDP)
Area
• Total	900 km2 (300 sq mi)
Population (est. 2009)
• Total	61,287
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Area code(s)	+387 37
Website	http://www.bihac.org

Kapetanova kula ("Captain's Tower" - left), Crkva (Church - right), Pivnica (Pub - bottom)

The New square and the fountain.

Bihać (pronounced [bǐxaːt͡ɕ]) 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 (Canton I) in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

History[link]

The area of Bihać was populated by the tribe of Iapydes (Japodes) as early as the 8th century B.C. The Iapydes left many remains that testify about their presence in this area.

During the 2nd century B.C. this area was populated by Romans. It's in this period that the river Una was given its name by a Roman soldier (latin: una- one, unique). The only important remains left behind the Romans are roads. In the 6th century this area is populated by Slavs, an Indo-European group of people.

The name of Bihać was first mentioned as early as 1260 as property of a church in Topusko, Croatia in a document by the Hungarian-Croatian king Bela IV, and became a free city in 1262. Bihać was the temporary capital of the Croatian Kingdom. It lost its civic status in the 14th century following dynastic struggles in the kingdom, and became a property of the Frankopan nobles. In the 16th century it passed under direct royal rule, when battles with the Ottoman Empire had begun. The town of Bihać, in the region of the same name, withstood the Ottoman attacks until it fell with the Bosnia sanjak (in 1592).

The Bihać fort would become the westernmost fort taken by the Ottoman army over a hundred years later, in 1592 under the Bosnian vizier Hasan-pasha Predojević. The city was initially made the center of the Bihać sanjak, part of the Bosnian pashaluk. It was demoted in 1699 to become part of the sanjak of Bosnia, during the period of intense border wars between the Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. In 1865 it became the center of its own sanjak, but this lasted only until 1878, when all of Bosnia was occupied by Austria-Hungary.

A period of peace followed, marked by the 1888 bringing down of the fortress walls that separated the inner city from the outskirts. The new government had several schools and civic facilities built, which boosted the city's growth. It remained prosperous after the establishment of Yugoslavia, the center of the western Bosnian region, though its growth was impaired by the Great Depression in the 1930s.

During World War II, Bihać, along with the rest of Bosnia, was a part of the Independent State of Croatia. The city also served as headquarters for the Communist army of Josip Broz Tito, the seat of the first AVNOJ session in 1942 and the center of the anti-fascist resistance. As such, it became a target of the occupying powers and the Germans retook it in 1943 and held it until 1945 and their final defeat.

Bihać suffered the destruction of many buildings during the Bosnian War, when the area around the city was under siege by joint forces composing of Bosnian Serb, Croatian Serb, and Serbian-backed Bosniaks for over three years, until the summer of 1995 when the siege was broken in the beginning of the Croats' Operation Storm conjoined with Bosnian forces under General Atif Dudaković.

Demographics[link]

Settlements[link]

Bihać

Total: 45,553

• 27,418 - 60.18% Bosniaks
• 8,218 - 18.04% Serbs
• 4,805 - 10.54% Croats
• 4,020 - 8.82% Yugoslavs
• 1,092 - 2.42% others and unknown

Orašac

Total: 2,574

• 2,498 - 97.04% Bosniaks
• 49 - 1.90% Serbs
• 1 - 0.03% Croats
• 11 - 0.42% Yugoslavs
• 15 - 0,58% others and unknown

Brekovica

Total: 1,833

• 1,779 - 97.05% Bosniaks
• 1 - 0.05% Croats
• 1 - 0.05% Serbs
• 4 - 0.21% Yugoslavs
• 48 - 2.61% others and unknown

Ripač

Total: 1,724

• 1,297 - 75.23% Bosniaks
• 339 - 19.66% Serbs
• 12 - 0.69% Croats
• 70 - 4.06% Yugoslavs
• 6 - 0.34% others and unknown

• Bajrići • Baljevac • Bihać • Brekovica • Bugar • Ćukovi • Doljani • Donja Gata • Dubovsko • Golubić • Gorjevac • Grabež • Grmuša • Hrgar • Izačić • Jankovac • Jezero • Kalati • Klisa • Klokot • Kula • Kulen Vakuf • Lipa • Lohovo • Lohovska Brda • Mala Peća • Mali Skočaj • Međudražje • Muslići • Orašac • Ostrovica • Papari • Praščijak • Pritoka • Prnjavor • Račić • Rajinovci • Ripač • Spahići • Srbljani • Teočak • Turija • Velika Gata • Veliki Skočaj • Veliki Stjenjani • Vikići • Vrsta • Zavalje i Zlopoljac.

