The nameBanja Luka was first mentioned in a document dated 6 February 1494 byLadislaus II of Hungary. The name is interpreted as the 'Ban's meadow', from the wordsban (a medieval noble title), andluka ('valley' or 'meadow'). The identity of the ban and the meadow in question remains uncertain, andpopular etymology combines the modern wordsbanja ('bath' or 'spa'), orbajna ('marvelous') andluka ('port'). A different interpretation is suggested by the Hungarian nameLukácsbánya, in English 'Luke's Mine'. In modern usage, the name is pronounced and occasionally written as one word (Banjaluka).[6]
Banja Luka covers some 96.2 km2 (37.1 sq mi) of land inBosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on both banks of theVrbas in the Banja Luka valley, which is characteristically flat within the otherwise hilly region. Banja Luka's centre lies 163 m (534.78 ft)above sea level.
The source of the Vrbas River is about 90 km (56 mi) to the south at theVranica mountain. Its tributaries — the Suturlija, the Crkvena, and theVrbanja — flow into the Vrbas at various points in the city. A number of springs can be found nearby.
The area around Banja Luka consists mostly of woodland and acre fields, although there are many mountains further from the city, especially south from the city. The most notable of these mountains are Ponir (743 m), Osmača (950 m), Manjača (1,214 m), Čemernica (1,338 m), and Tisovac (1,173 m). These are all part of theDinaric Alps mountain range.
Banja Luka has a moderatehumid subtropical climate with mild winters, infrequent frosts, and warm summers. The warmest month of the year is July, with an average temperature of 22.5 °C (72.5 °F). The coldest month of the year is January, when temperatures average around 1.3 °C (34.3 °F).
The annual precipitation for the city is about 1,047.5 mm (41 in). Banja Luka has an average of 104 rainy days a year.[7] Due to the city's relatively high latitude and inland location, it snows in Banja Luka almost every year during the winter period. Strong winds can come from the north and northeast. Sometimes, southern winds bring hot air from theAdriatic sea.
Highest recorded temperature: 41.8 °C (107.2 °F) on 10 August 2017[8]
Lowest recorded temperature: −23.5 °C (−10.3 °F) on 15 January 2003[8]
Climate data for Banja Luka (1991–2020, extremes 1973–2020)
TheVrbas river's left tributary, theKrupa, in a protected area 30 kilometers upstream from the city
The history of inhabitation of the area of Banja Luka dates back to ancient times. There is substantial evidence ofRoman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including the "Kastel" (Latin:Castra) fort in the centre of the city. The area comprising Banja Luka was entirely in the kingdom of Illyria and then a part of the Roman province ofIllyricum, which split into the provinces ofPannonia andDalmatia of which Castra became a part of. Ancient Illyrian maps refer to the settlement in Banja Luka's present day location asAd Ladios,[9] a settlement located on the riverVrbas.
Slavs settled in the Balkans in the 6th century. Mediaeval fortresses in the vicinity of Banja Luka include Vrbas (1224), Župa Zemljanik (1287),Kotor Varoš (1323), Zvečaj (1404), and Bočac (1446). In one document written by kingVladislav II on 6 February 1494 Juraj Mikulasić was mentioned ascastellan of Banja Luka. Below the town was a smaller settlement with one Catholic monastery.[10]
Banja Luka fell to theOttomans in 1527. It became the seat of theSanjak of Bosnia some time prior to 1554, until 1580 when theBosnia Eyalet was established. Bosnian beylerbeys were seated in Banja Luka until 1639.[11]Ferhad Pasha Sokolović, a relative of Grand VizierMehmed-pasha Sokolović, had upon his return to Bosnia in 1574, begun the building of over 200 buildings ranging from artisan and sales shops to wheat warehouses, baths and mosques. Among more important commissions were theFerhadija andArnaudija mosques during whose construction plumbing infrastructure was laid out, that served surrounding residential areas.[12] This stimulated the economic and urban development of Banja Luka, which soon became one of the leading commercial and political centres in Bosnia. It was also the central sanjak in the Bosnia Eyalet. In 1688, the city was burned down by the Austrian army, but it quickly recovered. Later periodic intrusions by the Austrian army stimulated military developments in Banja Luka, which made it into a strategic military centre. Orthodox churches and monasteries near Banja Luka were built in the 19th century.
