Doboj ( sr-Cyrl, Добој, ) is a city in

Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, ; also referred to as the Republic of Srpska or Serb Republic) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other bein ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. It is situated on the banks of the Bosna river, in the northern region of Republika Srpska. As of 2013, it has a population of 71,441 inhabitants. Doboj is the largest national railway junction and the operational base of the Railways Corporation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is one of the oldest cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, aside from

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

, the most important urban center in northern Republika Srpska.

Geography

Prior to the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

, the municipality of Doboj had a larger surface area. Most of the pre-war municipality's territory is part of

, including the city itself. The southern rural areas are part of the

Zenica-Doboj Canton The Zenica-Doboj Canton (; ; ) is one of ten cantons in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the entity of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The seat and largest city is Zenica. Spread over an area of , the canton roughly occupies the centr ...

of the

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serbo-Croatian: ''Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine'' / ''Федерација Босне и Херцеговине'') is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities composing Bo ...

, and the eastern rural part of the municipality is part of the

Tuzla Canton The Tuzla Canton
Official name of canton is Tuzla Canton (; ; ) is one of 10

, also in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The parts of the pre-war Doboj Municipality that are in the

are the municipalities of

Doboj South Doboj South ( sr-cyrl, Добој Југ) is a municipality in the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It borders the municipality of Doboj. The seat of the municipality is the village of Matuzi ...

(Doboj Jug),

Doboj East Doboj East ( sr-cyrl, Добој Исток) is a municipality located in the Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was created in 1998, three years after the Dayton Peace Agreement by se ...

(Doboj Istok) and the Municipality of Usora. The northern suburbs of Doboj extend into the Pannonian plains, and effectively mark the southern tip of this great Central European plain. The southern (Doboj South) and eastern suburbs (Doboj East) are spread on the gentle hills which extend to the larger Central Bosnian mountain areas (Mt. Ozren in the southeast, Mt. Krnjin in the west).

Climate

History

Ancient times

Doboj has been continuously inhabited ever since the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

times. Fragments of pottery and decorative art were found on several localities, with the most known site in

Makljenovac Makljenovac is a village in the municipalities of Doboj (Republika Srpska) and Usora, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated ...

, south from the city proper, at the confluence of the Usora and Bosna rivers. Archeological findings from the

Paleolithic era The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

were found in a cave in the Vila suburb. The Illyrian tribe of Daesitates settled in this region as early as the twelfth century BC. Daesitates were one of the largest and most important Illyrian tribes residing at the territory of modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, sharing their northern borders with

Breuci This is a list of ancient tribes in the ancient territory of Illyria (; ). The name ''Illyrians'' seems to be the name of a single Illyrian tribe that was the first to come into contact with the ancient Greeks, causing the name Illyrians to be ap ...

, another important tribe. Daesitates and Breuci started the

Great Illyrian Revolt The (Latin for ''War of the Batos'') or Great Illyrian Revolt was a military conflict fought in the Roman Empire, Roman province of Illyricum (Roman province), Illyricum in the 1st century AD, in which an alliance of native peoples of the two re ...

, or in Roman sources, the widespread rebellion known as

Bellum Batonianum The (Latin for ''War of the Batos'') or Great Illyrian Revolt was a military conflict fought in the Roman province of Illyricum in the 1st century AD, in which an alliance of native peoples of the two regions of Illyricum, Dalmatia and Pannoni ...

(6–9 AD). After the bloody rebellion was subdued, Roman legions permanently settled in the area and built a large military camp (

Castrum ''Castra'' () is a Latin language, Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'Fortification, fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified milita ...

) and a civilian settlement (Canabea) in Makljenovac. These structures were most likely built in the early

Flavian dynasty The Flavian dynasty, lasting from 69 to 96 CE, was the second dynastic line of emperors to rule the Roman Empire following the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Julio-Claudians, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian and his two sons, Titus and Domitian. Th ...

era, during

Vespasian Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...

's rule. The military camp was large, in the shape of a near perfect rectangle with large towers at each corner and the main gate in the middle of the central wall, and served as the most important defense on the old Roman road from Brod to

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

, demarcating the very borders of the Roman provinces of

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

and

Pannonia Pannonia (, ) was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, on the west by Noricum and upper Roman Italy, Italy, and on the southward by Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia and upper Moesia. It ...

