Odžak (city)
|
Odžak Оџак |
|||
|
|||
| Basic data | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State : | Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||
| Entity : | Federation of BiH | ||
| Canton : | Posavina | ||
| Municipality : | Odžak | ||
| Coordinates : | 45 ° 1 ′ N , 18 ° 20 ′ E | ||
| Height : | 95 m. i. J. | ||
| Area : | 171.4 km² | ||
| Residents : | 11,621 (2005) | ||
| Population density : | 68 inhabitants per km² | ||
| Telephone code : | +387 (0) 31 | ||
| Postal code : | 76 290 | ||
| Structure and administration (status: 2007) | |||
| Mayor : | Jakov Ivanković ( HDZ BiH ) | ||
| Website : | |||
| Others | |||
| City Festival : | 15th of August | ||
  |
|||
Odžak is a city in the northeast of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative seat of the municipality of the same name . It is located in the Posavina canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina , 10 km from the Croatian border.
history
Odžak was first mentioned in 1593. A fortress is said to have been there at that time. Until the end of the 19th century Odžak was part of the Ottoman Empire. Only after Bosnia and Herzegovina came to the Habsburg Empire in 1908 did a strong development begin. The First and the Second World War interrupted the growth, but the city recovered. The first residential complexes were built in the 1980s.
During the Bosnian War Odžak and the entire Posavina were affected by fierce fighting between Serbian and Croatian troops. After the Croatians withdrew in 1992, the city was under Serbian control for almost the entire war. Through the Treaty of Dayton in 1995 Odžak came to the new entity Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine). Nevertheless, Odžak was sacked by Serbian soldiers until 1996 and most of the city was completely destroyed and uninhabitable. The war damage has disappeared in the city center but is still partially visible outside the city.
geography
Odžak is located in Northern Posavina , around 10 kilometers from the Croatian border. The urban area extends in north-south direction for around 2.5 kilometers; in a west-east direction for around 2 kilometers. The topography in the urban area is completely flat, there are no natural elevations worth mentioning. To the west of the city, however, there are larger hills that are up to 300 meters high. The two most important hills nearby are the Vucijak and Maksimskok . The landscape north, east and south of Odžak is flat and characterized by arable land and meadows. Coming from the northeast, the Bosna River runs past the city for around 3 kilometers to the east, and shortly afterwards swings towards Modriča.
Industry & Economy
At the city entrances in the north and south there are many food companies and brickworks. The most important and largest shopping center in Odžak is Robna Kuca , which was reopened in 2004. On Thursdays there is a market ( pijaca ) in the city center , where the local traders sell groceries and pirate products.
Industry is also an important factor in Odžak. These are almost exclusively small, privately owned companies. The following industries exist in Odžak:
- Textile and leather industry
- Chemical industry
- Food industry
- Metal industry
- Timber industry
Agriculture is the most important economic activity in Odžak commune and most of the residents in the surrounding villages are engaged in this activity. Agriculture also faces some problems, such as the loss of the market for agricultural products or the rebuilding of the manufacturing process, which was badly damaged during the war. Other industries in Odžak municipality are:
- agriculture
- livestock
- growing vegetables
- the fruit growing
- beekeeping
- forestry
Infrastructure and traffic
Even after the war damage has largely been removed and the city center has been rebuilt, many houses on the outskirts are empty to the ground. The water supply covers the entire city; the power connection has been restored since 1996.
Odžak is located on the M 14-1 main road, which connects the city to the northwest with Bosanski Brod (39 kilometers) and to the south with Modriča (5 kilometers). The international border crossing to Croatia in Bosanski Šamac is around 16 kilometers away on the regional road R464. There is no railway connection in the city, the nearest train station is in Modriča, the nearest international airports in Tuzla (80 kilometers) and Osijek (110 kilometers).
In December 2017, the approximately nine-kilometer northernmost section of the A1 motorway was completed, which begins on the Croatian border in Svilaj and heads south to Odžak. The bridge and the associated border crossing to Croatia should be completed in the course of 2018. [outdated]
In addition, a bypass road has been completed or is being planned. This encloses the city in the north and in the west. It is hoped that the motorway and the new bypass will relieve the main road M 14-1 and the nearby regional roads in the area.