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| {{About|a place in Bosnia and Hezegovina|other similarly named places|Visegrad (disambiguation)}} | {{About|a place in Bosnia and Hezegovina|other similarly named places|Visegrad (disambiguation)}} | ||
| {{Infobox settlement | {{Infobox settlement | ||
| |official_name = Višegrad <br> Вишеград | |official_name = Višegrad <br> Вишеград | ||
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| '''Višegrad''' ({{lang-sr-cyrl|Вишеград}}, {{IPA-sh|ʋǐʃɛɡraːd|pron}}) is a town and municipality in eastern ] resting on the ] river and in the ] entity. The town includes the ]-era ], an ] world heritage site which was popularized by ] winning author ] in his novel '']''. During the ] the town was one of the scenes of ] and ] carried out by ] forces against ] civilians, and it saw a drastic decline in its previously majority Bosniak population. ], a future tourist site dedicated to Andrić, is under construction near the bridge. Višegrad is a South Slavic toponym meaning "the upper town/castle/fort".{{citation needed|date=December 2012}} Višegrad is located on the river ], on the road from ] and ] towards ], Serbia. | '''Višegrad''' ({{lang-sr-cyrl|Вишеград}}, {{IPA-sh|ʋǐʃɛɡraːd|pron}}) is a town and municipality in eastern ] resting on the ] river and in the ] entity. The town includes the ]-era ], an ] world heritage site which was popularized by ] winning author ] in his novel '']''. During the ] the town was one of the scenes of ] and ] carried out by ] forces against ] civilians, and it saw a drastic decline in its previously majority Bosniak population. ], a future tourist site dedicated to Andrić, is under construction near the bridge. Višegrad is a South Slavic toponym meaning "the upper town/castle/fort".{{citation needed|date=December 2012}} Višegrad is located on the river ], on the road from ] and ] towards ], Serbia. | ||
| ==Geography== | |||
| Višegrad is located on the ] river, thus part of the geographical region of ]. It is also part of the historical region of ]; the immediate area surrounding the town was historically called "Višegradski Stari Vlah",<ref name=BNK>{{cite book|title=Biblioteka Nasi Krajevi|volume=4|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=yIA6AQAAIAAJ|year=1963|pages=16-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Petar Vlahović|title=Serbia: the country, people, life, customs|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Dx4qAQAAMAAJ|year=2004|publisher=Ethnographic Museum|isbn=978-86-7891-031-9|page=31}}</ref> noted as an ethnographic region<ref>{{cite book|title=Etnološki pregled: Revue d'ethnologie|volume=12-14|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=g4snAQAAIAAJ|year=1974|page=83}}</ref> in which the population was closer to ] (on the Serbian side of the Drina) than to the surrounding areas.<ref name=BNK/> | |||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| Line 42: | Line 44: | ||
| ===Bosnian War=== | ===Bosnian War=== | ||
| Višegrad is one of several towns along the ] |
Višegrad is one of several towns along the ] river in close proximity to the Serbian border. The town was strategically important during the conflict. A nearby hydroelectric dam provided electricity and also controlled the level of the Drina, preventing flooding downstream areas. The town is situated on the main road connecting ] and ] in Serbia with ] and ] in ], a vital link for the Užice Corps of the ] (JNA) with the ] as well as other strategic locations implicated in the conflict.<ref name="ICTY: Milan Lukić and Sredoje Lukić judgement">{{cite web|url=http://www.icty.org/x/cases/milan_lukic_sredoje_lukic/tjug/en/090720_j.pdf|title=ICTY: Milan Lukić and Sredoje Lukić judgement}}</ref><ref name="ICTY: Mitar Vasiljević judgement"/> | ||
| On 6 April 1992, JNA |
