Šamac, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Šamac
Шамац
Town and municipality
Šamac
Šamac
Location of Šamac within Republika Srpska
Location of Šamac within Republika Srpska
Location of Šamac
Šamac is located in Republika Srpska
Šamac
Šamac
Location of Šamac within Bosnia and Herzegovina
Šamac is located in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Šamac
Šamac
Šamac (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Coordinates: 45°03′38″N 18°28′3″E / 45.06056°N 18.46750°E / 45.06056; 18.46750
Country Bosnia and Herzegovina
Entity Republika Srpska
Geographical regionPosavina
Government
 • Municipal mayorĐorđe Milićević (SDS)
 • Municipality177.54 km2 (68.55 sq mi)
Population
 (2013 census)
 • Town
5,390
 • Municipality
17,273
 • Municipality density97/km2 (250/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Area code54
Websitewww.opstinasamac.org
Šamac municipality by population proportional to the settlement with the highest and lowest population

Šamac (Serbian Cyrillic: Шамац, pronounced [ʃâmat͡s]),[1] formerly Bosanski Šamac (Serbian Cyrillic: Босански Шамац) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are also small, uninhabited, parts located in the municipalities of Odžak[2] and Domaljevac-Šamac, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[3]

As of 2013, the town has a population of 5,390 inhabitants, while the municipality has 17,273 inhabitants. It is situated on the right bank of the Sava river. Across the river is Slavonski Šamac in Croatia.

History

The modern town was founded by Bosnian Muslim refugees expelled from the Sanjak of Smederevo in 1862, after the Principality of Serbia gained autonomy from the Ottoman Empire and the ethnic conflicts surrounding the Čukur Fountain incident. These refugees hailed mainly from Užice and Sokol. At the time Šamac was initially called Gornja Azizija (Upper Azizija after Sultan Abdulaziz).[4] It was part of the Vilayet of Bosnia before it was annexed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1887.[citation needed] After World War I, the town became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. From 1929 to 1939, it was part of the Drina Banovina; and from 1939 until 1941 it was part of the Banovina of Croatia. During World War II, Šamac, as the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was occupied by the Nazi-controlled Independent State of Croatia. After 1945, the city was reintegrated within the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Tito's Yugoslavia.

In the early stages of the Bosnian war the town was occupied by Bosnian Serbs who established a provisional municipal government. Most Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats were ethnically cleansed between April and November 1992.[5][6] During the war, a semi-permanent front line was established against Croatian and Bosniak forces towards the neighboring Orašje. In 2003, three Bosnian Serb town leaders at the time of the Yugoslav Wars were sentenced in the ICTY for crimes against humanity.[7]

The town lies on an important strategic position in Republika Srpska, near Brčko. As with most other places under Serb control, Srpska authorities removed the "Bosnian" adjective from the town's official name and changed it to "Šamac". Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats continued to refer to it by its historical name of "Bosanski Šamac" (Serbian Cyrillic: Босански Шамац, pronounced [bǒsanskiː ʃâmat͡s]).[1] causing tension among the inhabitants. A court order had the official name changed to simply Šamac, removing any ethnic divisions in its previous names.[8]

Settlements

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

Demographics

Population

Population of settlements – Šamac municipality
1948. 1953. 1961. 1971. 1981. 1991. 2013.
Total 37,512 44,269 31,374 32,320 32,960 17,273
1 Batkuša 924 625
2 Brvnik 609 253
3 Crkvina 1,704 1,223
4 Donja Slatina 623 471
5 Donji Hasić 1,029 207
6 Gajevi 626 438
7 Gornja Slatina 1,361 903
8 Gornji Hasić 1,048 427
9 Grebnice 443
10 Kornica 830 302
11 Kruškovo Polje 706 588
12 Lugovi 422
13 Novo Selo 1,095 419
14 Obudovac 3,199 2,421
15 Pisari 608 436
16 Šamac 4,877 5,605 6,239 5,390
17 Škarić 298 273
18 Srednja Slatina 1,277 519
19 Tišina 2,032 890
20 Zasavica 558 339

