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Kupres Купрес | |
|---|---|
Town andmunicipality | |
 Kupres | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Kupres within Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| Coordinates:43°59′26″N17°16′46″E / 43.99056°N 17.27944°E /43.99056; 17.27944 | |
| Country |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Entity | Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Canton | Canton 10 |
| Government | |
| • Municipal mayor | Danko Jurič (HDZ BiH) |
| Area | |
• Total | 35.48 km2 (13.70 sq mi) |
| Population (2013 census) | |
• Total | 2,883 |
| • Density | 81.26/km2 (210.5/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Area code | +387 34 |
| Website | opcinakupres |
Kupres (Serbian Cyrillic:Купрес) is a town and the seat of theMunicipality of Kupres inCanton 10 of theFederation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity ofBosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the municipality has a population of 5,057 inhabitants, while the town of Kupres has a population of 2,883 inhabitants.
Kupres is located 43 km (27 mi)[1] fromLivno, 127 km (79 mi)[1] fromMostar, 143 km[1] fromSarajevo, 123 km[1] fromBanja Luka and 127 km (79 mi)[1] fromSplit.
Kupres is located at analtitude between 1,120 and 1,250 m (3,675 and 4,101 ft) and averages 55 days a year of snowfall due to its advantageous location in theDinaric Alps.
The town has good road network (state road M-16) and bus line heading towardsTomislavgrad,Livno andMostar, and is connected to the nearby town ofBugojno inBosnia Proper via a tunnel called the"Kupreška vrata" (en. the "Gates of Kupres"). It also has daily bus line towards theCroatian cities ofZagreb,Split andOsijek.
The first traces of human settlement date back toprehistoric times, with a few archaeological findings supporting this. In the period between theNeolithic and the IV century B.C., the area of Kupres was inhabited by theIllyrians (Dalmatae tribe) along with theCelts, who were much more technologically advanced than the Illyrians. Both of these nations left the area or were assimilated following theRoman Conquest during the time of the first RomanEmperor Augustus. The Roman Empire governed these areas until itscollapse in 476 A.D.[2]
Kupres was first mentioned in documents from theKingdom of Croatia, which was based in nearbyDuvno (now calledTomislavgrad). During its history, Kupres was part of theKingdom of Croatia,Bosnian Kingdom,Ottoman Empire andAustro-Hungarian monarchy, following the occupation and subsequentannexation of Bosnia. AfterWorld War I, Kupres found itself in theState of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (SHS), and not long afterwards in theKingdom of Yugoslavia (within theVrbas Banovina and later theBanovina of Croatia). DuringWorld War II, Kupres was a strategically important town of theIndependent State of Croatia defended by the notoriousBlack Legion and the place where the famousBattle of Kupres took place in 1942. After the collapse ofNazi Germany and its puppet state theNDH, Kupres became part of the newly foundedSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia within theSR Bosnia and Herzegovina and it remained in it until the proclamation of theIndependence of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992 that led to theWar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During that time, Kupres was held bySerb forces fromApril 1992 and was part of theRepublic of Srpska. Kupres was taken back byCroat forces inNovember 1994, when it became part of theCroat Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia and later, after its dissolution, part of theFederation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, remaining so to this day.
The town is situated in the middle of theKupres Plain (Kupreško Polje), which has a high strategic importance because of its control of traffic communication betweenDalmatia andCentral Bosnia. That made Kupres important in previous wars, which is shown in a famous saying: "Whoever holds this high plain can negotiate with its enemies in any way he wishes."[3]
When the German and ItalianZones of Influence were revised on 24 June 1942, Kupres fell inZone III [hr], administered civilly by Croatia and militarily by Croatia and Germany.[4]
Kupres was the scene of theBattle of Kupres, fought in 1942 during World War 2 in theIndependent State of Croatia between the forces of theIndependent State of Croatia and theYugoslav Partisans in and around the town of Kupres in westernBosnia.
Kupres saw fierce fighting in the recentWar in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s, leaving the town extensively damaged and the local economy in ruins. Both are being restored the benefit of the community and the region, especially related totourism infrastructure.