. It served its role for several centuries with the evidence of Belgian and Spanish cohorts stationed there in the second and third century AD. Canabea contained Roman settlers, with evidence of a large bathhouse with a

hypocaust A hypocaust () is a system of central heating in a building that produces and circulates hot air below the floor of a room, and may also warm the walls with a series of pipes through which the hot air passes. This air can warm the upper floors a ...

(central heating) and a concubine house for soldiers stationed at the nearby Castrum. A large Villa Rustica was located in the modern-day suburb of Doboj, appropriately named Vila. Very fine pieces of religious and practical artefacts were found at these sites, including an altar dedicated to

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

, figurines of

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

, and fragments of African made

Terra sigillata Terra sigillata is a term with at least three distinct meanings: as a description of medieval medicinal earth; in archaeology, as a general term for some of the fine red ancient Roman pottery with glossy surface Slip (ceramics), slips made ...

pottery. When

South Slavic tribes South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...

migrated into this area in the sixth and seventh century AD, they had settled initially on the ruins of the previous Roman settlement and lived there continuously until the early thirteenth century at which point they used stones and building material from the old Roman Castrum in order to build the stone foundation of the Gradina fortress, several kilometers north, in the modern-day old town of Doboj. Nowadays only the walls of the former camp and civilian settlement are still open to visitors.

Middle Ages

The first official mention of the city itself is from 1415, in a charter issued by

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

to the Holy Roman Emperor

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

, although there are numerous artefacts and objects that have been found (kept in the

National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina The National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Zemaljski muzej Bosne i Hercegovine'' / Земаљски музеј Босне и Херцеговине) is located in central Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and ...

in Sarajevo and the Regional Museum in Doboj), which confirm that the area had been inhabited ever since the early

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

, and that the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

had an army camp (''Castrum'') and a settlement (''Canabea'') in the vicinity of the town dating from the first century AD. Following the arrival of the

Slavs The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and ...

in the sixth century it became a part of the region/ Usora banate (in medieval documents sometimes collectively mentioned with the nearby province of Soli, hence, Usora and Soli). The

Doboj fortress Doboj Fortress ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Dobojska tvrđava'' / Добојска тврђава) or Gradina (Градина) is located in the city of Doboj, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Throughout its turbulent history, the fortress h ...

, a royal Kotromanić fortress, was first built in the early thirteenth century and then expanded in the early fifteenth century (1415). It was expanded again during Ottoman rule in 1490. This newer stone foundation of the fortress was built on previous layers of an older foundation (dating back to the ninth or tenth century) made of wood, mud and clay (

Motte-and-bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively eas ...

type). It was a very important obstacle for invaders coming from the north,

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

, and later on,

Austrians Austrians (, ) are the citizens and Nationality, nationals of Austria. The English term ''Austrians'' was applied to the population of Archduchy of Austria, Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. Subsequently, during the 19th century, ...

and

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

. It was built in the Gotho-

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

style with Gothic towers and Romanesque windows. The area saw numerous battles in medieval times and the fortress often changed hands between Bosnian and Hungarian armies. Doboj was the site of a particularly major battle between the Hungarians and a Bosnian-Turkish coalition in early August 1415 in which the Hungarians were heavily defeated on the field where the modern city of Doboj lies today. As an important border fortress between the

Bosnian Kingdom The Kingdom of Bosnia ( / Краљевина Босна), or Bosnian Kingdom (''Bosansko kraljevstvo'' / Босанско краљевство), was a medieval kingdom that lasted for nearly a century, from 1377 to 1463, and evolved out of the ...

and

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

it was also frequently attacked, officially recorded as 18 times, in the Austro-Ottoman Wars, and fell to the

Austro-Hungarians Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

in 1878.

World War I and World War II

During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Doboj was the site of the largest

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

. According to the official figures, it held in total 45,791 people between 27 December 1915 and 5 July 1917, of which: * 16,673 men from

* 16,996 women and children from Bosnia and Herzegovina (mostly of Serb ethnicity) * 9,172 soldiers and civilians (men, women, children) from the

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Principality was ruled by the Obrenović dynast ...

