Šamac, Bosnia and Herzegovina


Šamac is a town and municipality located in the northeastern part of the Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 5,390 inhabitants, while the municipality has 17,273 inhabitants. It is situated on the right bank of the Sava river. Across the river is Slavonski Šamac in Croatia.

History

The city was founded by Bosnian settlers from Ottoman province of Smederevo in 1862. It was part of the Ottoman province of Bosnia by the time it was annexed by Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1887. After World War I, the city became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. From 1929 to 1939, it was part of Drina Banovina; and from 1939 until 1941 it was part of the Banovina of Croatia. During World War II, Šamac, as all the rest of Bosnia-Herzegovina, was included into Nazi-controlled Independent State of Croatia. After 1945, the city was reintegrated within the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Tito's Yugoslavia.
In the early stages of the Bosnian war the town was occupied by Bosnian Serbs who established the provisional municipal government. Most Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats were ethnically cleansed. During the war, a semi-permanent front line was established against Croatian and Bosniak forces towards the neighboring Orašje. In 2003, three Bosnian Serb town leaders at the time of the Yugoslav Wars were sentenced in ICTY for crimes against humanity.
The town lies on an important strategic position in Republika Srpska, near Brčko.
As with most other places under Serb control, Srpska authorities removed the "Bosnian" adjective from the town's official name and changed it to "Šamac". Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats continued to refer to it by its historical name of "Bosanski Šamac". In 2004 the constitutional court of Bosnia and Herzegovina stated the name “Šamac” was unconstitutional and therefore the official name was changed back to “Bosanski Šamac”.

Settlements

Aside from the town of Šamac, the municipality includes the following settlements:

Population

Ethnic composition

Economy

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered employed people per their core activity :
ActivityTotal
Agriculture, forestry and fishing84
Mining and quarrying40
Manufacturing426
Distribution of power, gas, steam and air-conditioning31
Distribution of water and water waste management19
Construction5
Wholesale and retail, repair417
Transportation and storage182
Hotels and restaurants117
Information and communication6
Finance and insurance20
Real estate activities-
Professional, scientific and technical activities57
Administrative and support services7
Public administration and defence176
Education248
Healthcare and social work122
Art, entertainment and recreation8
Other service activities7
Total1,972

Sport

The local football club, FK Borac Šamac, plays in the First League of the Republika Srpska.

Gallery

Notable people