Features[link]

Bihać

Bihać

The city and the region are now becoming a viable tourist destination for its natural beauty. The Una river valley where Bihać is situated provides the best route from Zagreb to Dalmatia so the traffic position is also favorable.

There's also a yearly regatta held on the Una, as well as the Bihać Summer theatrical event.

Border crossings[link]

Border crossings with Croatia are located nearby at Izačić to the west of the city (with the Croatian border post at Ličko Petrovo Selo), and Ripac to the south of Bihać (with the Croatian border post at Užljebić). Bihać is located on the shortest route between Zagreb and the southern part of Croatia's Dalmatian coast.

Education[link]

The University of Bihać was opened in 1997 and it has seven faculties: technical, economics, law school, biotechnical, pedagogical, medical college, Islamic pedagogical academy.

Sport[link]

The local football club is NK Jedinstvo, who are in the Bosnian First League of Federation.

The dance club "Sportski plesni centar 'Virus'" won in 2010 the World Show dance Championships.

Economy[link]

Bihać is home to a beer brewery, producing the award winning Preminger.

Bihać is currently going through a reconstruction of its main buildings and streets. In 1981 Bihać's GDP per capita was 69% of the Yugoslav average. ^[1]

People[link]

• Irfan Ljubijankić, facial surgeon, classical music composer, politician and diplomat of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Zele Lipovača, leading member of the Bosnian hard rock band Divlje jagode
• Alen Islamović, Bosnian singer, the vocalist of the bands Divlje jagode and Bijelo dugme
• Zlatko Dedič, Slovenian football player

References[link]

• Official results from the book: Ethnic composition of Bosnia-Herzegovina population, by municipalities and settlements, 1991. census, Zavod za statistiku Bosne i Hercegovine - Bilten no.234, Sarajevo 1991.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bihać

• Official city presentation
• Preminger Brewery

v t e Municipalities of the Una-Sana Canton Bihać Bosanska Krupa Bosanski Petrovac Bužim Cazin Ključ Sanski Most Velika Kladuša

v t e Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina v t e Entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Republika Srpska v t e Cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina      Una-Sana  Central Bosnia  Posavina  Herzegovina-Neretva  Tuzla  West Herzegovina  Zenica-Doboj  Sarajevo  Bosnian Podrinje  Canton 10 v t e Districts of Bosnia and Herzegovina Brčko distrikt v t e Municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina Capital Sarajevo Municipalities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Banovići Bihać Bosanska Krupa Bosanski Petrovac Bosansko Grahovo Bugojno Busovača Bužim Čapljina Cazin Čelić Centar, Sarajevo Čitluk Drvar Doboj East Doboj South Dobratići Domaljevac-Šamac Donji Vakuf Foča-Ustikolina Fojnica Glamoč Goražde Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje Gračanica Gradačac Grude Hadžići Ilidža Ilijaš Jablanica Jajce Kakanj Kalesija Kiseljak Kladanj Ključ Konjic Kreševo Kupres Livno Ljubuški Lukavac Maglaj Mostar Neum Novi Grad, Sarajevo Novo Sarajevo Novi Travnik Odžak Olovo Orašje Pale-Prača Posušje Prozor-Rama Ravno Sanski Most Sapna Široki Brijeg Srebrenik Stari Grad, Sarajevo Stolac Teočak Tešanj Tomislavgrad Travnik Trnovo (FBiH) Tuzla Usora Vareš Velika Kladuša Visoko Vitez Vogošća Zavidovići Zenica Žepče Živinice Municipalities of Republika Srpska Berkovići Bijeljina Bileća Brod Bratunac Čajniče Čelinac Derventa Doboj Donji Žabar Foča Gacko Grad Banja Luka Grad Istočno Sarajevo Gradiška Han Pijesak Istočni Drvar Istočna Ilidža Istočni Mostar Istočni Stari Grad Istočno Novo Sarajevo Jezero Kalinovik Kneževo Kostajnica Kozarska Dubica Kotor Varoš Krupa na Uni Kupres Laktaši Ljubinje Lopare Milići Modriča Mrkonjić Grad Nevesinje Novi Grad Novo Goražde Osmaci Oštra Luka Pale Pelagićevo Petrovac Petrovo Prijedor Prnjavor Ribnik Rogatica Rudo Šamac Šekovići Šipovo Sokolac Srbac Srebrenica Teslić Trebinje Trnovo Ugljevik Višegrad Vlasenica Vukosavlje Zvornik

Coordinates: 44°49′N 15°52′E / 44.817°N 15.867°E / 44.817; 15.867