* 2,950 soldiers and civilians from the

Kingdom of Montenegro The Kingdom of Montenegro was a monarchy in southeastern Europe, present-day Montenegro, during the tumultuous period of time on the Balkan Peninsula leading up to and during World War I. Officially it was a constitutional monarchy, but absolu ...

Some 12,000 people had died in this camp, largely due to malnutrition and poor sanitary conditions. By February 1916, the authorities began redirecting the prisoners to other camps.

Bosnian Serbs The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби Босне и Херцеговине, Srbi Bosne i Hercegovine), often referred to as Bosnian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, босански Срби, bosanski Srbi) or Herzegovinian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, � ...

were mostly sent to

Győr Győr ( , ; ; names of European cities in different languages: E-H#G, names in other languages) is the main city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Győr-Moson-Sopron County and Western Transdanubia, Western Transdanubia region, and – halfwa ...

(Sopronyek, Šopronjek/Шопроњек). Most of the prisoners from Bosnia were entire families from the border regions of eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is said that 5,000 families alone were uprooted from the

district in eastern Bosnia along the border with the Kingdoms of Serbia & Montenegro. From 1929 to 1941, Doboj was part of the

Vrbas Banovina The Vrbas Banovina or Vrbas Banate ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Vrbaska banovina, Врбаска бановина), was a province (Banovinas of Yugoslavia, banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. It was named after the ...

of the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...

. After the creation of the

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...

in April 1941, the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

priest Dragutin Kamber was appointed as the grand prefect of Doboj. He oversaw the mass arrest and internment of Serbs, many of whom were interrogated in his house before being executed in its basement. Kamber also supervised the rollout of Ustaše race laws in the district, ordering that

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

were to wear yellow armbands and Serbs were to wear white ones. The historian Robert B. McCormick estimates that Kamber "sent hundreds of Serbs to their deaths." During this time, the

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...

deported Serbs, Jews and

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

, as well as pro-

Partisan Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...

civilians, to concentration and labor camps. According to public records, 291 civilians from Doboj of all ethnicities perished in the

Jasenovac concentration camp Jasenovac () was a concentration camp, concentration and extermination camp established in the Jasenovac, Sisak-Moslavina County, village of the same name by the authorities of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in occupied Yugoslavia durin ...

. In 2010, the remains of 23 people killed by the Partisans were found in two pits near the Doboj settlement of Majevac. The

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

which discovered the remains alleges that nearby pits contain the remains of hundreds more also killed by the Partisans. Doboj was an important site for the Partisan resistance. From their initial uprising in August 1941 up until the end of the war, the Ozren Partisan squadron carried out numerous actions against the occupation forces, among the first successful operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city was an important stronghold for permanently stationed

Ustaše Militia The Ustaše Militia () was the military branch of the Ustaše, established by the Fascism, fascist and Genocide of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia, genocidal regime of Ante Pavelić in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), an Axis pow ...

and Croatian Home Guard garrisons with smaller

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

units serving as liaison and in defense of important roads and railroads. The Waffen SS "Handschar" division was partly mobilized from the local Muslim population and participated in battles around Doboj in the summer and fall of 1944. Doboj with its surrounding area, the Ozren and

Trebava Trebava (Serbian Cyrillic: Требава/Требавац) is a mountain of Republika Srpska, located in northeastern Bosnia-Herzegovinabr>It is situated in an area of irrevocable importance for the Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbs of th ...

mountains, was also a particularly important site for local

Chetniks The Chetniks,, ; formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland; and informally colloquially the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationalist m ...

. They participated in battles against the Ustaše, Home Guards, and the Wehrmacht, initially allied with local Partisan units and then alone, after breaking ties with the Partisans in April 1942. In November 1944, the elements of the Ozren Chetnik Corps and the Trebava Chetnik Corps partook in the

Operation Halyard Operation Halyard (or Halyard Mission), known in Serbian as Operation Air Bridge (), was an Allies of World War II, Allied airlift operation behind Axis powers, Axis lines during World War II. In July 1944, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) ...

, the largest US rescue mission behind enemy lines. They built an airstrip in the village of Boljanić from which rescued US Airmen flew to safety to

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The town was eventually liberated by the Yugoslav Partisans on 17 April 1945. The units involved were the 14th Central Bosnian Brigade and the 53rd Division.