In the 19th century,Sephardic Jews andTrappists migrated to the city and contributed to the earlyindustrialization of the region by building mills, breweries, brick factories, textile factories, and other important structures.[13] TheTrappist monastery built in the 19th century lent its name to the neighbourhood ofTrappisti and has left a large legacy in the area through itsTrappist cheese and itsbeer production.[14][15] In 1835 and 1836, during Ottoman administration, numerous people from Banja Luka emigrated toLešnica,Lipnica, andLoznica, the villages around Loznica, and toŠabac.[16]
The Ferhadija Mosque, built in 1579, was demolished in 1993 during theBosnian War.[17] It was rebuilt in 2016.[18]
Despite its leading position in the region, Banja Luka as a city was not modernised untilAustro-Hungarian occupation in the late 19th century. Railroads, schools, factories, and infrastructure appeared, and were developed, which turned Banja Luka into a modern city.
After World War I, the town became the capital of theVrbas Banovina, a province of theKingdom of Yugoslavia. The provincial capital owed its rapid progress to the first Ban Svetislav Milosavljević. During that time, theBanski dvor and its twin sister, the Administration building, the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, a theatre and a museum were built, the Grammar School was renovated, the Teachers College enlarged, a city bridge was built and the park renovated. 125 elementary schools were functioning in Banja Luka in 1930. The revolutionary ideas of the time were incubated by the "Pelagić" association and the Students' Club. Banja Luka naturally became the organisational centre of anti-fascist work in the region.
On 26 and 27 October 1969, two devastating earthquakes (6.0 and 6.4 on theRichter scale) damaged many buildings in Banja Luka. Around 20 to 23 people were killed, and over a thousand were injured.[23] A large building called Titanik in the centre of the town was razed to the ground, and the area was later turned into a central public square.[24][25] With contributions from all over Yugoslavia, Banja Luka was repaired and rebuilt. During this period a large Serb population moved to the city from the surrounding villages, and from more distant areas in Herzegovina.
Even though there were no open hostilities between the warring sides in Banja Luka, the city's Bosniak and Croat populations were systematically intimidated, harassed, tortured, their property was seized and the city was ethnically cleansed.[26]
On 28 February 1994, an incident occurred in which fourRepublika Srpska Air Force aircraft, which had violated Bosnia's no-fly zone and bombed a factory, were shot down southwest of Banja Luka by planes from theUnited States Air Force on behalf ofNATO, marking the first active combat action in the alliance's history.[27]
Banja Luka plays an important role on different levels of Bosnia and Herzegovina's government structures. Banja Luka is the centre of the government for the Municipality of Banja Luka. A number of entity and state institutions are seated in the city. The Government of Republika Srpska and itsNational Assembly are based in Banja Luka.[33]
Although the city itself was not directly affected by the Bosnian war in the early 1990s, its economy was. In this period Banja Luka fell behind the world in key areas such as technology, with socially owned technology firms such asSOUR Rudi Čajavec collapsing, resulting in a rather stagnant economy. However, in recent years, the financial services sector has gained in importance in the city. In 2002, the trading began on the newly establishedBanja Luka Stock Exchange. The number of companies listed, the trading volume and the number of investors have increased significantly. A number of big companies such asTelekom Srpske, Rafinerija ulja Modriča,Banjalučka Pivara and Vitaminka are all listed on the exchange and are traded regularly. Investors, apart from those fromSlovenia, Croatia andSerbia, now include a number of investment funds from the EU, and fromNorway, the United States, Japan and China.
A number of financial services regulators, such as theRepublika Srpska Securities Commission and the RS Banking Agency are headquartered in Banja Luka. This, along with the fact that some of the major banks in Bosnia, the Deposit Insurance Agency and thevalue-added tax (VAT) authority are all based in the city, has helped Banja Luka establish itself as a major financial centre in the country.[citation needed]
The Museum ofRepublika Srpska inherited the Ethnographic Museum established in 1930,[38][39] and broadened its setting with collections of archeology, history, art history and nature. TheMuseum of Modern Art of Republika Srpska, also called MSURS, the Museum of Contemporary Art, displays exhibitions of both domestic and worldwide artists.[40]
Banja Luka is home to the National Theatre[41] and National Library,[42][43] both dating from the first half of the 20th century, and of numerous other theatres. The headquarters of theArchives of Republika Srpska is situated in the building known asCarska kuća or Imperial House, built around 1880. It has been in continuous public use longer than any other structure in Banja Luka.