The firstbattle took place in 1992, when the town of Kupres fell into Serb control. The Battle was fought between theBosnian CroatTerritorial Defence Force (Teritorijalna obrana – TO) supported by theCroatian Army (Hrvatska vojska – HV) troops on one side and theYugoslav People's Army (Jugoslovenska narodna armija – JNA), supported by theBosnian Serb TO on the other at the Kupres Plateau, on 3–11 April 1992. Croatian forces were hampered by an inadequate command structure, poor coordination and lacking heavy weapons. The battle resulted in more than 200 combat deaths, and established lines of control which would remain unchanged until 1994, when the plateau wasrecaptured by Croat forces. In 2012,Republika Srpska authorities charged seven Croats with war crimes committed at the plateau against civilians andprisoners of war. The following year, Croatian authorities charged 21 former JNA members with war crimes against HVO prisoners captured at the Kupres Plateau.[3]
The second battle during theBosnian war took place in1994 and was fought between theArmy of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) and theCroatian Defence Council (HVO) on one side and theArmy of Republika Srpska (VRS) on the other from 20 October to 3 November 1994. It marks the first tangible evidence of theBosniak–Croat alliance set out in theWashington Agreement of March 1994, brokered by theUnited States to end theCroat–Bosniak War fought between the ARBiH and the HVO inBosnia and Herzegovina. On 29 October, the HVO decided to attack, as it considered the ARBiH had directly threatened the strategic Kupres plateau. The HVO launched its offensive, codenamedOperation Cincar (Operacija Cincar), on 1 November. Following a brief lull in the ARBiH advance, thought to be brought on by a variety of causes and a direct request by the president of Bosnia and HerzegovinaAlija Izetbegović to the ARBiH to cooperate with the HVO, commanding officers of the two forces met to coordinate their operations for the first time since the Washington Agreement. Kupres itself was captured by the HVO on 3 November 1994. Besides the political significance of the battle for future developments of the war in Bosnia, the battle was militarily significant for planning and executing ofOperation Winter '94 by theCroatian Army (HV) and the HVO aimed at breaking thesiege of Bihać in late November and December 1994. Territorial gains made by the HVO and the ARBiH in the Battle of Kupres safeguarded the right flank of Operation Winter '94.
Following theDayton Agreement, which split Bosnia and Herzegovina following theWar in Bosnia and Herzegovina according to ethnic lines and war frontlines, the town has evolved into aCroat-dominated town. Theethnic Serb population had mostly left, forming their own municipality from the northernmost part of the pre-war municipality (calledKupres, Republika Srpska, which includes the village ofNovo Selo) — nowadays a part of theRepublika Srpska.
| Ethnic composition — | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1991 | 1981 | 1971 | ||||
| Total | 2,883 (100,0%) | 2,715 (100,0%) | 1,693 (100,0%) | 943 (100,0%) | |||
| Croats | 2,737 (94,94%) | 963 (35,47%) | 609 (35,97%) | 433 (45,92%) | |||
| Bosniaks | 116 (4,024%) | 357 (13,15%) | 202 (11,93%) | 125 (13,26%) | |||
| Serbs | 23 (0,798%) | 1,298 (47,81%) | 727 (42,94%) | 367 (38,92%) | |||
| Others | 7 (0,243%) | 33 (1,215%) | 3 (0,177%) | 3 (0,318%) | |||
| Yugoslavs | 64 (2,357%) | 146 (8,624%) | 11 (1,166%) | ||||
| Montenegrins | 5 (0,295%) | 4 (0,424%) | |||||
| Slovenes | 1 (0,059%) | ||||||
The town of Kupres has aRoman Catholic church in the parish of theHoly Family and theAhmed Fazil Pašamosque.[5] both the Roman Catholic church and mosque were destroyed by Serb forces after theBattle of Kupres in 1992.[6]
Kupres is famous forstećak tombstones. There is one large group of stećak tombstones called Ravanjska vrata and one inRastičevo. Kupres is also famous for its tumuli—burial mounds. Archaeologists found a grave and a skeleton in one of them. They are believed to be more than 3000 years old and it is now kept in the Gorica museum inLivno.
There is an annual cultural and agricultural fair (the"Strljanica") held in Kupres every first Sunday of July.[7]
The largest cultural institution in the town of Kupres is theHrvatski dom Kupres ("Croatian house Kupres"), previously known as the "Dom Kulture" ("House of Culture").[8]
Since 2020, the custom of the grass mowing competition in Kupres ("Strljanica") is inscribed as aUNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.It is the most important social event in the Kupres municipality, and takes place every July. The contest involves the manual mowing of grass using a scythe and is judged by the time, effort and amount mown, as cutting grass at that altitude requires strength and a special technique. The top three mowers are recognized, with the winner treated as a leader who ensures the successful mowing of all the fields to gather hay for the cattle; agriculture and cattle breeding are essential parts of the area’s economy. Men, starting from the age of eighteen, are traditionally the competitors, with the tradition being transmitted within families from father to son. Women rake the grass and prepare food for guests. Other elements linked to the competition include national costumes, the forging of scythes and the preparation of cattle for competitions. Individuals from all ethnic and religious groups in Kupres are free to participate, with the custom being considered as a foundation of the area’s cultural identity, regardless of the people’s background. The bearers themselves and the Kupres Mowers Association are most responsible for safeguarding the tradition.[9]
The largest gathering of people with the same first name (Ivan) is 2,325, and was achieved by Kupreški kosci (Bosnia and Herzegovina) in Kupres, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 30 July 2017.[10]
Town of Kupres has one elementary school and two highschools.
Kupres is a famousski resort in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the majority of visitors coming fromDalmatia andHerzegovina, mostly because of Kupres's proximity to those regions. There are three main ski centers located at the nearby mountains of Čajuša (ski center "Adria ski") andStožer (ski center "Stožer" & ski center "Ski Ivan").
Kupres is also famous for its active tourism that doesn't include skiing, like motocross, paragliding, horse riding and off-road driving.
The town also has a large natural lake called the "Kukavičko jezero"
Kupres istwinned with:[11][12]
Baška Voda, CroatiaGospić, CroatiaKaštela, CroatiaValpovo, Croatia
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