SFR Yugoslavia

The city was flooded in May 1965. During this period, the city experienced mass industrialization, becoming one of the most important industrial hubs in

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

Bosnian War

Doboj was strategically important during the

. In May 1992, the control of Doboj was held by Bosnian Serb forces and the Serb Democratic Party governed the city. What followed was mass disarming and subsequently mass arrests of all non-Serb civilians (mainly

Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

and

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

). Doboj was heavily shelled throughout the entire war by local Bosniak and Croatian forces. More than 5,500 shells, mortar rounds, and other projectiles were fired into the city proper and some 100 civilians were killed and more than 400 were wounded and maimed during the indiscriminate shelling. A number of instances of war crimes and ethnic cleansing were committed by Bosnian Serb forces.

Biljana Plavšić Biljana Plavšić ( sr-Cyrl, Биљана Плавшић; born 7 July 1930) is a Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Serb former politician, university professor and scientist who served as President of Republika Srpska and was later convict ...

Radovan Karadžić Radovan Karadžić ( sr-Cyrl, Радован Караџић, ; born 19 June 1945) is a Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Serb politician who was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal ...

Momčilo Krajišnik Momčilo Krajišnik (; 20 January 1945 – 15 September 2020) was a Bosnian Serb political leader and convicted war criminal, who along with Radovan Karadžić co-founded the Bosnian Serb nationalist Serb Democratic Party (SDS). Between 1990 and ...

and others planned, instigated, ordered, committed or otherwise aided and abetted the planning, preparation or execution of the destruction of the

and

Bosnian Croats The Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina (), often referred to as Bosnian Croats () or Herzegovinian Croats (), are native to Bosnia and Herzegovina and constitute the third most populous ethnic group, after Bosniaks and Serbs. They are also one of ...

. Plavšić was charged with crimes against humanity that include but are not limited to the killings in Doboj. Her indictment was related to genocide charges in Doboj specifically. Bosnian Serb forces were implicated in the systematic looting and destruction of

Bosniak The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

and

Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

properties during the

. A number of women were raped and civilians tortured or killed. All the mosques in the town were destroyed. A number of mass executions took place in Spreča Prison, on the banks of the river Bosna and in the "July 4th" military barrack in the village of Miljkovac, all in 1992. Many of the non-Serbs were detained at various locations in the town, subjected to inhumane conditions, including regular beatings, torture and forced labour. A school in Grapska and the factory used by the Bosanka company that produced jams and juices in Doboj was used as a rape camp. Four different armies of soldiers were present at the rape camps, including the local Serbian militia, the Yugoslav army (JNA), police forces based in the Serbian-occupied town of Knin and members of the

White Eagles White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wavelen ...

paramilitary group. The man who oversaw the women's detention in the school was

Nikola Jorgić Nikola Jorgić (1946 – 8 June 2014) was a Bosnian Serb from the Doboj region who was a soldier of a paramilitary group located in his native area. On 26 September 1997, he was convicted of genocide in Germany. This was the first conviction won a ...

, a former police officer in Doboj, who had been convicted of

genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...

in Germany but died during the serving of his life sentence. After the

Dayton Agreement The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement or the Dayton Accords ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Dejtonski mirovni sporazum, Дејтонски мировни споразум), and colloquially kn ...

and the peace following in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the city served as a major HQ/base for

IFOR The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''. Background In ...

(later

SFOR The Stabilisation Force (SFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Bosnian War. Although SFOR was led by NATO, several non-NATO countries contributed troops. It was replaced by EUFOR Alt ...

) units. The

Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (, Cyrillic: Суд Босне и Херцеговине; abbreviated as the ''Court of BiH'' in English) is the highest ordinary court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established on 3 July 2002 by the Parli ...

is processing several cases for other war crimes in Doboj.

2014 floods

In May 2014, Doboj was the city in Bosnia and Herzegovina that accounted for the most damage and casualties during and following the historic rainfall that caused massive flooding and landslides, taking the lives of at least 20 people in Doboj alone. Throughout the two weeks after the beginning of the natural disaster, the corpses of victims were still being found on the streets, in homes and automobiles. On 26 May 2014, it was announced that the floods and landslides had uncovered mass graves with the skeletal remains of

victims of the

of the 1990s. The mass graves are located in the

Usora Municipality Usora ( Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic: ''Усора'') is a municipality located in Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It borders with Doboj and Tešanj municipality, and it is named af ...

and the exact number of victims is as of yet unknown.