On 6 April 1992, JNA artillery bombarded the town, in particular Bosniak-inhabited neighbourhoods and nearby villages. A group of Bosniak men took several local Serbs hostage and seized control of the hydroelectric dam, threatening to blow it up. Water was released from the dam causing flooding to some houses and streets.<ref name="ICTY: Mitar Vasiljević judgement">{{cite web|url=http://www.icty.org/x/cases/vasiljevic/tjug/en/vas021129.pdf|title=ICTY: Mitar Vasiljević judgement}}</ref> Eventually on 12 April, JNA commandos seized the dam. The next day the JNA's Užice Corps took control of Višegrad, positioning tanks and heavy artillery around the town. The population that had fled the town during the crisis returned and the climate in the town remained relatively calm and stable during the later part of April and the first two weeks of May.<ref name="ICTY: Mitar Vasiljević judgement"/> On 19 May 1992 the Užice Corps officially withdrew from the town and local Serb leaders established control over Višegrad and all municipal government offices. Soon after, local Serbs, police and paramilitaries began one of the most notorious campaigns of ethnic cleansing in the conflict.<ref name="ICTY: Mitar Vasiljević judgement"/> | ||
| There was widespread looting and destruction of |
There was widespread looting and destruction of houses, and terrorizing of Bosniak civilians, with instances of rape, with a large number of Bosniaks killed in the town; the Drina was used to dump many of the bodies, others being detained at the ], the ] Hotel and other sites in the area. Vilina Vlas also served as a "]", in which Bosniak women and girls (some not yet 14 years old), were brought to by police officers and paramilitary members (] and ]).<ref>Final report of the United Nations Commission of Experts, established pursuant to security council resolution 780 (1992), Annex VIII - Prison camps; Under the Direction of: M. Cherif Bassiouni; S/1994/674/Add.2 (Vol. IV), 27 May 1994</ref> Bosniaks detained at Uzamnica were subjected to inhumane conditions, including regular beatings, torture and strenuous forced labour. Both of the town's mosques were razed.<ref name="ICTY: Milan Lukić and Sredoje Lukić judgement"/><ref name="ICTY: Mitar Vasiljević judgement"/><ref name="ess"></ref> According to victims' reports some 3,000 Bosniaks were murdered in Višegrad and its surroundings, including some 600 women and 119 children.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?ID=12736|title=Bosnia's ideal fugitive hideout|author=Damir Kaletovic|publisher=International Relations and Security Network}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKL261004720070526 | work=Reuters | title=Hope for Bosnia town whose bridge will shine again | date=May 26, 2007}}</ref> According to the ], at least 1661 Bosniaks were killed/missing in Višegrad.<ref name="IDC: Podrinje victim statistics">{{cite web|url=http://www.idc.org.ba/onama/izvjestaj_analize_po_centrima.html#podrinje|title=IDC: Podrinje victim statistics}}</ref> | ||
| With the ], the peace agreement between the parties which put an end to the three-and-a-half-year-long war in Bosnia, Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided into two entities, the ] and ], the latter which Višegrad became part of. | With the ], the peace agreement between the parties which put an end to the three-and-a-half-year-long war in Bosnia, Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided into two entities, the ] and ], the latter which Višegrad became part of. | ||
| Before the war, 60 percent of Višegrad's 20,000 residents were Bosniak. In 2009, only a handful of survivors had returned to what is now a predominantly Serb town.<ref name="iwpr"></ref> | Before the war, 60 percent of Višegrad's 20,000 residents were Bosniak. In 2009, only a handful of survivors had returned to what is now a predominantly Serb town.<ref name="iwpr"></ref> On 5 August 2001, survivors of the massacre returned to Višegrad for the burial of 180 bodies exhumed from mass graves. The exhumation lasted for two years and the bodies were found in 19 different mass graves.<ref name="bosniauk" /> The charges of mass rape were unapproved as the prosecutors failed to request them in time.<ref></ref> Cousins ] and ] were convicted on July 20, 2009 for a 1992 killing spree that included locking Muslims in two houses and burning them alive; at least 119 Muslims aged 2–75 years, were burned to death. Milan Lukić was sentenced to life in prison, Sredoje Lukić to 30 years.<ref name="ICTY: Milan Lukić and Sredoje Lukić judgement"/><ref></ref> | ||
