Brčko

Brčko (Cyrillic: Брчко, pronounced [br̩̂tʃkoː]) is a city and the administrative seat of Brčko District, in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies on the banks of Sava river across from Croatia. As of 2013, it has a population of 83,516 inhabitants, while the city of Brčko has a population of 39,893 inhabitants.

Brčko

Брчко
City
Brčko
Brčko
Location within Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordinates: 44.87709°N 18.81096°E / 44.87709; 18.81096
Country Bosnia and Herzegovina
DistrictBrčko District
Government
 • MayorSiniša Milić (SNSD)
 • President of the District AssemblyEsed Kadrić (SDA)
 • International Supervisor
(Suspended)		Michael Scanlan
Area
 • City402 km2 (155 sq mi)
Elevation
92 m (302 ft)
Population
 (2013 census)[1]
 • City83,516
 • Density210/km2 (540/sq mi)
 • Urban
43,007
Postcode
76100
Area code(s)+387 049
WebsiteOfficial website

Brčko is the only entirely self-governing free city currently in existence in Europe.[2]

Name

Its name is very likely linked to the Breuci (Greek Βρεῦκοι), a subtribe of Pannonian tribes of the Illyrians who migrated to the vicinity of today's Brčko from the territories of the Yamnaya culture in the 3rd millennium BC. Breuci greatly resisted the Romans but were conquered in 1st century BC and a lot of them were sold as slaves after their defeat. They started receiving Roman citizenship during Trajan's rule.

A number of Breuci migrated and settled in Dacia, where a town called Bereck or Brețcu, a river (Brețcu River) and a mountain Munții Brețcului in today's Romania were named after them.[3]

Geography
Brčko District and Brčko town

The city is located on the country's northern border, across the Sava River from Gunja in Croatia.

Brčko is the seat of the Brčko District, an independent unit of local self-government created on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina following an arbitration process. The local administration was formerly supervised by an international supervisory regime headed by Principal Deputy High Representative who is also ex officio the Brčko International Supervisor. This international supervision was frozen since 23 May 2012.[4]

History

Brčko was a geographic point of contention in 1996 when the U.S.-led Implementation Force (IFOR) built Camp McGovern on the outskirts of the city. Camp McGovern under the overwatch of 3-5 CAV 1/BDE/1AR Division (US) commanded by LTC Anthony Cucculo was constructed from a war torn farming cooperative structure in the Zone of Separation (ZOS) for the purpose of establishing peacekeeping operations. The mission was to separate the forming warring factions. The ZOS was one kilometer wide of no man's land, where special permission was required for Serbian or Bosnian forces to enter. Various checkpoints and observation points (OP's) were established to control the separation.

Although Brčko was a focal point for tension in the late 1990s, considerable progress in multi-ethnic integration in Brčko has since occurred including integration of secondary schooling. Reconstruction efforts and the Property Law Implementation Plan have improved the situation regarding property and return. Today, Brčko has returned to a strategic transshipment point along the Sava River. The population of Brčko has not returned to its pre-war ethnic mix of Bosniacs, Serbs, and Croats. Brčko sits at the east-west apex of Republika Srpska, the ethnic Serb portion of Bosnia & Herzegovina, and as such is critical to the RS for its economic future.

Brčko was one of the main points discussed in the Dayton Peace Accords. After several weeks of intensive negotiation, the issue of Brčko was to be decided by international arbitration. Brčko Arbitration ruled in May 1997 that Brčko would be a special district managed by an ambassadorial representative from the international community. The first Ambassador to Brčko was an American with support staff from the UK, Sweden, Denmark & France.

The first international organization to open office in Brčko at that time was the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) headed by Randolph Hampton.

Following PIC meeting on 23 May 2012, it was decided to suspend, not terminate, the mandate of Brčko International Supervisor. Brčko Arbitral Tribunal, together with the suspended Brčko Supervision, will still continue to exist.[4]

Demographics

Population
Population of settlements – Brčko district
Settlement 1948. 1953. 1961. 1971. 1981. 1991. 2013.
Total 49,969 65,078 62,952 74,771 82,768 87,627 83,516
1 Bijela 2,539 1,923
2 Boće 1,253 1,270
3 Boderište 965 661
4 Brčko 17,949 25,337 31,437 41,406 39,893
5 Brezik 413 601
6 Brezovo Polje 335 1,292
7 Brezovo Polje Selo 1,393 251
8 Brka 2,044 2,234
9 Brod 1,042 1,286
10 Buzekara 430 268
11 Čande 377 321
12 Cerik 280 233
13 Čoseta 507 732
14 Donji Rahić 647 366
15 Donji Zovik 481 494
16 Dubrave 1,338 1,463
17 Dubravice Donje 396 315
18 Gorice 1,097 654
19 Gornji Rahić 2,167 3,403
20 Gornji Zovik 1,569 1,408
21 Grbavica 557 1,527
22 Gredice 303 1,109
23 Krepšić 1,156 696
24 Laništa 656 450
25 Maoča 2,886 3,030
26 Marković Polje 470 370
27 Ograđenovac 734 815
28 Omerbegovača 895 1,074
29 Palanka 1,394 1,439
30 Potočari 893 1,063
31 Rašljani 1,155 1,078
32 Ražljevo 341 233
33 Repino Brdo 246 247
34 Sandići 420 430
35 Šatorovići 1,238 1,472
36 Skakava Donja 2,272 2,037
37 Skakava Gornja 1,737 1,352
38 Slijepčevići 371 298
39 Stanovi 353 238
40 Štrepci 861 712
41 Trnjaci 313 245
42 Ulice 1,266 892
43 Ulovići 912 752
44 Vitanovići Donji 419 396
45 Vučilovac 700 254
46 Vukšić Donji 644 352
47 Vukšić Gornji 821 579

