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Mrkonjić Grad

Coordinates: 44°25′N 17°05′E / 44.417°N 17.083°E / 44.417; 17.083
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Mrkonjić Grad
Мркоњић Град
Town and municipality
Mrkonjić Grad
Mrkonjić Grad
Coat of arms of Mrkonjić Grad
Coat of arms
Location of Mrkonjić Grad within Bosnia and Herzegovina
Location of Mrkonjić Grad within Bosnia and Herzegovina
Location of Mrkonjić Grad
Coordinates: 44°25′N 17°05′E / 44.417°N 17.083°E / 44.417; 17.083
Country Bosnia and Herzegovina
Entity Republika Srpska
Geographical regionBosanska Krajina
Government
 • Municipal mayorDragan Vođević (SNSD)
Area
 • Total
677.43 km2 (261.56 sq mi)
Population
 (2013 census)
 • Total
16,671
 • Density25/km2 (64/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Area code50

Mrkonjić Grad (Serbian Cyrillic: Мркоњић Град, pronounced [mr̩koɲit͡ɕ grad]) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the Bosanska Krajina region, between Banja Luka and Jajce. As of 2013, the municipality has a population of 16,671 inhabitants, while the town of Mrkonjić Grad has a population of 7,915 inhabitants.

Name

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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

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

When the German and Italian Zones of Influence were revised on 24 June 1942, Varcar Vakuf fell in Zone III [hr], administered civilly by Croatia and militarily by Croatia and Germany.[1]

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 ethnic Serbs. The town is also known for the incident where the USAF lost one F-16 piloted by Scott O'Grady 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. From 8 to 12 October 1995, Mrkonjić Grad was in the hands of the Croatian Army (HV) and the Croatian Defence Council (HVO). Traces of various forms of torture were found on the bodies of murdered Serbs in the war crimes committed by Croatian forces. The livestock in the municipality was stolen or killed. All machines and equipment from the factories in Mrkonjić Grad were taken away or destroyed by Croatian troops. In the territory of Mrkonjić Grad, there was hardly any residential building that was not damaged or looted. No one from the Croatian side has been held legally accountable for these crimes.[3] After the Dayton Peace Agreement the town was assigned to the entity of Republika Srpska.[4] As a consequence, the Croat population of the town had no choice but to leave, and there are very few Croats living in Mrkonjić today, most of them elderly. In 1996, a mass grave containing the bodies of 181 Serbs—mostly civilians—was uncovered in Mrkonjić Grad. Almost all were killed by Bosnian Croat and Muslim forces in late 1995.[5]

Bosnian Serbs committed a massacre of 28 Croat and Bosniak civilians, who were abducted from their homes in Mrkonjić Grad, and executed in Oborci, on 13 September 1995.[6]

  • Bočac fortress
    Bočac fortress
  • American pilot Scott O'Grady was shot down by the Bosnian Serb army in the Bosnian war
    American pilot Scott O'Grady was shot down by the Bosnian Serb army in the Bosnian war
  • Plaque commemorating the victims thrown into a mass grave by Croat forces
    Plaque commemorating the victims thrown into a mass grave by Croat forces

Demographics

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Population

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Population of settlements – Mrkonjić Grad municipality
Settlement 1910. 1921. 1931. 1948. 1953. 1961. 1971.[7] 1981.[8] 1991.[9] 2013.[10][11]
Total 20,620 27,014 29,178 31,127 30,949 30,159 29,684 26,278 16,671
1 Baljvine 1,140 333
2 Bjelajce 980 693
3 Brdo 587 548
4 Donji Baraći 524 287
5 Donji Graci 358 206
6 Gerzovo 679 256
7 Gornji Graci 926 556
8 Gustovara 428 208
9 Kopljevići 489 296
10 Kotor 443 311
11 Majdan 946 408
12 Medna 791 221
13 Mrkonjić Grad 2,249 2,770 4,089 6,602 8,422 7,915
14 Oćune 447 215
15 Orahovljani 463 263
16 Podbrdo 991 731
17 Podorugla 849 921
18 Podrašnica 1,096 733
19 Šehovci 642 251
20 Stupari 435 288
21 Trijebovo 509 211
22 Jasenovi Potoci 284 98

