Kreševo: Difference between revisions

{{more citations needed|date=January 2017}}

{{Infobox settlement

<!-- ALL fields with measurements have automatic unit conversion -->

}}

 

 

==History==

===Antique period===

 

A number of the Roman aqueducts can be found on the area of the Kreševo Municipality, as well as remains of the Roman settlement near the village of [[Zid, Kreševo|Zid]]. During the destruction of the old Kreševan church in 1964, a number of the [[Romanesque architecture|romanesque]] [[Capital (architecture)|capitals]] were found in its walls from the period of 11th and 12th century. A Roman epigraphic monument was also found, in which an anonymous Roman [[municipium]] is mentioned. During the Roman period, there were two connection roads to the ''[[Via Argentaria]]'', one of them led to an area near [[Sarajevo]], and the other led towards the [[Visoko]] area.{{sfn|Samostan Kreševo}}

The largest development of the Kreševo area occurred during the period of the [[Kingdom of Bosnia|Bosnian Kingdom]]. The first written mention of Kreševan silver, copper and lead mines dates to 1381. When the [[Saxons]] arrived in [[Bosnia (region)|Bosnia]], the technology of extracting and ore processing was significantly developed. They brought legal norms called the "Saxons' laws" and modern technology. However, the biggest rise of the Kreševo area occurred when it became one of the seats of the Bosnian kings. The first mentioning of the town of Kreševo was in a charter of King [[Stephen Thomas of Bosnia|Stephen Thomas]] from 12 August 1434. The King mentioned Kreševo as a "royal town of Kreševo". During that time, the Kingdom of Bosnia had an intensive cooperation with the [[Republic of Ragusa]]. On 3 September 1444, King Stephen Thomas approved trade privileges to the Ragusans in Kreševo.{{sfn|Samostan Kreševo}}

 

 

Along with Kreševo, Deževice had also great significance in this period. Today, Deževice are one of the Kreševan villages. Deževice were mentioned for the first time in 1403 as one of the seats of the Bosnian king. During the medieval period, Deževice had important lead, silver and iron mines, as well as a market town and a Ragusan colony. Customs in Deževice were mentioned for the first time in 1408. [[Knyaz]] of the market town named Pavle, was mentioned for the first time in 1412, and other knyazes were mentioned later, among them Knyaz Milutin Drašković in 1422 and Knyaz Milivoj in 1425. Deževice was a seat of a [[Franciscan|Franciscan Order]] who had a monastery there.{{sfn|Samostan Kreševo}}

 

The Kreševo Nahiyah was also mentioned in 1485 and 1489, but it was left out in censuses from 1516 and 1530. Those censuses do not mention [[Fojnica]] and [[Lepenica, Kiseljak|Lepenica]] as well, as all of them, like Kreševo, were integrated to the [[Visoko]] Nahiyah. In 18th century, Kreševo become a part of the Sarajevo Kadiluk, and in 19th century it was a part of the [[Fojnica]] [[Mudiriyah]] in Sarajevan [[Kaymakam]]luk.{{sfn|Samostan Kreševo}}

Even though the Ottoman period was harsh for the Kreševo area, as well as for the whole Bosnia, the status of Kreševo area was relatively favorable due to mines, smiths and other craftsmen and merchants. The Ottoman adopted almost entire legal regulative of the area (''Kanun-sas'', translated as the Laws of the Saxons), as well as the technology of craft and ore processing. Those law regulations remained in power until the [[Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina]]. Those [[Qanun (law)|qanuns]] (laws) provided autonomy for metallurgists, regulated the property rights between copartners and established executive bodies (an assembly, a knyaz and a messenger). As only Catholics were in the iron business, there were some favourable conditions for their existence as well as religious and cultural autonomy. The main product of the Kreševo area until 17th century was silver, when it was replaced by iron whose exploitation and processing found a wide range of usage.{{sfn|Samostan Kreševo}}

 

 

===Austrian-Hungary===

 

The Austrian-Hungarian administration forbade the free forest cutting, which influenced the production of charcoal necessary for the iron production. This led to depopulation and displacement of the population to the other mining and metallurgy centres of the central Bosnia. Kreševans opposed to those new legislations. Later, the Austrian-Hungarian administration built a macadam road towards [[Kiseljak]] and connected Kreševo with rest of the country. After that, measures for saving Kreševo's economy were taken, so a smiths' cooperative was founded in 1908, which remained active until 1948, when it was transformed to the "Čelik" company.{{sfn|Samostan Kreševo}}

 

 

In 1901, the Croatian national reading room and library were established. Kreševo was the first among minor towns to have a water supply, a public bath, a pool, a phone line and a hydroelectric power plant. The town also had a [[gendarmerie]] station, a post office, a telegraph, an elementary school, a Muslim [[mektab]], a Franciscan monastery, a Catholic parish and a Muslim mosque.{{sfn|Samostan Kreševo}}

==Demographics==

{| class="infobox"

|-

| '''1961'''

|-

| '''1971'''

|-

| '''1981'''

|-

| '''1991'''

|-

| '''2013'''

|-

|}

After the [[World War II]], Kreševo saw a steady economic development. The traditional blacksmith craft was transferred to the industrial production with the foundation of the "''Čelik''" company, which grew from the smiths' cooperative. Other smiths and metal processors united in a crafts cooperative named "''Unikov''". Old blacksmiths were eventually shot down, and those left were modernised. The mining also saw a great development, especially with the founding of a company for production and processing of mineral resources named "''Barit''". The textile industry from the Austrian-Hungarian era was also continued with foundation of the "''Autooprema''" company, which, however, remains small.{{sfn|Općina Kreševo (a)}}

 

 

Currently, there are around 70 economic companies in the Kreševo Municipality. There are around 130 commercial and tourist-catering activities. The production and service sector is also increasing.{{sfn|Općina Kreševo (a)}}

==Politics==

===Municipal government===

 

===Municipal council===

| members = 15 council members

| seats1_title = [[Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina|HDZ BiH]]

| seats2_title = [[Party of Democratic Action|SDA]]

| seats3_title = [[Social Democratic Party (Bosnia and Herzegovina)|SDP BiH]]

| seats4_title = [[Croatian Democratic Union 1990|HDZ 1990]]

| structure1 =

| structure1_res =

}}

 

 

==Sport==

 

==Features==

 

With no more than a few thousand inhabitants, medieval Kreševo expanded with the arrival of Saxon blacksmiths. In several areas of Bosnia, small Saxon and [[Republic of Ragusa|Ragusan]] mining communities were established. The noble families of the Bosnian state were keen to exploit the plentiful resources of gold and silver but they didn't have the skills to do so. The craft was passed on from these migrant miners and can be found today in the old town.