One of the best-known cultural sites in Banja Luka is the cultural centre of "Banski Dvor" (Halls of theBan), built in the 1930s as the residence for the Bans of theVrbas Banovina.[44][45]
There is a number of Cultural Artistic Associations in the city. The oldest is CAA "Pelagić" (founded 1927), one of the oldest institutions of this kind inBosnia and Herzegovina.[46]
The city has a long tradition of handball.RK Borac Banja Luka was the European champion in1976, the runner-up in the1975 Europena Cup and the winner of the IHF Cup in 1991.[49]
The local tennis tournament,"Memorijal Trive Vujića", has become professional and has been awardedATP status in 2001, with the rank of aChallenger. The Banja Luka Challenger takes place in September each year. In 2006, theDavis Cup matches of the Europe/Africa Zone Group III took place in the city. In April 2023, Banja Luka was host to the2023 Srpska Open tournament, as part of the2023 ATP Tour.[50]
Public transportation within Banja Luka is exclusively operated by the bus services. 23 bus lines[55] stretch across the city, connecting the downtown to the rest of the city and its suburbs. The oldest bus link in the city is line No 1. Taxis are also readily available. The expressway E-661 (locally known as M-16) leads north to Croatia from Banja Luka by way ofGradiška, near the Bosnian/Croatian border. A wide range of bus services are available to most neighbouring and larger towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to regional and European destinations such as Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, France, Italy, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Hungary and Slovakia.
Banja Luka is a minor hub of the railway services ofŽeljeznice Republike Srpske, which comprises one half of the railway network ofBosnia and Herzegovina.[56] Services operate to most northern Bosnian towns, and two modern air-conditioned 'Talgo' trains run toSarajevo every day. However, services are relatively slow and infrequent compared with neighbouring countries.
20 - Autobuska stanica – Centar – Paprikovac (Ul. Ranka Šipke)
39 - Drakulić (Vrtače) – Centar
39A - Drakulić (avion) – Rakovačke bare – Centar
In addition to those, there are 34 suburban lines. A single-use bus ticket costs 2.3convertible marks, while a day ticket that allows unlimited transfers costs 7.1 marks.[55] Pensioners and citizens older than 65 enjoy free transit.[57] The bus system faces several challenges, including the city government's debt to the private carriers[58] and the vehicles' advanced age.[59]
^Društvo istoričara Bosne i Hercegovine (1952).Godišnjak: Annuaire.Бања Лука је постала сједиште босанског санџака нешто прије 1554 и остала то све до 1580 када је основан босански пашалук. У Бањој Луци су столовали и босански беглербези све до године 1639.
^Kolovos, Elias (2007).The Ottoman Empire, the Balkans, the Greek lands: toward a social and economic history: studies in honor of John C. Alexander. Isis Press. p. 192.ISBN978-975-428-346-4.
^Jovan Cvijić, Balkansko poluostrvo i južnoslovenske zemlje /Balkan Peninsula and South Slav Countries/ (Belgrade: Zavod za izdavanje udžbenika, 1966), pp. 151-152.
^Levy, Michele Frucht (2009). ""The Last Bullet for the Last Serb": The Ustaša Genocide against Serbs: 1941–1945".Nationalities Papers.37 (6):807–837.doi:10.1080/00905990903239174.S2CID162231741.
^NOAA National Geographical Data Center, Significant Earthquake DatabaseArchived 22 April 2021 at theWayback Machine states that the 15:36 26 October 1969 earthquake was 6.0 magnitude (intensity 8 Mercalli scale) and killed 14 people and causing $50 million damage, whilst the 08:10 27 October 1969 earthquake was 6.4 magnitude (intensity 9 Mercalli scale) and killed 9 people. The earthquake location was 44.9 Lat 17.3 Long on 26 October, and 44.9 Lat 17.2 Long on 27 October. Both had a focal depth of 33. Observing our environment from space: new solutions for a new millennium, proceedings of the 21st EARSeL Symposium, Paris, France, 14–16 May 2001, edited by Gérard Bégni, pub Taylor & Francis, 2002, p267 claims that the earthquake in the vicinity of Banja Luka in 1969 had a magnitude of 6.4. (Comparison of other earthquakes mentioned shows that this is 6.4 on the Richter scale.) Chronology of Extreme Weather, by Ken Polsson, claims: "magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurs. 20 killed, 150 seriously injured, and 65,000 left homeless." Sarajevo Rocked by Two Earthquakes BalkanInsight.com 31 March 2009Archived 13 February 2023 at theWayback Machine, which claims that: "The biggest earthquake in Bosnia and Herzegovina's history took place in 26 and 27 October 1969... That tremor measured 5.4 on the Richter scale and between 7 and 8 on the Mercalli scale." Gymnasium Banja LukaHistoryArchived 6 July 2011 at theWayback Machine claims that the 26 October 1969 earthquake had an intensity of 7.5 on theMercalli intensity scale, whilst the 27 October 1969 earthquake had an intensity of 8.5 on the Mercalli scale.
^abcdefghijklГрадови партнери [City of Banja Luka - Partner cities].Administrative Office of the City of Banja Luka (in Serbian). Archived fromthe original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved9 August 2013.
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