Biha

The New square and the fountain.

1 History
The area of Biha was populated by the tribe of Iapydes
(Japodes) as early as the 8th century B.C. The Iapydes
left many remains that testify about their presence in this
area.
Kapetanova kula (Captains Tower - left), Crkva (Church right), Pivnica (Pub - bottom)

During the 2nd century B.C. this area was populated by

Romans. Its in this period that the river Una was given
its name by a Roman soldier (Latin: una- one, unique).
The only important remains left behind the Romans are
roads. In the 6th century this area is populated by Slavs,
an Indo-European group of people.
The name of Biha was rst mentioned as early as 1260
as property of a church in Topusko, Croatia in a document by the Hungarian-Croatian king Bla IV, and became a free city in 1262. Biha was the temporary capital of the Croatian Kingdom. It lost its civic status in
the 14th century following dynastic struggles in the kingdom, and became a property of the Frankopan nobles. In
the 16th century it passed under direct royal rule, when
battles with the Ottoman Empire had begun. The town
of Biha, in the region of the same name, withstood the
Ottoman attacks until it fell with the Bosnia sanjak (in
1592).

The Seal and Armorial Bearings of Biha town from the 14th
century.

The Biha fort would become the westernmost fort taken

by the Ottoman army over a hundred years later, in 1592
under the Bosnian vizier Hasan-pasha Predojevi. The
is a city on city was initially made the center of the Biha sanjak, part
Biha (Cyrillic: ; pronounced [bxat])
the River Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, in of the Bosnian pashaluk. It was demoted in 1699 to bethe Bosanska Krajina region. It has 61,186 inhabitants.[2] come part of the sanjak of Bosnia, during the period of
Biha is located in the Una-Sana Canton (Canton I) of the intense border wars between the Habsburg monarchy and
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
the Ottoman Empire. In 1865 it became the center of its
1

6 SPORT

own sanjak, but this lasted only until 1878, when all of
Bosnia was occupied by Austria-Hungary.
A period of peace followed, marked by the 1888 bringing down of the fortress walls that separated the inner
city from the outskirts. The new government had several
schools and civic facilities built, which boosted the citys
growth. It remained prosperous after the establishment
of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918, the
center of the western Bosnian region, though its growth
was impaired by the Great Depression in the 1930s. From
1929 to 1941, Biha was part of the Vrbas Banovina of
the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
During World War II, Biha, along with the rest of Biha
Bosnia, was a part of the Independent State of Croatia. During July 1941, the Croatian Ustaa regime murdered more than 12,000 Serbian, Jewish and Roma children, women and men from Biha at Garavice. In 1942,
partisans liberated Biha. The city served as headquarters for the partisan army of Josip Broz Tito, the seat of
the rst AVNOJ session in 1942 and the center of the antifascist resistance. As such, it became a target of the occupying powers and the Germans retook it in 1943 and
held it until 1945 and their nal defeat.
On 24 July 2014, Biha ocially became a city, together
with Zenica, iroki Brijeg and Tuzla.

Bosnian war for independence

Main article: Siege of Biha

Biha suered the destruction of many buildings during
the Bosnian War for Independence, when the area around
the city was under siege by joint forces composing of
Bosnian Serb, Croatian Serb, and Serbian-backed Bosniaks for over three years, until the summer of 1995 when
the siege was broken in the beginning of the Operation
Storm conjoined with Croatian foces under Zvonimir
ervenko and Bosniak forces under General Atif Dudakovi.

Features

The city and the region are now becoming a viable tourist
destination for its natural beauty.[3] The Una river valley where Biha is situated provides the best route from
Zagreb to Dalmatia so the trac position is also favorable.
Theres also a yearly regatta held on the Una, as well as
the Biha Summer theatrical event.

Una river in Biha

4 Regional location
Border crossings with Croatia are located nearby at Izai to the west of the city (with the Croatian border post
at Liko Petrovo Selo), and Ripac to the south of Biha
(with the Croatian border post at Uljebi). Biha is located on the shortest route between Zagreb and the southern part of Croatias Dalmatian coast.

5 Education
The University of Biha was opened in 1997 and it
has seven faculties: technical, economics, law school,
biotechnical, pedagogical, medical college, Islamic pedagogical academy.