| ] Army and paramilitary forces affiliated with them burned Bosniak civilians alive in houses, slaughtered hundreds of men, women and children and threw them over the famous bridge.<ref name="iwpr" /><ref name="bosniauk"></ref> On 5 August 2001, survivors of the massacre returned to Višegrad for the burial of 180 bodies exhumed from mass graves. The exhumation lasted for two years and the bodies were found in 19 different mass graves.<ref name="bosniauk" /> Charges of mass rapes of Bosniak women and girls in Višegrad were not approved against the accused because prosecutors failed to request these charges to be included in a timely manner.<ref></ref> Cousins ] and ] were convicted on July 20, 2009 for a 1992 killing spree that included locking Muslims in two houses and burning them alive. At least 119 Muslims, from 2 days old to 75 years, were burned to death. Milan Lukić was sentenced to life in prison Sredoje Lukić to 30 years.<ref name="ICTY: Milan Lukić and Sredoje Lukić judgement"/><ref></ref> | |||
| ==Architecture== | ==Architecture== | ||
| Line 68: | Line 68: | ||
| Višegrad has the so-called "Home of Culture", opened in 1953, where film projections and all other cultural activities are, including drama studio. Also, city gallery was opened in 1996, and it is located in the Home of Culture.<ref> {{sr icon}}</ref> In addition, Višegrad has two folklore ensembles, KUD "Bikavac" and SSD "Soko".<ref> {{sr icon}}</ref> | Višegrad has the so-called "Home of Culture", opened in 1953, where film projections and all other cultural activities are, including drama studio. Also, city gallery was opened in 1996, and it is located in the Home of Culture.<ref> {{sr icon}}</ref> In addition, Višegrad has two folklore ensembles, KUD "Bikavac" and SSD "Soko".<ref> {{sr icon}}</ref> | ||
| == |
==Demographics== | ||
| ===Municipality=== | |||
| At the 1991 census, the municipality of Visegrad had a population of 21,199 inhabitants:<ref name="statistics">http://www.fzs.ba/Podaci/nacion%20po%20mjesnim.pdf</ref> | At the 1991 census, the municipality of Visegrad had a population of 21,199 inhabitants:<ref name="statistics">http://www.fzs.ba/Podaci/nacion%20po%20mjesnim.pdf</ref> | ||
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| |} | |} | ||
| ===Town=== | |||
| At the 1991 census, the town of Visegrad had a population of 6,902 inhabitants:<ref name="statistics"/> | At the 1991 census, the town of Visegrad had a population of 6,902 inhabitants:<ref name="statistics"/> | ||
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| |'''4,866''' | |'''4,866''' | ||
| |} | |} | ||
| ==See also== | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| * ] | |||
| *] | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{Reflist|2}} | {{Reflist|2}} | ||
| ==Sources== | |||
| *{{cite book|author=Stjepo Trifković|title=Višegradski Stari Vlah|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=hEZMHAAACAAJ|year=1903|publisher=Srpska kraljevska akademija}} | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| ⚫ | {{commons-inline}} | ||
| {{wikivoyage|Višegrad}} | {{wikivoyage|Višegrad}} | ||
| * | * | ||
Revision as of 22:12, 9 May 2015
This article is about a place in Bosnia and Hezegovina. For other similarly named places, see Visegrad (disambiguation). Place in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina| Višegrad Вишеград | |
|---|---|
 Višegrad panorama | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of Višegrad in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Republika Srpska (blue) | |
| Country |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Entity |  Republika Srpska |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Slaviša Mišković SDS |
| Area | |
| • Total | 448.14 km (173.03 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 11,774 |
| • Density | 26.3/km (68/sq mi) |
| Postal code | 73240 |
| Area code | (+387) 058 |
Višegrad (Serbian Cyrillic: Вишеград, Template:IPA-sh) is a town and municipality in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina resting on the Drina river and in the Republika Srpska entity. The town includes the Ottoman-era Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge, an UNESCO world heritage site which was popularized by Nobel prize winning author Ivo Andrić in his novel The Bridge on the Drina. During the Bosnian War the town was one of the scenes of ethnic cleansing and massacres carried out by Bosnian Serb forces against Bosniak civilians, and it saw a drastic decline in its previously majority Bosniak population. Andrićgrad, a future tourist site dedicated to Andrić, is under construction near the bridge. Višegrad is a South Slavic toponym meaning "the upper town/castle/fort". Višegrad is located on the river Drina, on the road from Goražde and Ustiprača towards Užice, Serbia.