Demographics

Population

Ethnic composition

;

Urban area by settlements (1991)

*Bare: 732 (62%) Serbs; 153 (13%) Yugoslavs; 135 (11%) Croats; 112 (9%) Bosniaks; 53 (4%) others, 1,185 total *Centar: 3,720 (35%) Serbs; 3,365 (31%) Bosniaks; 1,982 (18%) Yugoslavs; 1,236 (12%) Croats; 432 (4%) others, 10,735 total *Čaršija: 3,561 (72%) Bosniaks; 594 (12%) Yugoslavs; 303 (6%) Serbs; 195 (4%) Croats; 273 (6%) others, 4,926 total *Doboj Novi: 358 (48%) Bosniaks; 237 (32%) Serbs; 39 (5%) Yugoslavs; 7 (1%) Croats; 108 (14%) others, 749 total *Donji Grad: 1,879 (37%) Serbs; 1,547 (31%) Bosniaks; 844 (17%) Yugoslavs; 569 (11%) Croats; 196 (4%) others, 5,035 total *Orašje: 1,411 (66%) Bosniaks; 293 (14%) Serbs; 231 (11%) Yugoslavs; 111 (5%) Croats, 90 (4%) others, 2,136 total *Usora: 924 (33%) Serbs; 779 (28%) Bosniaks; 502 (18%) Croats; 491 (17%) Yugoslavs; 117 (4%) others, 2,813 total

Economy

As a railway hub, before the

, Doboj focused much of its industrial activities around it. Moreover, as a regional center, it was home to several factories, now mostly bankrupt from mismanagement or privatization, including "Bosanka Doboj", a fruit and vegetable produce factory; "Trudbenik", a maker of air compressors and equipment, etc. Nowadays, most of the economy, similar to the rest of the country and typical for the poorly executed transition from state-controlled to a market economy, is based around the service industry. High unemployment warrants a vibrant coffee shop and bar scene, crowded throughout most of the day and night (it is commonly believed that Doboj is one of the top three cities having the largest number of cafes and bars/pubs within city limits in Bosnia & Herzegovina). In 1981, Doboj's GDP per capita was 53% of the Yugoslav average. ;Economic preview The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in professional fields per their core activity (as of 2018):

Transportation

The city is the region's primary railroad junction, going south to

Ploče Ploče (, ) is a town and seaport in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. Geography Ploče is located on the Adriatic coast in Dalmatia just north of the Neretva Delta and is the natural seaside endpoint of most north-south routes through th ...

on the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

, west to

and

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

, north to

Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city settlement's population was 28,111 in the 2021 census, while the total population was 30,842, making it the largest town of the county. It is a local tr ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, and east to

Tuzla Tuzla (, , ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inha ...

Bijeljina Bijeljina ( sr-cyrl, Бијељина) is a city and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the provincial center of Semberija, a geographic region in the country's northeast. As of 2013, it has a population of 107,715 ...

and

Zvornik Zvornik ( sr-cyrl, Зворник, ) is a city in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2013, it had a population of 58,856 inhabitants. Zvornik is located on the Drina River, on the eastern slopes of Majevica mountain, at the altitude of ...

. A highway toward western RS and

has been completed and opened since 2018.

Society

Education

Doboj hosts the private Slobomir P University, with several colleges like the Faculty of information technology; the Faculty of economics and management; the Faculty of philology; the Faculty of law; a Fiscal Academy and the Academy of Arts. Doboj also seats the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Technical School, as well as several specialized high schools. Doboj also hosts the public Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering, a branch of the

University of East Sarajevo The University of Istočno Sarajevo ( lit. University of East Sarajevo) is a public university located in Istočno Sarajevo, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2018–19 school year, there are 8,049 enrolled students. According to ...

with several departments:

Road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

Urban Transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

;

Rail Transport Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

; Postal Transport;

Telecommunication Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

and

Logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

. Since the 2015/2016 academic year, it has opened new departments:

Air Transport Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as hot ai ...