6 Sport
The local football club is NK Jedinstvo, and it competes
in the Bosnian First League.

Economy

4,805 - 10.54% Croats

4,020 - 8.82% Yugoslavs

In the former Yugoslavia, Biha was developed industrial city. Factories such as Kombiteks, Krajinametal and
1,092 - 2.42% others and unknown
Polietilenka were carriers of economic development. Today it is the headquarters of one of the largest breweries
Oraac
in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which produces two beer
brands, Preminger and Unski biser. Bihaka mljekara Total: 2,574
(creamery), which is owned by German company Meggle
is one of the leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina. BIRA
2,498 - 97.04% Bosniaks
(Biha industry of refrigeration equipment) is one of the
most successful export-oriented factory in BiH. Nowa 49 - 1.90% Serbs
days, signicant results were achieved in the tourism in 1 - 0.03% Croats
dustry. Biha rafting on the Una River is considered one
of the best in the region. It is also signicant, and the
11 - 0.42% Yugoslavs
agricultural sector due to the large and fertile soil.
15 - 0,58% others and unknown

Notable people

Brekovica

Alen Islamovi, singer, lead vocalist of the bands Total: 1,833

Divlje Jagode and Bijelo Dugme
1,779 - 97.05% Bosniaks
Azra Kolakovi, singer
1 - 0.05% Croats
Danan Musa, basketball player
Hamdija Lipovaa, politician

1 - 0.05% Serbs

Irfan Ljubijanki, facial surgeon, classical music

composer, politician and diplomat of Bosnia and
Herzegovina

4 - 0.21% Yugoslavs
48 - 2.61% others and unknown

Borislav Stankovi, former basketball player and Ripa

coach inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in
Total: 1,724
1991
Safet Nadarevi, footballer

1,297 - 75.23% Bosniaks

Zele Lipovaa, leading member of the Bosnian hard

rock band Divlje Jagode

339 - 19.66% Serbs

Zlatko Dedi, footballer

Nihad Hasanovi, writer and translator
Faruk ehi, poet

12 - 0.69% Croats
70 - 4.06% Yugoslavs
6 - 0.34% others and unknown

Mersada Beirspahi, former basketball player

Mehmed Alajbegovi, politician and lawyer
Ferid Dani, World War II soldier

Demographics

Total: 45,553
27,418 - 60.18% Bosniaks
8,218 - 18.04% Serbs

10 Settlements
Bajrii Baljevac Biha Brekovica Bugar ukovi
Doljani Donja Gata Dubovsko Golubi Gorjevac
Grabe Grmua Hrgar Izai Jankovac Jezero
Kalati Klisa Klokot Kula Kulen Vakuf Lipa
Lohovo Lohovska Brda Mala Pea Mali Skoaj
Meudraje Muslii Oraac Orljani Ostrovica
Papari Praijak Pritoka Prnjavor Rai Rajinovci
Ripa Spahii Srbljani Teoak Turija Velika
Gata Veliki Skoaj Veliki Stjenjani Vikii Vrsta
Zavalje i Zlopoljac

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Notes

[1] World Gazetteer

[2] Saopstenje : Dirst Release (PDF). Bhas.ba. Retrieved
2013-11-23.
[3] Arnautovic, Marija (21 September 2012), Bosnian Town
Preserves Coexistence Legacy: Biha is one of the few
places where conict failed to drive a wedge between communities, TRI Issue 757, Institute for War and Peace Reporting

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References

Ocial results from the book: Ethnic composition

of Bosnia-Herzegovina population, by municipalities and settlements, 1991. census, Zavod za statistiku Bosne i Hercegovine - Bilten no.234, Sarajevo
1991.

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External links

Ocial city presentation

Preminger Brewery
Coordinates: 4449N 1552E / 44.817N 15.867E

EXTERNAL LINKS

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Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

Biha Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biha%C4%87?oldid=679298336 Contributors: Joy, Robbot, Conrad Leviston~enwiki,

Dzigi~enwiki, Duja, Flapdragon, Markussep, Pokrajac, Luka Jaov, AtonX, Jvano~enwiki, Hadija, Dado~enwiki, Deathphoenix, PANONIAN, Rocastelo, Burger~enwiki, Emir Arven, Thewanderer, Rjwilmsi, Mayumashu, , FlaBot, SchuminWeb, YurikBot,
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Dretar~enwiki, Kseferovic, PhilG~enwiki, Bigz, Thricecube, Van helsing, Cydebot, Thijs!bot, Biruitorul, The Croat, Marek69, Dr. Blofeld,
JAnDbot, The Anomebot2, Gwern, STBot, CommonsDelinker, Adavidb, Skier Dude, Idioma-bot, Deor, TXiKiBoT, Andrein, Broadbot,
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Xzpx, Natalino7, Justice and Arbitration, TobeBot, Anglo bosnian, Starzynka, Yugo91aesop, Monkey32, Antidiskriminator, Martijnk,
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