Geography
Višegrad is located on the Drina river, thus part of the geographical region of Podrinje. It is also part of the historical region of Stari Vlah; the immediate area surrounding the town was historically called "Višegradski Stari Vlah", noted as an ethnographic region in which the population was closer to Užice (on the Serbian side of the Drina) than to the surrounding areas.
History
Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, the entire area became part of the Serbian Empire, under Stefan Nemanja. In the mid 14th century it was under the rule of the Serbian župan Nikola Altomanović. Then the area was occupied by Bosnian King Tvrtko I and joined to the Bosnian Kingdom. During the reign of Serbian Emperor Stephen Dušan (r. 1331-1355), county lord (župan) Pribil held this region. Pribil allegedly founded the Dobrun monastery between 1340 and 1343. Pribil's sons continued to build on the monastery complex, and painted the external narthex and treasury in the northern side by 1383. According to Turkish sources, in 1454, the city was occupied by Ottoman Turks lead by Osman Pasha, and it remained under Ottoman rule until the 1878 Berlin congress, when Austria-Hungary took control of Bosnia.
The bridge known Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad was built by the Ottoman architect and engineer Mimar Sinan for the Grand Vizier (of Christian origin) Mehmed Paša Sokolović in 1571. It still stands, and it is now a tourist attraction, after being inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. Many travelers come to Višegrad simply to take a walk across the famous bridge.
Bosnian War
Višegrad is one of several towns along the Drina river in close proximity to the Serbian border. The town was strategically important during the conflict. A nearby hydroelectric dam provided electricity and also controlled the level of the Drina, preventing flooding downstream areas. The town is situated on the main road connecting Belgrade and Užice in Serbia with Goražde and Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a vital link for the Užice Corps of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) with the Uzamnica camp as well as other strategic locations implicated in the conflict.
On 6 April 1992, JNA artillery bombarded the town, in particular Bosniak-inhabited neighbourhoods and nearby villages. A group of Bosniak men took several local Serbs hostage and seized control of the hydroelectric dam, threatening to blow it up. Water was released from the dam causing flooding to some houses and streets. Eventually on 12 April, JNA commandos seized the dam. The next day the JNA's Užice Corps took control of Višegrad, positioning tanks and heavy artillery around the town. The population that had fled the town during the crisis returned and the climate in the town remained relatively calm and stable during the later part of April and the first two weeks of May. On 19 May 1992 the Užice Corps officially withdrew from the town and local Serb leaders established control over Višegrad and all municipal government offices. Soon after, local Serbs, police and paramilitaries began one of the most notorious campaigns of ethnic cleansing in the conflict.
There was widespread looting and destruction of houses, and terrorizing of Bosniak civilians, with instances of rape, with a large number of Bosniaks killed in the town; the Drina was used to dump many of the bodies, others being detained at the barracks at Uzamnica, the Vilina Vlas Hotel and other sites in the area. Vilina Vlas also served as a "brothel", in which Bosniak women and girls (some not yet 14 years old), were brought to by police officers and paramilitary members (White Eagles and Arkan's Tigers). Bosniaks detained at Uzamnica were subjected to inhumane conditions, including regular beatings, torture and strenuous forced labour. Both of the town's mosques were razed. According to victims' reports some 3,000 Bosniaks were murdered in Višegrad and its surroundings, including some 600 women and 119 children. According to the Research and Documentation Center, at least 1661 Bosniaks were killed/missing in Višegrad.
With the Dayton Agreement, the peace agreement between the parties which put an end to the three-and-a-half-year-long war in Bosnia, Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided into two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, the latter which Višegrad became part of.
Before the war, 60 percent of Višegrad's 20,000 residents were Bosniak. In 2009, only a handful of survivors had returned to what is now a predominantly Serb town. On 5 August 2001, survivors of the massacre returned to Višegrad for the burial of 180 bodies exhumed from mass graves. The exhumation lasted for two years and the bodies were found in 19 different mass graves. The charges of mass rape were unapproved as the prosecutors failed to request them in time. Cousins Milan Lukić and Sredoje Lukić were convicted on July 20, 2009 for a 1992 killing spree that included locking Muslims in two houses and burning them alive; at least 119 Muslims aged 2–75 years, were burned to death. Milan Lukić was sentenced to life in prison, Sredoje Lukić to 30 years.