Ethnic composition

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Church of Saint Sava
City assembly building
Petar Kočić elementary school
Sports hall
Many of the damaged houses that had devastated the area were rebuilt after the war


Ethnic composition – Mrkonjić Grad town
2013.[10][11] 1991.[9] 1981.[8] 1971.[7]
Total 7,915 (100,0%) 8,422 (100,0%) 6,602 (100,0%) 4,089 (100,0%)
Serbs 7,130 (96,7%) 5,945 (70,59%) 4,077 (61,75%) 2,156 (52,73%)
Bosniaks 115 (1,6%) 1,450 (17,22%) 1,414 (21,42%) 1,419 (34,70%)
Yugoslavs 52 (0,7%) 470 (5,581%) 618 (9,361%) 62 (1,516%)
Croats 74 (1,0%) 454 (5,391%) 427 (6,468%) 406 (9,929%)
Others 103 (1,223%) 19 (0,288%) 18 (0,440%)
Montenegrins 30 (0,454%) 21 (0,514%)
Albanians 11 (0,167%) 6 (0,147%)
Macedonians 6 (0,091%) 1 (0,024%)


Ethnic composition – Mrkonjić Grad municipality
2013.[10] 1991.[9] 1981.[8] 1971.[7]
Total 16,671 (100,0%) 27,395 (100,0%) 29,684 (100,0%) 30,159 (100,0%)
Serbs 16,050 (96,27%) 21,057 (76,86%) 23,364 (78,71%) 24,990 (82,86%)
Bosniaks 375 (2,249%) 3,272 (11,94%) 3,009 (10,14%) 2,734 (9,065%)
Croats 159 (0,954%) 2,139 (7,808%) 2,290 (7,715%) 2,204 (7,308%)
Others 87 (0,522%) 334 (1,219%) 67 (0,226%) 82 (0,272%)
Yugoslavs 593 (2,165%) 883 (2,975%) 98 (0,325%)
Montenegrins 47 (0,158%) 38 (0,126%)
Albanians 15 (0,051%) 11 (0,036%)
Macedonians 8 (0,027%) 1 (0,003%)
Slovenes 1 (0,003%) 1 (0,003%)

Economy

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Shoe factory
Balkana lake
Balkana lake
Bočac lake
Landscape from the area

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered employed people per their core activity (as of 2016):[12]

Professional field Total
Agriculture, forestry and fishing 196
Mining and quarrying 22
Manufacturing 814
Distribution of power, gas, steam and air-conditioning 235
Distribution of water and water waste management 52
Construction 499
Wholesale and retail, repair 490
Transportation and storage 171
Hotels and restaurants 145
Information and communication 25
Finance and insurance 35
Real estate activities 1
Professional, scientific and technical activities 74
Administrative and support services 3
Public administration and defence 243
Education 328
Healthcare and social work 122
Art, entertainment and recreation 15
Other service activities 47
Total 3,517

Tourism

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The Balkana Lake lies near the town and is a small, but beautiful tourist resort including the nearby Skakavac Waterfall.

References

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  1. ^ Trgo 1964, p. 341.
  2. ^ "AFSOUTH Fact sheets". AF South Nato. 7 March 2011. Archived from the original on 7 March 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  3. ^ Pilsel, Drago (2025). "Zašto niko nije odgovarao za Mrkonjić Grad?". Nedeljnik. 699: 34–37.
  4. ^ "Dayton Accords - international agreement". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Serbs unearth 181 bodies in mass grave". Independent. 6 April 1996. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  6. ^ "Izvršen masakr u Oborcima kod Donjeg Vakufa".
  7. ^ a b c "1971 Census" (PDF). stat.gov.rs.
  8. ^ a b c "1981 Census" (PDF). stat.gov.rs.
  9. ^ a b c "Bosnia & Herzegovina". pop-stat.mashke.org.
  10. ^ a b c "2013 Census" (PDF). rzs.rs.ba.
  11. ^ a b "Popis 2013 u BiH". www.statistika.ba. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Cities and Municipalities of Republika Srpska 2017" (PDF). rzs.rs.ba (in Serbian). December 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2018.

Bibliography

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