Ethnic composition
Ethnic composition – Brčko city
2013. 1991. 1981. 1971. 1961.
Total 39,893 (100,0%) 41,406 (100,0%) 31,437 (100,0%) 25,337 (100,0%) 17,949 (100,0%)
Serbs 19,420 (48,68%) 8,253 (19,93%) 5,532 (17,60%) 5,481 (21,63%) 5,260 (29,31%)
Bosniaks 17,489 (43,84%) 22,994 (55,53%) 16,725 (53,20%) 15,651 (61,77%) 5,431 (30,26%)
Croats 1,457 (3,652%) 2,894 (6,989%) 2,157 (6,861%) 2,663 (10,51%) 2,472 (13,77%)
Others 996 (2,497%) 2,054 (4,961%) 468 (1,489%) 327 (1,291%) 78 (0,435%)
Roma 333 (0,835%) 5 (0,016%) 6 (0,024%) 4 (0,022%)
Albanians 77 (0,193%) 86 (0,274%) 115 (0,454%) 65 (0,362%)
Yugoslavs 60 (0,150%) 5,211 (12,59%) 6,351 (20,20%) 952 (3,757%) 4,250 (23,68%)
Montenegrins 31 (0,078%) 65 (0,207%) 82 (0,324%) 278 (1,549%)
Macedonians 24 (0,060%) 16 (0,051%) 19 (0,075%) 35 (0,195%)
Slovenes 4 (0,010%) 19 (0,060%) 25 (0,099%) 55 (0,306%)
Turks 2 (0,005%)
Hungarians 13 (0,041%) 16 (0,063%) 21 (0,117%)
Ethnic composition – Brčko district
2013. 1991. 1981. 1971. 1961.
Total 83,516 (100,0%) 87,627 (100,0%) 82,768 (100,0%) 74,771 (100,0%) 62,952 (100,0%)
Bosniaks 35,381 (42,36%) 38,617 (44,07%) 32,434 (39,19%) 30,181 (40,36%) 16,484 (26,19%)
Serbs 28,884 (34,58%) 18,128 (20,69%) 16,707 (20,19%) 17,709 (23,68%) 17,897 (28,43%)
Croats 17,252 (20,66%) 22,252 (25,39%) 23,975 (28,97%) 24,925 (33,34%) 21,994 (34,94%)
Others 1,268 (1,518%) 2,899 (3,308%) 1,033 (1,248%) 553 (0,740%) 117 (0,186%)
Roma 490 (0,587%) 6 (0,007%) 7 (0,009%) 4 (0,006%)
Albanians 105 (0,126%) 116 (0,140%) 122 (0,163%) 83 (0,132%)
Yugoslavs 67 (0,080%) 5,731 (6,540%) 8,342 (10,08%) 1,086 (1,452%) 5,904 (9,379%)
Montenegrins 31 (0,037%) 87 (0,105%) 112 (0,150%) 326 (0,518%)
Macedonians 25 (0,030%) 29 (0,035%) 27 (0,036%) 45 (0,071%)
Slovenes 9 (0,011%) 23 (0,028%) 33 (0,044%) 71 (0,113%)
Turks 3 (0,004%)
Ukrainians 1 (0,001%)
Hungarians 16 (0,019%) 16 (0,021%) 27 (0,043%)


  • Ethnic structure of Brčko by settlements 1961
  • Ethnic structure of Brčko by settlements 1971
  • Ethnic structure of Brčko by settlements 1981
  • Ethnic structure of Brčko by settlements 1991
  • Ethnic structure of Brčko by settlements 2013

Transport

Rail

A railway station is near the city centre on the line from Vinkovci to Tuzla. However, no passenger trains operate to Brčko anymore. The closest operating railway station is in Gunja, Croatia; just on the other side of the border.

Sport

Brčko has three football clubs (FK Jedinstvo Brčko, FK Lokomotiva Brčko and the youngest club FK Ilićka 01). They all play in the Second League of Republika Srpska.

Features

Brčko has the largest port in Bosnia, on the Sava river. Aside of that, the City of Brčko is also home to an economics school of the University of East Sarajevo and to a local theatre festival.

  • Panorama of Brčko
  • Brčko at night
  • Fountain - the symbol of town

Twin towns — sister cities

Brčko is twinned with:

Notable people

See also

Brcanski Carsijaneri Facebook page where people from Brcko gather together and talk about past.

References
  1. "World Gazetteer: Bosnia and Herzegovina - largest cities (per geographical entity)". World-gazetteer.com. Archived from the original on 2006-03-16.
  2. Welcome to Brčko, Europe’s only free city and a law unto itself.
  3. Kiss Lajos: Földrajzi nevek etimológiai szótára Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978 ISBN 963 05 1490 7 103. oldal Bereck-szócikk
  4. "Press Conference Following the Meeting of the Steering Board of the Peace implementation Council". Ohr.int. 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  5. "Koliko znamo o bratskim gradovima Brčkog? Prvi dio - Samsun". Portal Brčko. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  6. "Koliko znamo o bratskim gradovima Brčkog? Drugi dio - St. Luis". Portal Brčko. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  7. "Koliko znamo o bratskim gradovima Brčkog? Treći dio - Smederevska Palanka". Portal Brčko. Retrieved June 26, 2015.

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