Vitez ( sr-cyrl, Витез) is a town and municipality located in the
Central Bosnia Canton 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 ...
, an entity of
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 ...
. According to the 2013 census, the town has a population of 6,329 inhabitants, with 25,836 inhabitants in the municipality.
Etymology
The wor
vitezmeans
knight in
Bosnian,
Croatian and
Serbian.
History
Vitez was part of
Bosnia prior to the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
's occupation of the region, when it received its name. The first settlement was formed around the town's mosque, built in 1590. Vitez is mentioned once again during an uprising against the Turks led by
Husein Gradaščević, when he defeated the Ottoman Army at
Kosovo, after which he was named Bosnian de facto ruler (
Vezir). According to the Austrian officer ''Božić'', Vitez had 18 houses, a mosque and motel (Han) in 1785.
After several centuries under Ottoman rule, Vitez came under the control of
Austria-Hungary
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 ...
following its occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878, and later its
annexation in 1908. During this time there were many changes in Bosnian society, both political and economical. For a short period they built many roads, railroads, and mines, mainly with the goal of exploiting Bosnian natural resources. At the place of an old Turkish wood plant, the Austrian entrepreneur ''Guido Rütgers'' built an enterprise for mechanical wood processing which was a milestone in the development of the urban area. In 1879, Vitez had 510 inhabitants. Other companies existed as well, but were all owned by foreigners.
Demographics
Sports
The town is home to the
football club
NK Vitez,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
club OKK Vitez,
handball club R.K. Vitez,
table tennis clubs STK Vitez and STK CM Vitez, and
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
club Vitez RLC.
Notable people
*
Davor Badrov, singer
*
Sasha Skenderija, poet
*
Zlatan Bajramović, footballer
*
Vejsil Varupa, footballer
*
Ante Rajković, footballer
*
Roberto Soldić, MMA fighter
*
Zvonimir Ivišić, basketball
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Municipalities of the Central Bosnia Canton