Lašva Valley

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Lašva Valley
nickname =
motto =

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imagesize = 255px
image_caption = Lašva River in the city centre of Travnik


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mapsize = 175px
map_caption = Approximation of the Lašva Valley
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Bosnia and Herzegovina
subdivision_type1 = Entity
subdivision_name1 = Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
subdivision_type2 = Canton
subdivision_name2 = Central Bosnia Canton
leader_title =
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leader_party =
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established_date =
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 =
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population_as_of = 1991
population_note =
population_footnotes = cite web|publisher=Federal Office of Statistics, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina|url=http://www.fzs.ba/Eng/gode.htm#POPULATION|title=Estimation total number of present population by age, sex and cantons and municipality, June 30, 2007|accessdate=2008-04-03]
population_total = 177,511
population_metro =
population_urban =
population_density_km2 =
timezone = Central European Time
utc_offset = +1
timezone_DST =
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elevation_m =
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website =
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footnotes = A region used to characterize some parts of Central Bosnia, the Lašva Valley is understood to be defined geographical by the Lašva River’s route. It is a tributary of the Bosna River which travels from Travnik through Vitez but also touches Busovača, Kiseljak, Novi Travnik and Travnik. [STATEMENT OF THE TRIAL CHAMBER AT THE JUDGEMENT HEARING. (2000). The Prosecutor v. Tihomir Blaskic. Retrieved August 7, 2008, from http://www.un.org/icty/pressreal/bla-sumj000303e.htm]

History

Ancient Times

The favorable geographical position of the Lašva Valley enabled the beginning of civilization along the Lašva River. However, due to the unprotected and open area numerous occupiers chose the mountainous regions to protect themselves. The earliest known remnants of civilized people were the Romans. Romans were adapt to the terrain and surrounding because of military might, which was of the utmost importance for survival.

Due to the presence of the Lašva River many settlers began to exploit it for economic benefits. They began trading goods which traveled from Travnik to Vitez. In addition to the river, the mountainous regions offered mineral deposits which in turn attracted even more settlers. Remnants have been found belonging to the Romans in Turbe and Mosunj, where a settlement named Bistue is thought to have existed. [Vitez Web. Lasvanska Dolina i njena proslost. Retrieved August 8, 2008, from http://vitezweb.com/lasvanska%20dolina.htm ]

Pre-Ottoman Period

The name "Lašva" was first used as a regional term in the 13th century. Béla IV of Hungary first mentioned the area in his charter on April 20th, 1244, which he issued to gain political favor from Pope Innocent IV by launching and winning the war against the “heretics,” as he called them. In the charter there is mention of three Roman Catholic churches existing in the Lašva Valley, although only one can be confirmed by the gifting of the Bosnian Ban Matej Ninoslav in 1250.

The Lašva Valley is thought of having its own seat of power before the arrival of the Franciscans in the 13th century. Their subsequent establishing of Vukarija in 1340 was the first officially known seat of power in the valley. The Bosnian Vukarija had, according to the friar Bartolomej Polanski (1385/1390), monasteries in Kraljeva Sutjeska, Visoko, Lašva and Olovo. Therefore, the Lašva Valley was an occupied and developed region not unlike other parts of Bosnia.

"Lašva" is only mentioned once in the 15th century by the Hungarian King Sigismund on September 5th, 1425. On that date the king rewarded his son the Paku estate in the county of Vuku for his loyalty to the king which he earned through battles against the Ottoman Empire.

In the book “Roots and Life,” translated from “Korijeni I Život,” the advent of Ottoman expansion is mentioned. “The coming of the Ottomans and their military victories at Jajce in 1463 saw the putting out of fire in chimneys at age old houses and churches. With the arrival of the new oppressive and bloodthirsty masters from the East, people began to flee over the borders to the south and north, while others sought refuge in mountains led by the Franciscans.”