Ethnic composition

Ethnic composition – Šamac town
2013. 1991. 1981. 1971.
Total 5,390 (100%) 6,239 (100%) 5,605 (100%) 4,877 (100%)
Serbs 3,449 (67.19%) 1,755 (28.13%) 1,342 (23.94%) 1,500 (30.76%)
Bosniaks 1,253 (24.41%) 2,178 (34.91%) 1,697 (30.28%) 2,163 (44.35%)
Croats 227 (4.42%) 827 (13.26%) 687 (12.26%) 726 (14.89%)
Others 204 (3.97%) 284 (4.55%) 61 (1.08%) 38 (0.77%)
Yugoslavs 1 195 (19.15%) 1 774 (31.65%) 429 (8.79%)
Albanians 22 (0.393%) 3 (0.062%)
Montenegrins 13 (0.232%) 8 (0.164%)
Slovenes 5 (0.089%) 3 (0.062%)
Hungarians 4 (0.071%) 4 (0.082%)
Macedonians 3 (0.062%)


Ethnic composition – Šamac municipality
2013. 1991. 1981. 1971.
Total 17,273 (100%) 32,960 (100%) 32,320 (100%) 31,374 (100%)
Serbs 13,256 (76,74%) 13,628 (41,35%) 13,328 (41,24%) 14,230 (45,36%)
Croats 2,426 (14.05%) 14,731 (44.69%) 14,327 (44.33%) 14,336 (45.69%)
Bosniaks 1,265 (7.324%) 2,233 (6.775%) 1,725 (5.337%) 2,192 (6.987%)
Others 326 (1.887%) 613 (1.860%) 262 (0.811%) 88 (0.28%)
Yugoslavs 1,755 (5.32%) 2 601 (8.05%) 481 (1.53%)
Montenegrins 33 (0.10%) 25 (0.08%)
Montenegrins 27 (0.08%) 8 (0.02%)
Hungarians 7 (0.022%) 4 (0.013%)
Slovenes 6 (0.019%) 6 (0.019%)
Macedonians 4 (0.012%) 4 (0.013%)

Economy

Main square
A monument to Serb casualties in the Bosnian War
A Serbian Orthodox church in Obudovac

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered employed people per their core activity (as of 2016):[9]

Professional field Total
Agriculture, forestry and fishing 84
Mining and quarrying 40
Manufacturing 426
Distribution of power, gas, steam and air-conditioning 31
Distribution of water and water waste management 19
Construction 5
Wholesale and retail, repair 417
Transportation and storage 182
Hotels and restaurants 117
Information and communication 6
Finance and insurance 20
Real estate activities -
Professional, scientific and technical activities 57
Administrative and support services 7
Public administration and defence 176
Education 248
Healthcare and social work 122
Art, entertainment and recreation 8
Other service activities 7
Total 1,972

Sports

The local football club, FK Borac Šamac, plays in the third tier — the Second League of the Republika Srpska.

Notable people

Serbian PM Zoran Đinđić
Alija Izetbegović

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Mangold (2005:212)
  2. ^ "Naseljena Mjesta 1991/2013" (in Bosnian). Statistical Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "Naseljena Mjesta 1991/2013" (in Bosnian). Statistical Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  4. ^ Krpic, Amir. The 1862 Kanlica Conference and Demographic Changes in Northeast Bosnia in the 1860s (PDF).
  5. ^ "BOSNIA". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  6. ^ "FACE TO FACE WITH EVIL - TIME". 2007-09-30. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  7. ^ http://www.asil.org/ilib/ilib0622.htm#j3 International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) (Trial Chamber II): Prosecutor v. Blagoje Simic, Mirolsav Tadic and Simo Zadic (October 17, 2003) Archived February 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "RS bez "bosanskih" gradova". www.slobodnaevropa.org.
  9. ^ "Cities and Municipalities of Republika Srpska 2017" (PDF). rzs.rs.ba (in Serbian). December 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2018.

References

  • Official 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.
  • Mangold, Max (2005), Das Aussprachewörterbuch, Duden, ISBN 9783411040667
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