Kneževo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Up until the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, the town was known as Skender Vakuf. During the war, the town was renamed Kneževo by the Serb authorities as part of their ethnic cleansing policies.[1] Accordingly, many media outlets in the region continue to refer to the area as Skender Vakuf-Kneževo.[2]

Plaque dedicated to the Serb fascist victims from the area

Roman basilica have been found in Imljani and Javorani, and remains of the Roman road from Servitium (Banja Luka) to Levsaba (Travnik) were also found in the vicinity. Tombstones of the Stećak type date back to the 14th and 15th centuries, when the area was part of the Kingdom of Bosnia. The town was founded in the Ottoman Empire. It is first mentioned in the records of a Muslim judge from Jajce in 1693, while there is no record of it in the census of the Bosnia Eyalet of 1604. Two generations of imams are mentioned in the records, which means it was most likely founded in the latter half of the 17th century. The architecture of the Old Mosque in Skender-Vakuf also indicates it was built in the latter half of the 17th century. The charitable endowment (vakuf) that is reflected in the town's traditional name Skender Vakuf (after Ali-dedo Skender) contributed to urbanization.[3] The Old Mosque was significant and one of the first in the region. It was destroyed, along with the New Mosque, in 1992 during the Bosnian War.

In the Korićani Cliffs massacre of 21 August 1992, some 200 Bosniaks and Croats detainees were massacred by the Bosnian Serbs Police and Army forces from Prijedor (in deep cliff in the canyon of Ilomska) river.

After the Bosnian War, part of the municipality was split off to form the Dobretići municipality of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity.

Ugar river

Landscape from Osmača

Lake Bočac and Čemernica

Café in the nature

Nature park Čemernica

Kneževo is located between the rivers Ugar, Vrbas and Vrbanja and surrounded by the mountain chains of Čemernica, Ranča in the west, Vlašić in the south and Ježica in the north-east. The municipality has an official altitude of 864 metres (2,835 ft), but really ranges from 600 to 1,493 metres (1,969 to 4,898 ft). Kneževo is 50 kilometres (31 mi) southeast of Banja Luka by the M56 motorway.

Neighbouring municipalities are Čelinac (extreme north), Kotor Varoš (east), Travnik, Dobretići, Jajce (south), Mrkonjić Grad and the city of Banja Luka (west). The southern border is defined by the border of the Republika Srpska with the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country's other entity. The mountainous region in the south is forested and impracticable; its limestone mountains reach a height of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft).[4][5][6][7]

Aside from the town of Kneževo, the municipality includes the following settlements:

Church in Živinice

Wooden church in Javorani

The municipality houses several cultural monuments, such as the Old Church of St. Nicholas from 1757, the 18th-century Church of Prophet Elijah.

In Imljani there is a monument dedicated to 43 fallen soldiers of the Army of Republika Srpska who fell at the Vlašić battlefield on 20 March 1995.[8]

The mayor of Knezevo is Bore Škeljić, of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS).[9]

• Radojka Lakić, National Hero of Yugoslavia
• Luka Radetić, National Hero of Yugoslavia
• Dujko Komljenović, National Hero of Yugoslavia
• Lazar Tešanović, Chetnik officer, born in Javorani
• Željko Raljić, journalist
• Momir Ćelić, professor
• Tihomir Radetić, film director
• Levon Keleman, software engineer
• Radenko Mijatović, president of Football Association of Slovenia[10]

According to the 1991 census, the municipality consisted of: Bastaji, Bokani, Borak, Bregovi, Brnjići, Bunar, Čarići, Ćukovac, Davidovići, Dobratići, Donji Orašac, Golo Brdo, Gornji Orašac, Imljani, Javorani, Kobilja, Kostići, Kričići - Jejići, Melina, Mijatovići, Milaševci, Mokri Lug, Paunovići, Pavlovići, Prisika, Rađići, Skender Vakuf, Slipčevići, Šolaji, Vitovlje Malo, Vlatkovići, Vukovići, Zapeće, Zasavica, Zubovići and Živinice.

In 1995, the municipality included Bastaji, Bokani, Borak, Bregovi, Čarići, Ćukovac, Golo Brdo, Imljani, Javorani, Kobilja, Kostići, Malići, Mokri Lug, Paunovići, Rađići, Kneževo, Šolaji, Vlatkovići and Živinice; the south-western settlements of Davidovići, Dobretići, Kričići and Melina became part of the municipality of Dobretići in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kneževo.

• Official Municipality Website