Doboj

Doboj (Serbian: ?????) is a town in northern Bosnia, situated on the river Bosna.

History

The first mention of the town dates from year 1415, although there are signs that the area was inhabited ever since the early stone age, and that the Roman Empire had an army camp (Castrum) and a settlement (Canube) in the vicinity dating from the 1st century. Following the arrival of the Slavs, during the Middle Ages it was part of the regions Usora and Soli.

Related Topics:
1415 - Stone age - Roman Empire - 1st century - Slavs - Middle Ages

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Doboj fort, first built in the early 13th century and expanded in the 15th century, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1476, only to be expanded yet again in 1490. As such, it was frequently attacked in the Austrian-Ottoman wars, and finally fell to the Habsburgs in 1878.

Related Topics:
13th century - 15th century - Ottoman Empire - 1476 - 1490 - Habsburg - 1878

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During World War I, Doboj was the site of the largest Austro-Hungarian concentration camp for Serbs. According to its official figures, it held, between December 27, 1915 and July 5, 1917:

Related Topics:
World War I - Austro-Hungarian - Concentration camp - Serbs - December 27 - 1915 - July 5 - 1917

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• 16,673 men from Bosnia and Herzegovina (mostly of Serb ethnicity)
• 16,996 women and children from Bosnia and Herzegovina (also Serbian)
• 9,172 soldiers and civilians (men, women, children) from the Kingdom of Serbia
• 2,950 soldiers and civilians from the Kingdom of Montenegro

In total, 45,791 persons.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

By February 1916, the authorities began redirecting the prisoners to other camps. The Serbs from Bosnia were mostly sent to Gy?r (Sopronyek, ?opronjek/????????).

Related Topics:
1916 - Gy?r

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Most of the interned from Bosnia were whole families from the border regions of eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is said that 5,000 families alone were uprooted from the Sarajevo district in eastern Bosnia along the border with the Kingdoms of Serbia & Montenegro.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Nobel-laureate Ivo Andri? was also an inmate of the camp.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During World War II, Doboj was an important site for the partisan resistance movement. From their initial uprising in August 1941 up until the end of the war, the Ozren partisan squad carried out numerous diversions against the occupation forces, among the first successful operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town was liberated on April 17, 1945.

Related Topics:
World War II - Partisan resistance movement - 1941 - April 17 - 1945

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Prior to the Yugoslav wars, the Doboj district was inhabited by 102,519 people (1991 census). There were 41,241 Bosniaks (then referred to as Muslims by nationality) (40.2%), 40,020 Serbs (39%), 13,283 Croats (13%), 5,637 Yugoslavs (5.5%) and 2,338 others (2.3%). Today, as a result of Serbian ethnic cleansing, its population is almost entirely Serb. Non-Serb population is allowed to return, resulting from the pressure made by the international community, but they are still not presented with the equal opportunities.

Related Topics:
Yugoslav wars - Muslims by nationality - Yugoslavs - Ethnic cleansing - International community - Equal opportunities

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~