Twin city Travnik (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
History and profile of the twin city
Travnik is situated in the narrow valley of the Lasva River which borders the Vlasic mountains in the north and the Vilenica mountains to the south.
Travnik is a city with a turbulent history. In the Middle Ages, the city was part of the Bosnian state, a period of which the well preserved historic city centre bears elaborate witness. During the Turkish occupation of the Balkans, for 150 years, Travnik became the residence of the Vezirs, the governors of the sultans. The city developed into the most important centre of trade and crafts, becoming the first diplomatic centre of Bosnia. To this day, many mosques, Koranic schools and other buildings of the Ottoman era characterise the city.
During the Austrian-Hungarian occupation, Travnik developed into an industrial centre. Wood-processing and textile industries flourished and to this day remain the city's most important industries. Following the declaration of independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbian nationalist resistance grew, throwing the country into a devastating civil war in 1992 – the most terrible armed conflict Europe has witnessed since the end of World War II. Though the city saw only moderate war damage, it had to mourn many dead.
Since the Dayton Peace Treaty of 1995, Travnik has become part of the Federal Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, having been made the administrative centre of Central Bosnia. In 1998, Travnik was given the official status of an UNHCR Open City, in which members of all ethnic groups live peacefully together.
Travnik's location at the edge of the Vlasic mountains (1943 m) fostered the development of tourism. But the region is also famous for the Travnik sheep's milk cheese, a popular export item from Europe to the Americas.
Travnik is a picturesque city with the charisma of a visibly eventful past. It was the birth place of Noble Laureate Ivo Andric, who commemorated his home town in many of his works and whose birth house is home to an impressive museum.
Facts and Figures
- Administrative centre of Central Bosnia
- Population: approx. 70.000 inhabitants (in the community)
- Twin city of Leipzig since 2003