Prnjavor (, ) is a city and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 2013 census, the town has a population of 8,120 inhabitants, with 35,956 inhabitants in the municipality.

Geography

Physical geography The municipality is located in the basin of the Ukrina river and is characterized by a mostly lowland hilly terrain configuration with the highest peak of 594m (mountain Ljubić). The Municipality of Prnjavor is shielded on all sides by low mountains such as Ljubić (south) and Motajica (north). The town of Prnjavor is located at an altitude of 185m. Other than the river Ukrina which forms in the Municipality of Prnjavor by merging of the Big and Small Ukrina near the village of Kulaši, there are also the rivers of Vijaka and Lišnja and various other streams. On the river Vijaka in the foothills of Ljubić there is a man made lake Drenova and further downstream there are Ribnjak fishing grounds.

Political geography The municipality is located in the northern part of Republika Srpska and borders the municipalities of Derventa, Stanari, Teslić, Čelinac, Laktaši and Srbac. It has an area of 629.99 km2 and makes up 2,568% of the total territory of the Republika Srpska.

Climate The area of the municipality belongs to the zone of temperate continental climate with moderately cold winters (average temperature in January 1 °C) and moderately warm summers (average temperature in July 31 °C). The average number of total hours of sunshine in the municipality of Prnjavor is 1,600 hours. The average annual rainfall is about 950 mm, and is evenly distributed throughout the year.

History

Middle Ages Even over 700 years ago people recognized the economic potential of the area of the present-day Municipality of Prnjavor. Although there had been some settlements from the Roman period here, significant colonization and settlement (including the construction of monasteries, such as the one of at Stuplje) took place only in the Middle Ages. According to historical sources, medieval monasteries had their landed properties called Prnjavori, and the locals living there were called Prnjavorci. This is believed to be the origin of the name Prnjavor.

Ottoman era During the Ottoman period the region suffered from border conflicts with the Austrian Empire. A significant number of Bosnians converted to Islam after the conquest by the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the 15th century, giving it a unique character within the Balkan region. This conversion appears to have been not sudden but a gradual process based on various rules imposed by the Ottomans — it took more than a hundred years for the number of Muslims to become the majority religion. The general view among scholars is that the Islamization of the Bosnian population was not the result of violent methods of conversions but was, for the most part, peaceful and voluntary.

The first time Prnjavor was mentioned in recorded history was in 1829. The current settlement itself is believed to be of a more recent date. In the mid-19th century and according to the records of the travel writer Jukić, Prnjavor had about a hundred houses and around a thousand inhabitants.

Austria-Hungary In 1878 Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia and the authorities decided the Prnjavor area was under-populated. Efforts were undertaken to attract settlers from other parts of the empire and consequently the municipal area was settled by Italians, Ukrainians, Czechs, Poles, Hungarians and German-speaking folk from Austria, Germany, Bohemia, Hungary and Russia. Although over half the population remained Eastern Orthodox Serbs, the multi-ethnic character of the population led the municipality of Prnjavor to be nicknamed "Little Europe".

Yugoslavia In 1918 Bosnia became part of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and all immigration stopped. During the interwar period between 1918 and 1941 Prnjavor underwent more significant economic development through the opening of craftsman workshops, hotels, more shops and a few manufacturing plants. From 1929 to 1941 Prnjavor was part of the Vrbas Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Following the collapse of internal security during World War II the Nazis decided to evacuate the Volksdeutsche (ethnic German) population from Bosnia and a treaty to this effect was signed with the Croatian Ustaše regime on 30 September 1942. After 1945 the Communist regime of Josip Broz Tito repopulated the Volksdeutsche villages with Serbs and destroyed or obscured all evidence of German history and heritage in the region.

During the Socialist period of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Prnjavor was not a highly developed municipality within Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After the war that erupted after the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), Prnjavor became part of the North-Eastern entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republika Srpska, as per the Dayton Agreement. The warring that took place in the very proximity of Prnjavor e.g. in Derventa, changed the demography in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to the ICRC, a total of 2,2 million people had to flee their homes from different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many people never returned, changing the ethnic composition in all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Demographics

Population

Population of settlements – Prnjavor municipality Settlement1961.1971.1981.1991.2013.Total46,10946,73448,95647,05535,9561Babanovci3584183981902Brezik3853433041283Velika Ilova9831,0511,0417074Vršani7917647223755Gajevi2492051911496Galjipovci3703774002127Gornja Ilova1,4881,5021,3917698Gornja Mravica1,0018697825889Gornji Vijačani1,4121,3611,07464310Gornji Galjipovci42043233925911Gornji Palačkovci1,2461,3441,23584312Gornji Smrtići1,5231,5431,4431,14813Gornji Štrpci1,5521,5201,3561,21514Grabik Ilova99594083958515Gusak21723823718316Doline19514819317017Donja Ilova80784181754918Donja Mravica49647944840119Donji Vijačani2,2682,0631,7001,22620Donji Galjipovci46743542643921Donji Palačkovci61762056837122Donji Smrtići60464667247123Donji Štrpci1,7121,6571,5161,09624Drenova1,08295586445925Jadovica9494938026Jasik17222422729227Karać1951099611328Kokori77079060638529Kojuhovci7861,2121,4511,08430Kremna1,1141,1981,15592931Kulaši1,1491,3681,23449632Lišnja1,9401,8881,84796333Lužani23918217921634Maćino Brdo22422617024335Mravica52953454831236Mračaj29625421913937Mujinci52033226018238Naseobina Babanovci31342550669039Naseobina Lišnja31448747728240Naseobina Hrvaćani1361711407441Novo Selo4551811688842Okolica37551852985243Orašje34951936321044Otpočivaljka41529022912645Paramije30436228917646Pečeneg Ilova1,3011,3571,28787547Popovići1,1511,16595159148Potočani67769059785449Prnjavor2,9394,0556,1878,1048,12050Prosjek66559847631151Puraći36338442627352Ralutinac88122944953Ratkovac22434234960654Skakavci44946236523355Srpovci41137730516456Hrvaćani87584767041157Crkvena93692272147258Čivčije52846337424559Čorle70066563241660Šarinci1,3281,11486253161Šereg Ilova47749744931762Šibovska26229924924363Štivor287350402137

