Drvar
Drvar
Дрвар | |
|---|---|
 Location of Drvar within Bosnia and Herzegovina. | |
| Country |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Government | |
| • Municipality president | Anka Papak-Dodig (SNSD) |
| Population (1991 census) | |
| • Total | 17,079 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Area code | +387 34 |
Drvar (Cyrillic: Дрвар) is a town and municipality in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, located on the road between Bosansko Grahovo and Bosanski Petrovac, also near Glamoč. It is administratively part of the West Bosnia Canton of the Federation.
Name
The word Drvar stems from the Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian word 'DRVO' which means 'wood'. During socialist Yugoslavia, Drvar was named Titov Drvar in honor of Josip Broz Tito.
Demographics
January 2007 Total - Approximately 7800 of which...
- Bosnian Serbs are 6,800
- Bosnian Croats are 1,000
- Bosniaks are 40
Data from http://www.unhcr.ba/updatemay07/Drvar%20update%20jan07.pdf , Drvar Update, UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency, January 2007
| Year of census | total | Bosnian Serbs | Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks) | Bosnian Croats | Yugoslavs | others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 17,126 | 16,608 (96.97%) | 33 (0.19%) | 33 (0.19%) | 384 (2.24%) | 68 (0.39%) |
| 1981 | 17,983 | 15,896 (88.39%) | 26 (0.14%) | 62 (0.34%) | 1,842 (10.24%) | 157 (0.89%) |
| 1971 | 20,064 | 19,496 (97.16%) | 213 (1.06%) | 141 (0.70%) | 259 (3.21%) | 140 (0.72%) |
The town of Drvar itself had 17,126 inhabitants in 1991, including:
- 16.608 - 96.98% Bosnian Serbs
- 33 - 0.19% Bosniaks
- 33 - 0.19% Bosnian Croats
- 384 - 2.24% Yugoslavs
- 68 - 0.40% others
History
On May 25, 1944, Nazi German invaders made an attempt on the life of Tito, who was the main partisan commander, in a daring airdrop Raid on Drvar , codenamed "Operation Rösselsprung".
After Yugoslavia dissolved, Drvar was governed by Republika Srpska until 1995. In 1995, Drvar (as well as other municipalities) was taken over by Croatian forces, and the Serbs expelled. After the Dayton Peace Accords it became part of the Federation. The population drastically changed. From 1995-1999 the population was predominantly Croatian. Croat politicians enticed up to 6000 Croats, mainly displaced persons from Central Bosnia, to move to Drvar, by promising such things as accommodations and jobs. A further 2,500 Croat HVO troops, and their families, were stationed there. Small amounts of Serbs came back to their homes, but they faced discriminatory tendencies by the Croats. When Serbs tried to return in 1997 and 1998, houses were torched, two elderly Serbs murdered, and the Mayor, Mile Marceta, elected with Serb refugee votes, was attacked. The return of Serbs nonetheless continued. The local government and companies, the few that exist, are dominated by the Croats, and the Serbs have difficulty finding employment. The town experienced considerable unrest relating to the return of refugees in 1998. The current mayor is Anka Papak, elected in late 2004. [1][2][3]
Economy
Drvar was already well known in the Austrian-Hungarian era due to the high-quality wood coming from that area. The Drvar area is still one of the largest logging and woodprocessing environments in BiH. One of the major problems in this area is the widespread corruption connected to this woodprocessing industry. It is estimated that during 2004 about 110.000m 3 of wood 'disappeared'. Average price of 1m 3 of timber (second class) is about 100 KM (100 Konvertible Mark = 50 Euros).
Features
'Desant na Drvar' is a film made about the German attack on Drvar. There are still some locations visitable, which were heavily fought over in that period, that still seem to be untouched by time. Famous landmarks include 'Tito's Cave' and the so-called 'Citadel'. At the latter mentioned location one can find an Austrian-Hungarian cemetery (in a very poor state) which may contain some (unknown) number of German soldiers (buried after the attack of 1944). On this spot there is also a Roman roadsign (+/- 100 AD). Another one can be found on the way to Bosanski Petrovac (near Zaglavica).
Drvar is also renowned for its local rakiya, a type of plum brandy, popular all over the Balkans. A specialty is rakiya made with cornell cherry or "drenjina" in Serbian and Croatian.
See also
References
- ^ UNHCR, Municipal Profile For Drvar, Refugees 114, accessed 1 July 2008
- ^ International Crisis Group, Impunity in Drvar, 20 August 1998, accessed 9 April 2007
- ^ UNHCR, Drvar: Bosnia's Don Quixote, Refugees 114, accessed 9 April 2007