;

Roads A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. The ...

; IT Transport and

Motor Vehicles A motor vehicle, also known as a motorized vehicle, automotive vehicle, automobile, or road vehicle, is a self-propelled land vehicle, commonly wheeled, that does not operate on rails (such as trains or trams), does not fly (such as airplanes ...

Sport

The local

football club In association football, a football club (or association football club, alternatively soccer club) is a sports club that acts as an entity through which association football teams organise their sporting activities. The club can exist either as ...

, Sloga Doboj, plays in the

First League of the Republika Srpska The First League of the Republika Srpska ( / ) is a Association football, football league in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Together with the First League of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it forms the second level of footb ...

. The town's favourite sport, however, is

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

. The local handball club is Sloga Doboj. Sloga Doboj ranks among the country's top teams and consistently qualifies for international competitions. Very importantly, Doboj traditionally hosts "The Annual Doboj International Champions' Handball Tournament" every year during the last days of August. Its 55th tournament was in 2023 and once again. The prestige of this EHF-listed tournament was consistently strong enough to attract the most important names in the European team handball over the past five decades such as:

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are amongst what are possibly the most ancient living groups of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grassh ...

Gummersbach Gummersbach () is a town in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, being the district seat of the Oberbergischer Kreis. It is located east of Cologne. History In 1109 Gummersbach was mentioned in official documents for t ...

Ademar León Ademar is a masculine Germanic name, ultimately derived from ''Audamar'', as is the German form Otmar. It was in use in medieval France, Latinized as ''Adamarus'' or ''Ademarus'', and in modern times has been popular in French, Spanish and Portug ...

, CSKA, Steaua,

Dinamo București A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterin ...

, Atlético Madrid BM, Atlético Madrid, RK Crvena zvezda, Red Star, RK Metaloplastika, Metaloplastika, RK Partizan, Partizan, RK Pelister, Pelister, HSG Nordhorn, Nordhorn, SC Pick Szeged, Pick Szeged, MKB Veszprém, Veszprém, Frisch Auf Göppingen, Göppingen, Montpellier Agglomération Handball, Montpellier, US d'Ivry Handball, d'Ivry and Chekhovskiye Medvedi, Chekhovski Medvedi.

Symbol

The four squares represent the four mountains which mark the outer borders of the Doboj valley in which the City of Doboj lies in: Ozren,

, Vučjak, and Krnjin. The fleur-de-lis represent the medieval origins of the city in the royal fortress ''Gradina'' built by the kings from the medieval Bosnian dynasty of Kotromanić.

Notable places

* The Fortress of Doboj, Doboj Fortress from the early thirteenth century, looking over the town. * A Ancient Rome, Roman military camp (Castrum) from the first century AD (right above the confluence of the Usora and the Bosna rivers) * Goransko Jezero, lake and recreation park in the vicinity of town.

Notable people

*Aleksandar Đurić, Singapore footballer *Bojan Šarčević, basketball player *Borislav Paravac, politician *Danijel Pranjić, Croatian footballer *Danijel Šarić (handballer), Danijel Šarić, Bosnian-Qatari handball player *Dina Bajraktarević, singer *Dino Djulbic, Australian footballer *Dragan Mikerević, politician *Fahrudin Omerović, footballer *Igor Vukojević, singer *Indira Radić, singer *Izet Sarajlić, historian *Jasmin Džeko, footballer *Krešimir Zubak, politician *Mirsada Bajraktarević, singer *Nenad Marković, basketball player *Ognjen Kuzmić, Serbian basketball player *Pero Bukejlović, politician *Sejad Halilović, former footballer *Silvana Armenulić, singer *Spomenko Gostić, soldier *Vladimir Tica, Serbian basketball player *Vlastimir Jovanović, footballer *Zoran Kvržić, footballer *Aidin Mahmutović, footballer *Zdenko Križić, Croatian Roman Catholic prelate *Benjamin Burić, handball goalkeeper *Senjamin Burić, handballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Doboj is Sister city, twinned with: * Celje, Slovenia (1965) * Ćuprija, Serbia

References

External links

City homepage
{{Authority control Doboj, Populated places in Doboj Municipalities of Republika Srpska