TUZLA

'Tuzla' (Cyrillic: ''Тузла'') is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 131,000 inhabitants. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 160,000 inhabitants. After Sarajevo and Banja Luka, Tuzla is the third largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the seat of the Tuzla Canton and Tuzla Municipality. The name "Tuzla" is derived from the Turkish word for salt, and refers to the extensive salt deposits found underneath the city.

Contents

Geography

History

Demographics

1991 Census

1981 Census

1971 Census

Contemporary Tuzla

The Tuzla massacre

Twin cities

External links

References

Geography

Tuzla is located at ,in the northeastern part of Bosnia, settled just underneath the Majevica mountain range, on the Jala river. The central zone lies in an east-west oriented plain, with residential areas in the north and south of the city located on the Ilinčica, Kicelj and Gradina hills. The climate is moderate continental.

History

First mentioned in 950 as a county under Hungarian rule, the town was later referred to by historians as Soli. ''Soli'' means "salts" in the Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian language and the city's present name means "place of salt" in Turkish. However, there is enough archaeologic evidence to suggest that Tuzla was a rich neolithic settlement, and hence inhabited continuously for more than 6,000 years which makes Tuzla one of the oldest European settlements with sustained living. An open-air museum at ''Solni Trg'', opened in 2004, tells the story of salt production in Tuzla.
On October 2, 1943, Tuzla became the largest liberated town in Europe to the time. It developed into a major industrial and cultural centre during the communist period in former Yugoslavia. In the 1990 elections the Reformists won control of the municipality being the only municipality in Bosnia where non-nationalists won. During the Bosnian war, 1992-1995 the town was the only municipality not governed by nationalist authorities, and was besieged by Serb nationalist forces. Additionally, the town was not spared the atrocities of war. On May 25, 1995, a Serb artillery shell killed 71 youngsters in Tuzla massacre, the single most deadly shelling incident of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. [1],[2]

★ Kapija 25.05.1995.godine
02.09.2007 Tuzla become a CITY OF LOVE.

Demographics

In the early stages of the war in Bosnia, many Croats left for Croatia and many Serbs for Republika Srpska or Serbia while a significant number remained in Tuzla and joined the multiethnic territorial defense forces defending the city against nationalist Serb forces.
''The demographics of Tuzla after minor displacings:''
Censuses in Tuzla municipality:

1991 Census

total: 131,618

★ 62,669 (47.61%) - Muslims by nationality

★ 20,398 (15.49%) - Croats

★ 20,271 (15.40%) - Serbs

★ 21,995 (16.71%) - Yugoslavs

★ 6,285 (4,77%) - others and unknown

1981 Census

total: 121,717

★ 52,400 (43.05%) - Muslims by nationality

★ 24,811 (20.38%) - Croats

★ 20,261 (16.64%) - Serbs

★ 19,059 (15.65%) - Yugoslavs

★ 5,186 (4.26%) - others and unknown

1971 Census

total: 107,293

★ 53,271 (49.65%) - Muslims by nationality

★ 27,735 (25.84%) - Croats

★ 21,089 (19.65%) - Serbs

★ 2,540 (2.36%) - Yugoslavs

★ 2,658 (2.47%) - others and unknown

Contemporary Tuzla

The city has Europe's only salt lake as part of its central park; more than 100,000 people visit its shores every year. One of the most influential writers in the Balkans, Meša Selimović hails from Tuzla. In addition, Tuzla hosts the annual Meša Selimović book festival (in July), where an award for the best novel written in the languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia and Montenegro is presented. The first professional theatre in Tuzla, ''Narodno Pozorište u Tuzli'', was founded by the brothers Mihajlo and Živko Crnogorčević in 1944.
Tuzla is the seat of the Tuzla Canton, which is a canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as of Tuzla Municipality, which is one of the 13 municipalities that together constitute the Tuzla Canton. Administratively, Tuzla is divided into 39 ''mjesne zajednice'' (local districts).
Apart from Tuzla, the municipality incorporates several other adjacent settlements, including the town of Gornja Tuzla (''Upper Tuzla''), as well as the villages of Husino, Par Selo, Simin Han, Obodnica, Kamenjaši, Plane, Šići, and others.
The Mayor of Tuzla Municipality is Jasmin Imamović, a writer and lawyer born in 1957, of the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was reelected to a second term in 2004.
The City council of Tuzla has 30 members, of the following parties:

★ Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SDP) - 14 members

★ Party of Democratic Action (SDA) - 6 members

★ Bosnian Party (BOSS) - 4 members

★ Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SBiH) - 2 members

★ People's Party Work for Betterment (Narodna stranka Radom za boljitak) - 2 members

★ Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ) - 2 members.
The Chairwoman of the City Council, Nada Mladina, is a member of the SDP.
Tuzla is twinned with Bologna in Italy, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat in Spain, Pécs in Hungary and Osijek in Croatia, as well as with Ravenna province in Italy.
Extractions of the city's salt deposits, particularly in the 20th century, have caused sections of the city center to sink. Structures in the "sinking area" either collapsed or were demolished, and there are few structures in the city that predate the 20th century, despite the fact that the city was founded over 1000 years ago.
Tuzla has an international airport located at Dubrave (IATA code: TZL), and an effective and well developed public bus network. There are plans to introduce a trolleybus network in the city soon.
The airport was opened to civilian aircraft only recently. The airport had comprised a portion of "Eagle Base", an American military base that has been home to NATO troops serving in SFOR, Bosnia's stabilization force.
Several sports teams from Tuzla have participated in international competitions. Almost all of Tuzla's sports teams are named ''Sloboda'', meaning ''freedom''. The most popular sports in Tuzla include football (''FK Sloboda''); basketball (''KK Sloboda-Dita[3]''), karate (''KBS Tuzla-Sinalco'') and many others. The women's basketball team ''KK Jedinstvo-Aida'' were European club champions in the late eighties, with the most famous sportswoman from Tuzla in their midst - Razija (Raza) Mujanović. First and oldset sport in Tuzla is gymnastics.
Tuzla is home to the University of Tuzla, with more than 10,000 students.
Also existing in Tuzla is the Cardiovascular Clinic, a part of the Clinical Center and the top institution for cardiology and cardiac surgery in the country.
On September 1, 2007, 6980 couples kissed for 10 seconds in Tuzla, Bosnia erasing the previous Guinness World kissing Records of the Philippines and Hungary (for synchronised osculation in 2004 with 5327 Filipino couples, overtaken by Hungary in 2005 with 5875 couples; Filipinos came back in February this year with 6124 couples but the Hungarians responded in June with 6613 couples). The record now awaits official certification.^[1]

The Tuzla massacre

'The Speech of Mayor of Tuzla Mr. Selim Beslagic, Tuzla May 25th 1995.'
''Gentlemen, On May 25th a terrifying crime happened in Tuzla at 20,55 p.m. Karadzic's fascists hit the centre of the town where the youth of Tuzla were gathering and killed over 65 girls, boys and children. More than a hundred are wounded. The final number of the victims, has been increasing from hour to hour. Do not expect that I address you in a diplomatic language in this, the most painful moment in the history of this town. Tonight parents of Tuzla were collecting parts of their children's bodies on the streets of Tuzla. Their children had left their homes a few hours earlier, with the belief in better future. You should know, that at this moment when the pain is all over Tuzla, there is no doubt any more - UN who should be the protector of the world peace and basic human values participated, with their non-acting, in this crime. To tolerate the crime in Bosnia for the last three years is nothing else but ignorant watching of our dying. If you [UN], after this terrible crime, stay silent again, if you [UN] after this do not act by using military force as the only legal force left to protect innocent people from Karadzics Serbs crimes - than without any doubt you were, are and stay on the side of the evil, darkness and fascism. You declared Tuzla and other besieged cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Safe Areas. You have worn out all diplomatic means. Innocent children and people are being killed continuously. For the sake of God and humanity use the force finally.'' - The Mayor of Tuzla Selim Beslagic.

★ Kapija 25.05.1995.godine

Twin cities

★ 'Bologna', Italy

★ 'Osijek', Croatia

★ 'Pécs', Hungary

★ 'L'Hospitalet de Llobregat', Spain

External links

★ Official City Hall Webpage

★ Webpage on both historical and present-day Tuzla

★ Gymnastics club Tuzla

★ Tuzla Map - Mapa Tuzle

★ Radio Slon, with a website on Tuzla

★ An unofficial website

★ Kapija 25.05.1995.godine

References

1. SMH, Record breakers: Ready, set - now pucker up for Bosnia