Architecture
- Andrićgrad, town built by Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica, dedicated to Ivo Andrić.
- Dobrun Monastery, a Serbian Orthodox monastery founded one of the most notable monasteries of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sport
The local football club, FK Drina HE Višegrad, plays in the First League of the Republika Srpska.
Culture
Višegrad has the so-called "Home of Culture", opened in 1953, where film projections and all other cultural activities are, including drama studio. Also, city gallery was opened in 1996, and it is located in the Home of Culture. In addition, Višegrad has two folklore ensembles, KUD "Bikavac" and SSD "Soko".
Demographics
Municipality
At the 1991 census, the municipality of Visegrad had a population of 21,199 inhabitants:
| Census in the municipality of Višegrad | ||||||
| Year | 1991. | 1981. | 1971. | |||
| Bosniaks | 13,471 (63.54%) | 14,397 (62.05%) | 15,752 (62.04%) | |||
| Serbs | 6,743 (31.80%) | 7,648 (32.96%) | 9,225 (36.33%) | |||
| Croats | 32 (0.15%) | 60 (0.25%) | 68 (0.26%) | |||
| Yugoslavs | 319 (1.50%) | 758 (3.26%) | 141 (0.55%) | |||
| Others | 634 (3.37%) | 338 (1.45%) | 203 (0.79%) | |||
| Total | 21,199 | 23,201 | 25,389 | |||
Town
At the 1991 census, the town of Visegrad had a population of 6,902 inhabitants:
| Višegrad | ||||||
| Year | 1991. | 1981. | 1971. | |||
| Bosniaks | 3,463 (50.17%) | 2,854 (47.66%) | 2,429 (49.91%) | |||
| Serbs | 2,619 (37.94%) | 2,446 (40.84%) | 2,141 (43.99%) | |||
| Croats | 23 (0.33%) | 52 (0.86%) | 53 (1.08%) | |||
| Yugoslavs | 270 (3.91%) | 518 (8.65%) | 107 (2.19%) | |||
| others | 527 (7.63%) | 118 (1.97%) | 136 (2.79%) | |||
| total | 6,902 | 5,988 | 4,866 | |||
References
- ^ Biblioteka Nasi Krajevi. Vol. 4. 1963. pp. 16–22.
- Petar Vlahović (2004). Serbia: the country, people, life, customs. Ethnographic Museum. p. 31. ISBN 978-86-7891-031-9.
- Etnološki pregled: Revue d'ethnologie. Vol. 12–14. 1974. p. 83.
- ^ Istorija Višegrada
- ^ "ICTY: Milan Lukić and Sredoje Lukić judgement" (PDF).
- ^ "ICTY: Mitar Vasiljević judgement" (PDF).
- Final report of the United Nations Commission of Experts, established pursuant to security council resolution 780 (1992), Annex VIII - Prison camps; Under the Direction of: M. Cherif Bassiouni; S/1994/674/Add.2 (Vol. IV), 27 May 1994
- Final report of the United Nations Commission of Experts established pursuant to security council resolution 780
- Damir Kaletovic. "Bosnia's ideal fugitive hideout". International Relations and Security Network.
- "Hope for Bosnia town whose bridge will shine again". Reuters. May 26, 2007.
- "IDC: Podrinje victim statistics".
- Visegrad in Denial Over Grisly Past
- Cite error: The named reference
bosniaukwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - Investigation: Visegrad rape victims say their cries go unheard
- Hague: Bosnian Serbs Sentenced
- Политика, издање од 6. јануара 2008. године
- Institucije kulture, www.visegradturizam.com Template:Sr icon
- Kulturno umjetnička društva - www.visegradturizam.com Template:Sr icon
- ^ http://www.fzs.ba/Podaci/nacion%20po%20mjesnim.pdf
Sources
- Stjepo Trifković (1903). Višegradski Stari Vlah. Srpska kraljevska akademija.
External links
[REDACTED] Media related to Višegrad at Wikimedia Commons
- Official presentation of Tourist organization of Visegrad
- visegrad.rs Tourist attractions and services in Visegrad
- Visegrad24.info
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