Vitez

This article covers the city in central Bosnia. For further meanings, see Vitez (disambiguation) .

Vitez Витез
Basic data
State :	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Entity :	Federation of BiH
Canton :	Central Bosnia
Coordinates :	44 ° 10 '  N , 17 ° 48'  E Coordinates: 44 ° 9 '51 "  N , 17 ° 47' 31"  E
Height :	415  m. i. J.
Area :	159  km²
Residents :	27.006
Population density :	170 inhabitants per km²
Postal code :	72250
Structure and administration (as of 2016)
Mayor :	Tomislav Bošnjak-Matić ( HDZ BiH )
Website :	www.opcinavitez.info
Others
Patron saint :	St. George (Sv. Juraj)

Vitez [ vitɛz ] is a city and an association municipality in the canton of Central Bosnia in Bosnia and Herzegovina . Vitez is located in the Lašva valley , around 60 kilometers north-west of Sarajevo and has a population of around 27,000.

geography

Vitez is located in the central area of ​​the Lašva River , which stretches from the southeastern Vlašić Mountains to Busovača . This depression formed at 340–700 m above sea level . Starting from the Lašva Gorge in front of the Kaonik Mountains, the Lašva Plain is about 17 km long, while the width is about 3 km. Vitez is 78 km from Sarajevo , the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 12 km from Zenica and 10 km from Travnik .

climate

The climate is largely continental. The temperature reaches down to −28 ° C in winter and up to +47 ° C in summer.

City structure

In addition to the main town Vitez, the municipality consists of the following 33 other districts / settlements: Ahmići , Bila , Brdo , Bukve , Divjak , Donja Večeriska , Dubravica , Gaćice , Gornja Večeriska , Jardol , Kratine , Krčevine , Krtine , Kruščica , Lupac , Ljubić , Mali Mošunj , Nadioci , Pirići , Počulica , Preočica , Prnjavor , Putkovići , Rijeka , Sadovače , Sivrino Selo , Šantići , Tolovići , Veliki Mošunj , Vraniska , Vrhovine , Zabilje , Zaselje

population

In the censuses carried out in 1971, 1981 and 1991, the population of the municipality was made up as follows:

1991:

• Total: 27,859
  • Croatians - 12,675 (45.49%)
  • Muslims (as a nationality) - 11,514 (41.32%)
  • Serbs - 1,501 (5.38%)
  • other ethnic groups from the SFRY - 1,377 (4.94%)
  • Other - 792 (2.87%)

1981:

• Total: 24,166
  • Croatians - 11,131 (46.06%)
  • Muslims - 9,911 (41.01%)
  • Serbs - 1,439 (5.95%)
  • other ethnic groups from the SFRY - 1,229 (5.08%)
  • Others - 456 (1.90%)

1971:

• Total: 20,628
  • Croatians - 10,196 (49.42%)
  • Muslims - 8,527 (41.33%)
  • Serbs - 1,502 (7.28%)
  • other ethnic groups from the SFRY - 178 (0.86%)
  • Other - 225 (1.11%)

history

View of Vitez from the south

However, the first signs of human life date back to the early Stone Age ( Neolithic ). The first settlements from this period were assigned to the Budimirk culture , while archaeological finds from the Bronze Age were found.

With the conquest of the Illyrians and thus also of the Lašva region by the Romans , the influence of Roman culture and civilization began for several centuries. The first historical mentions can be found from this time. The archaeological finds show the high population density, which suggests that the first villages were in this area. In the area of ​​the Vitez suburb of Mošunj and the town of Crkvica (today Kalvarija), many archaeological finds testify to the earlier presence of the Romans. There was the Roman settlement Bistue Novae , which was an important trading base. It was connected to more distant areas of the Roman province by one of the region's most famous trade routes (which ran along the Prale River ). In addition to Mosunj, ancient objects were also found in the settlements of Golubovica , Preočica , Grbavica , Krčevine , Orlac , Podcrkavlje , Stara Bila , Rijeka and Han Kompanija . There are also finds of the foundations of ancient thermal baths and theaters in these areas.

During the Great Migration Period (4th to 7th centuries), Slavs settled and in the following centuries they formed their first state communities. In written accounts the diocese of Lašva is mentioned as being owned by Count Matej Ninoslav 1232–1250. In the period 1302-1389 Vitez was recorded in writing with his current name in the directory of the independent Bosnian vicariates , which is divided into seven districts.

In his charter of March 12, 1380, King Tvrtko I gave his Duke Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić the Hrvatinica - the title of margrave - and three villages in the Diocese of Lašva: Trebuša , Lupnica and Bila . In 1463 the medieval Bosnian state fell to the Ottomans . The Ottoman signpost Evliya Çelebi only briefly mentioned Vitez. In the first half of the 18th century, the first postal route between Travnik and Carigrad developed in the region . Vitez served as a transshipment point for fast mail horses and as a telegram receiving point. According to the description of the Austro-Hungarian Margrave Božić from 1785, Vitez is said to have consisted of a total of 18 houses. At the beginning of the 19th century, Vitez was referred to as a medium-sized village by the Croatian Franciscan and writer, Ivan Franjo Jukić .

Vitez massacre victims (April 1993)

After centuries of Ottoman rule, Vitez, like the rest of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian area, was occupied by Austria-Hungary in 1878 and finally annexed in 1908 . After the end of the First World War, Vitez became part of the SHS state, later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia . During the Second World War 1941–1945, the Vitez district was created by the then war laws of the fascist “Independent State of Croatia” . During these years the Ustaša operated the Kruščica concentration camp a few kilometers south of Vitez .

With the end of the Second World War, the district town of Vitez was divided into several districts. Vitez has been an independent municipality since 1953 . The areas of the neighboring town of Nova Bila split off from Vitez after a short time and from then on belonged to the municipality of Travnik.

During the Bosnian War , the region around Vitez was the scene of armed conflicts between Croats and Bosniaks . Although UNPROFOR troops were stationed in Vitez , in April 1993 the Ahmići and Krizančevo Selo massacres in two villages belonging to the municipality , in which around 120 Bosniak and around 150 Croatian civilians were murdered.

Legend around the name

According to tradition , the first Roman travelers (impressed by the beauty of the area ) are said to have said “Vita est!” When they saw the village. This exclamation is said to have changed into Vitez among the plebs (= the common people). However, this is just one of many myths that have grown up around the name. According to another legend , the name Vitez is said to be linked to a knight who lived there during the feudal period . Another legend says that the despot Vuk Branković kidnapped the sister of the Muslim prince Alija Đerzelez . However, the prince caught up with Branković in the Lašva valley and the two fought against each other. The winner of the fight is said to have determined the name of the city.

economy

The PC 96 industrial park

In the 1990s, a large commercial area called PC 96 was created in the Jardol district , in which, in addition to the FIS wholesale market, various medium-sized companies are located.

traffic

Vitez had a train station on the Lašva – Donji Vakuf – Jajce / Bugojno railway since 1893 . The railway with a Bosnian gauge of 760 mm ran on individual sections with a gear drive . The narrow-gauge trains or their locomotives were affectionately called "Ćiro" in the Yugoslav vernacular. In 1975 the narrow-gauge railway was stopped and the tracks dismantled.

sons and daughters of the town

• Davor Badrov (* 1992), Bosnian turbo folk singer; grew up in Vitez
• Valentin Plavčić (* 1972), football player and coach
• Sulejman Topoljak (* 1963), university professor

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Jukić, Ivan Franjo | Hrvatska enciklopedija. Retrieved October 28, 2017 . 
2. ↑ Article about Ahmići on the website of the European Stability Initiative