Categories: Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosna River

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Course and tributaries

The Bosna is the third longest river in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is considered one of the country's three major internal rivers, along with the Neretva and Vrbas. The river flows for 271 kilometers (168 miles) and is found only in Bosnia. The river Bosna also makes up the Bosna River Valley, the country's industrial center and home to close to a million people, as well as the location of several major cities. The river's biggest tributaries are the Željeznica, Miljacka, Fojnica, Lašva, Gostović, Krivaja, Usora, and Spreća rivers.

The river originates in the Vrelo Bosne, on the outskirts of Sarajevo at the base of mount Igman. The spring is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's chief natural landmarks and tourist attractions. From there it flows north until it feeds into the river Sava.

Although it does not pass through any foreign countries, the Bosna flows through a number of cantons and regions of Bosnia. From its starting point in the Sarajevo Canton, it also flows through Zenica-Doboj Canton, Doboj Region, and Posavina Canton, in that order.

On its way north the river Bosna also passes through the cities of Visoko, Zenica, and Doboj. Its most famous tributary, the Miljacka, passes through Sarajevo as well.

History

It has no foreign variations of its name, and is known as the Bosna in all three of the country's official languages, although it is sometimes spelled Vasna. In Roman times the river was called the Basana, and historians think this is the origin of the word Bosnia.

Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos writes in De Administrando Imperio that a Serb tribe which settled in the Bosna River Valley the 7th century. Bosna entered into confederations with the Serb princes of Raska early on. However, Bosnia seems to have belonged to Croatia as late as the beginning of the tenth century. A little later The Serb prince Caslav Klonimirovic of the House of Vlastimirovic sueeeeded in freeing Servia from the suzerainty of Bulgaria and built up a confederation of which Bosnia formed a part.

About 955 Ceslav was obliged to defend the dependent banat, or district, of Bosnia (originally merely the valley of the upper Bosna) from an incursion of the Magyars. After the death of Caslav and the dissolution of his kingdom, Bosnia was ruled by native bans or chiefs.

In 968 however, Bosnia was conquered by the Croatian king Kresimir and and by 1019 the whole north-western part of the Balkan Peninsula came under the sway of the Eastern Roman Emperor, Basil II. After Basil's death Bosnia regained its independence and was ruled by native bans until it was united with the domain of Bela II, King of Hungary. In 1135 this ruler called himself for the first time King of Rama (Bosnia). See: History of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Croatian academics have pointed out that the Bosna River Valley could have been Croats, but this is not generally accepted since these claims rely on Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, which has been discredited as unreliable and full of errors. It is now accepted in most academic circles outside of Croatia that Travunia / Travunja , Zachumlie / Zahumlje, the Bosna River Valley and Zeta / Duklja were settled with Serb tribes, as it states in De Administrando Imperio.