Ethnic composition

In the end of the 19th century, during Austria-Hungary, then sparsely populated area of the Municipality of Prnjavor was colonized by settlers from Eastern and Central Europe (Ukraine, Italy (South Tirol), Hungary, Poland, Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Slovakia, etc.). At the time of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and due to numerous national minorities (about 20) Prnjavor was called "Little Europe". Except the Ukrainian, Italian and Czech national minorities the others were mainly small communities. But, even today, besides the constitutive nations of Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks, a small number of Hungarians, Slovaks, Germans, Polish, Slovenes, Bulgarians, Romanians, Macedonians, Jews, and Russians live in Prnjavor.

According to the census of 1991 there were still 732 Italians in Bosnia and Herzegovina, thereof around 2/3 lived in municipality of Prnjavor, while at the end of the second world war most of the Italians had returned to Italy to today's Trento province. The Italians populated mainly the village of Štivor in Prnjavor, where in 1991 73.13% of the population spoke Italian as their mother tongue.

The village school "Šibovska" teaches in Italian language "lingua d'insegnamento italiana". In 1986, it had 91 pupils and eight teachers.

The Polish population that arrived during the Austro-Hungarian empire, mostly left after the second world war in the population exchanges where German population left from the Western Poland to Germany after redrawing of borders, and Polish population from different parts of Europe, including Prnjavor, returned to the empty areas in Western Poland, mainly Boleslawiec. Ethnic composition – Prnjavor town2013.1991.1981.1971.Total8,120 (100,0%)8,104 (100,0%)6,187 (100,0%)4,055 (100,0%)Serbs6,572 (80,9%)3,891 (48,0%)2,577 (41,7%)1,545 (38,1%)Bosniaks811 (10,0%)2,345 (28,9%)1,915 (31,0%)1,737 (42,8%)Ukrainians242 (3,0%)Croats141 (1,7%)219 (2,7%)261 (4,2%)275 (6,8%)Unaffiliated112 (1,4%)Others103 (1,3%)723 (8,9%)474 (7,7%)423 (10,4%)Macedonians78 (1,0%)1 (0,03%)Yugoslavs28 (0,3%)926 (11,4%)907 (14,7%)48 (1,2%)Roma13 (0,2%)17 (0,3%)Montenegrins9 (0,1%)25 (0,4%)10 (0,2%)Slovenes6 (0,07%)6 (0,1%)10 (0,2%)Unknown5 (0,06%)Albanians5 (0,08%)6 (0,15%) Ethnic composition – Prnjavor municipality2013.1991.1981.1971.Total35,956 (100,0%)47,055 (100,0%)48,956 (100,0%)46,734 (100,0%)Serbs30,685 (85,3%)33,508 (71,2%)34,699 (70,9%)35,177 (75,3%)Bosniaks3,085 (8,6%)7,143 (15,2%)6,618 (13,5%)6,143 (13,1%)Ukrainians858 (2,4%)Croats451 (1,3%)1,721 (3,7%)2,060 (4,2%)2,148 (4,6%)Others 385 (1,1%)2,926 (6,2%)3,045 (6,2%)3,032 (6,5%)Unaffiliated239 (0,7%)Macedonians94 (0,3%)2 (0,004%)6 (0,013%)Yugoslavs41 (0,1%)1,757 (3,7%)2,400 (4,9%)96 (0,2%)Roma40 (0,1%)42 (0,09%)53 (0,11%)Unknown33 (0,09%)Slovenes25 (0,07%)31 (0,06%)31 (0,07%)Montenegrins20 (0,06%)52 (0,11%)38 (0,08%)Albanians7 (0,014%)10 (0,021%)

Economy

The municipality of Prnjavor has the following land resources: farmlands (/68.8%), cultivable land (), forest resources () and water resources (Ukrina River, Drenova Lake).

Considering that almost four-fifths of the population live in rural areas and reckoning with great areas of cultivable land, with all reason agriculture has been recognized as the key branch of the economy considering the Municipality development. In the area of Prnjavor more than of land are cultivated while is planted with fruit crops.

Out of the total area of the cultivated farmlands, the cereal crops share is 77%, vegetable crops 10% while the rest has been sown with industrial crops, berries and fruit crops. New greenhouses are being constructed, health food production (organic agriculture) projects have been started to which the Municipality of Prnjavor has great predispositions due to the lack of significant industrial capacities as well as the preserved nature.

Economic preview The following table gives a preview of total number of registered employed people per their core activity (as of 2016): Activity TotalAgriculture, forestry and fishing128Mining and quarrying14Manufacturing1,976Distribution of power, gas, steam and air-conditioning91Distribution of water and water waste management130Construction105Wholesale and retail, repair1,330Transportation and storage266Hotels and restaurants317Information and communication65Finance and insurance64Real estate activities19Professional, scientific and technical activities167Administrative and support services31Public administration and defence314Education688Healthcare and social work 253Art, entertainment and recreation16Other service activities106Total6,070

Tourism and leisure