| Vrbanja Врбања | |
|---|---|
 The Vrbanja river inČelinac in winter | |
  | |
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| Location | |
| Country | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Vlašić |
| • elevation | 1,520 m (4,990 ft)[1] |
| Mouth | |
• location | Vrbas |
• coordinates | 44°46′44″N17°13′12″E / 44.77889°N 17.22000°E /44.77889; 17.22000 |
• elevation | 164 m (538 ft)[1] |
| Length | 70.5 km (43.8 mi)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Vrbas→Sava→Danube→Black Sea |
TheVrbanja (Serbian Cyrillic:Врбања) is a river inCentral Bosnia, Bosnia and Herzegovina; withUgar, the largest right tributary of theVrbas. Its basin covers an area of approximately 703.5 km2. The Vrbanja has significant hydropower potential.[2][3] There are many different estimations of the Vrbanja's length, from 70.5 km[1] and 84 km[4] to 95.4 km.[5]
Like many other sites in Bosnia, Vrbanja is named after the willows that grow along the river fromKruševo Brdo toBanja Luka. Other examples areVrbanjci village andVrbanja, near Banja Luka, as well asVrbas and a bridge in the center ofSarajevo.
The Vrbanja source is on the slopes of Vlašić Mountain, upstream of Pilipovina village (at about 1,530 meters above sea level). The area around the source is called "Prelivode", with a radius of around 2-3 kilometers. Prelivode is on a ridge between theVlašić (1933 m) and Meokrnje (1425 m) mountains.
The Vrbanja flows throughKruševo Brdo,Šiprage,Obodnik,Vrbanjci,Kotor Varoš,Zabrđe,Čelinac and the settlement ofVrbanja. It joins the Vrbas river in Banja Luka.
During theAustro-Hungarian administration of 1878–1914, a wide network of railway communications was built along the Vrbanja, with the support of the Bosnian Government. Exploitation of the natural resources (especially wood and mining) was the primary intended purpose of this investment. The railroad was built along the valley of the Vrbanja from Kotor Varoš to Šiprage, where it branched along a few tributaries of the river. It leads to the area of the Riječice, across the pass between Jasen and Šepirice.[6]
The river is fed by numerous tributaries fromVlašić,Čemernica,Borja andUzlomac mountains. The most significant right-side tributaries are theBobovica,Lopača,Trnovac,Crkvenica,Kruševica,Jezerka,Bosanka, andJošavka, and the most significant left-side tributaries, theČudnić,Ćorkovac,Demićka,Sadika,Grabovička rijeka,Duboka river,Vigošća/Vigošta,Cvrcka andJakotina.[7][8]
During theWar in Bosnia (1992 – 1995),Serbian Police and Army forces destroyed many of the surroundingBosniak andCroat villages along the Vrbanja valley, from Kruševo Brdo downstream to Banja Luka. The local civilian population was killed or displaced and their homes and properties were destroyed.[9][10]
