Jajce, Srednjobosanski Kanton/Kanton Središnja Bosna (Central Bosnia Canton), Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine, Bosnia and Herzegovina. October 2014.
Built in the 14th century, the central Bosnian city of Jajce served as the capital of the independent Kingdom of Bosnia. It was also the last Hungarian garrison to fall to the Ottomans in 1527, completing the latter's conquest of Bosnia. During World War II, Jajce hosted the second convention of the Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia (known by the Serbo-Croatian acronym AVNOJ) on November 29, 1943, where a provisional government was set up by Tito, cementing the foundation for the post-war Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Jajce was strategically located at a junction between areas of Serb majority to the north, Muslim majority to the southeast and Croatian majority to the southwest. The town was shelled heavily by the Serbs throughout the summer of 1992, and it was captured on October 29, 1992 following a 5-month siege. The consequence was huge for central Bosnia: the Muslim and Croat military blamed each other for abandoning the town's defence, and the influx of refugees, including some 20,000 Muslims, into Travnik and environs in Lašva Valley contributed to the eventual Croat-Muslim War five months later. Following the war, UNESCO renovated the historical parts of the city, in particular the traditional houses with steep roofs, together with the Swedish organization, Cultural Heritage without Borders.
The Pliva Waterfall, where the rivers Pliva and Vrbas meet, was supposedly 30-m. high at some point. During the Bosnian war, the area was flooded and the waterfall is now 20 m. high. The flooding may have been due to an earthquake and/or attacks on the hydroelectric power plant further up the river, says Wikipedia.
The Pliva Watermills, where wheat was milled for flour, were a symbol of wealth and power in medieval Bosnia. The unwritten rule was that one was never to pay for usage of the mills with money, but rather a tenth of the product was to be left to the mill's owner. (Bradt, 4th ed.)
Category:Travel and Places
Subcategory:Europe
Subcategory Detail:Bosnia and Herzegovina
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