Mrkonjić Grad

Mrkonjić Grad Мркоњић Град
View on Mrkonjić Grad
Coat of arms
Location of Mrkonjić Grad within Republika Srpska
Coordinates:
Country	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Entity	Republika Srpska
Government
• Mayor	Divna Aničić (SNSD)
Area
• Total	677,43 km2 (26,156 sq mi)
Population (2013 census)
• Total	18,136
• Density	26,8/km2 (690/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Area code(s)	50

Mrkonjić Grad (Serbian Cyrillic: Мркоњић Град; pronounced [mr̩koɲit͡ɕ grad]) is a town and municipality in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Republika Srpska entity. It is located in the Bosanska Krajina, between Banja Luka and Jajce.

Name

The town changed its name several times in history: Gornje Kloke, Novo Jajce, Varcarev Vakuf, Varcar Vakuf, and ultimately the present one. The last renaming took place in 1924 after King Peter I of Serbia, who had taken the nom de guerre "Mrkonjić" while fighting in the uprising (1875–78) against the Ottoman Empire.

History

Church of Saint Sava

Bočac fortress

From 1929 to 1941, Mrkonjić Grad was part of the Vrbas Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

In World War II, the town became renowned by the first meeting of ZAVNOBiH on 25 November 1943, when Bosnia and Herzegovina was proclaimed as a common republic of Serbs, Croats and Muslims.

During the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995, the town was within the territory controlled by Bosnian Serbs. The town is also known for the Mrkonjić Grad incident where the USAF lost one F-16 in June 1995. The pilot of the jet, Scott O'Grady, was stranded in the area for six days before being rescued by US Marines. In 8–12 October 1995, Mrkonjić Grad was in the hands of the Croatian Army and the Croatian Defence Council (HVO).

After the Dayton peace agreement the town was assigned to the entity of Republika Srpska. In 1996, a mass grave containing the bodies of 181 Serbs—mostly civilians—was uncovered in Mrkonjić Grad. Almost all were killed by Bosniak and Croat forces in late 1995.

Residential area

Demographics

1910

According to the 1910 census, the absolute majority in the Varcar Vakuf municipality were Serbian Orthodox Christians.

1971

30,159 total

• 22,734 Serbs (75.38%)
• 4,990 Bosniaks (16.55%)
• 2,204 Croats (7.31%)
• 98 Yugoslavs (0.32%)
• 133 others (0.44%)

1981

29,684 total

• 23,009 Serbs (77.51%)
• 3,364 Bosniaks (11.33%)
• 2,290 Croats (7.71%)
• 855 Yugoslavs (2.88%)
• 166 others (0.56%)

1991

In the 1991 census, the municipality of Mrkonjić Grad had 37,379 residents, including:

• 33,275 Serbs
• 1,159 Bosniaks
• 2,141 Croats
• 584 Yugoslavs
• 220 others

Tourism

Hotel Krajina

The Balkana Lake lies near the town and presents a small, but beautiful tourist resort.

See also

• Mrkonjić Grad incident

External links

• Municipality of Mrkonjić Grad
• Mrkonjić Grad Guide
• Mrkonjić Grad - Internet - Live & Exclusive from MG
• Mrkonjić Grad Portal
• Zelenkovac Art gallery