The last battle against Ottoman expansion in the Lašva Valley was lost on May 1463, when the sultan Fatih Sultan Mehmet on his return from Jajce defeated the last Bosnian king Stjepan Tomašević at Miloradz in today’s Brestovsko; located between Kiseljak and Busovača. [Vitez Web. August 8, 2008]

Ottoman Period

Upon the new conquest, the plaintiff of the Franciscans Anđeo Zvizdović advised the Sultan to stop forcing the people of Bosnia to flee because of religious persecution. Which, if continued, would lead to the eventual downfall of properties and infrastructures. The Sultan agreed and issued an Ahdname in 1463 decreeing freedom of religion for the Roman Catholic population.

Due to the sheer size of the Ottoman Empire jurisdictional and government overseeing was not a possibility, since the capitol Istanbul was long ways away. Bosnia was used as a launching state for other wars, which consequently transformed the land into a military occupying region. Most of the peoples along with the Franciscans sought to distance themselves from the Ottoman settlements, many times living in impoverished conditions. New monasteries were not allowed to built on the foundation of old ones and consequently only three remained at; Fojnica, Kreševo and Kraljeva Sutjeska.

At the dawn of Ottoman rule, the Lašva Valley began to be called “nahija Lašva,” which was centered at Travnik. As a result, Travnik began to grow and emerge as an integral part of the Ottoman Empire’s jurisdiction over the Lašva Valley and Bosnia. [Vitez Web. August 8, 2008]

Post-Ottoman Period

The Lašva Valley, as well as Bosnia, was emancipated from Ottoman control in 1878 and entered a new phase in its history under Austro-Hungarian rule. The area saw a reemerging of Catholic populations with overall improvements in infrastructures. The modernization of the Austro-Hungarian rule transformed the Lašva Valley into a capable area worthy of competing against larger and more established regions. The 19th century also saw the materialization of South Slavic nationalism along with the idea of a unified South Slavic state. [Wikipedia. History of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1878–1918). Retrieved August 8, 2008, fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina_(1878%E2%80%931918)]

Modern Day

During the last century the Lašva Valley was highlighted by the breakup of Yugoslavia. According to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Lašva Valley was one of the first locations of ethnic cleansing conducted by Croats on Bosniak civilian population known as the Lašva Valley ethnic cleansing. The ICTY has ruled that these crimes amounted to crimes against humanity in numerous verdicts against Croat political and military leaders and soldiers, most notably Dario Kordić. cite web|url=http://www.un.org/icty/kordic/trialc/judgement/index.htm|title=ICTY: Kordić and Čerkez verdict|] Based on the evidence of numerous Croat forces (HVO) attacks at that time, the ICTY Trial Chamber concluded in the "Kordić and Čerkez case" that by April 1993 Croat leadership had a common design or plan conceived and executed to ethnically cleanse Bosniaks from the Lašva Valley. Dario Kordić, as the local political leader, was found to be the planner and of this plan. cite web|url=http://www.un.org/icty/kordic/trialc/judgement/kor-tj010226e-5.htm#IVC3|title=ICTY: Kordić and Čerkez verdict - IV. Attacks on towns and villages: killings - C. The April 1993 Conflagration in Vitez and the Lašva Valley - 3. The Attack on Ahmići (Paragraph 642)|] Further concluding that the Croatian Army was involved in the campaign, the ICTY defined the events as an international conflict between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.cite web|url=http://hrw.org/reports/2004/ij/icty/2.htm#_Toc62882594|title=HRW: Conflict between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia|]

Today the region is recovering form post-war depression and has emerged as an economic powerhouse in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with cities such as Vitez leading the way. Lašva Valley has been somewhat homogenized by the Croats who constitute most of the population, although Bosniak populations have begun to return to their homes.

Demographics

Last Official Census 1991

* Lašva Valley (five municipalities: Vitez, Busovača, Kiseljak, Novi Travnik and Travnik)total: 177,511 [BOSNA I HERCEGOVINA - USTAVNA REGIJA - CENTRALNA BOSNA. BOSNA I HERCEGOVINA -Demografska struktura prema popisnim mjestima - naseljima. Retrieved August 8, 2008, from http://www.hdmagazine.com/bosnia/census/cens-c.html ]

Ethnic Composition by Municipalities, 1991 census

References

ee also

* History of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bosnian War
* Croat-Bosniak War
* Bosnian architecture
* Music of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bosnia and Herzegovina