Široki Brijeg

Široki Brijeg
Široki Brijeg
	panorama photo of Široki Brijeg
	Flag Seal
	Location of the Široki Brijeg of Bled in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Country	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Municipality	Široki Brijeg
Government
• Mayor	Miro Kraljević (HDZ BiH)
Population (1991)
• Total	26,500
Area code	+387 39
Website	http://www.sirokibrijeg.ba

Široki Brijeg (pronunciation^ⓘ) is a town and municipality in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Name

The name of the city means "the wide hill" in Croatian (as well as Bosnian and Serbian). The city is also sometime referred to as "Široki Brig" and among the inhabitants of Herzegovina simply as "Široki" ("the wide"). Between 1945 and 1990, the name was officially Lištica, after the river that flows through it.

Geography

The Croatian coat of arms on the hill above the city.

The river Lištica runs through Široki Brijeg. The town is 20 ^[1] -25 ^[2] km from Mostar, 42 km^[3] from Međugorje and 88 km ^[4] from the Adriatic coast (Ploče). The Široki Brijeg Municipality today numbers around 30,000 people, and the city itself about 10,000. The area of the municipality amounts to 1168 ha (11.680 km²). The center of town is at 270 m above sea level, while its area is known as "lower Herzegovina". Almost the entire northern part of the municipality municipality itself, however, belongs to "high Herzegovina", the highest point being the Bile stine ("White Rocks") near Donji Crnač.

Climate

Široki Brijeg has mild submediterranean-mountain climate. Winters are chilly and often very cold. Summers are warm.

Relief

The wider area of the municipality of Široki Brijeg is located on the characteristic, complex structural forms known as the "high karst zone" in geologic terms. The basic characteristic is the rocky limestone relief in various karst forms (sinks, caves, sinkholes, karst fields, etc.), as well as deeply cut valleys with occasional torrents flows. The Široki Brijeg area is located on the direction of tectonic units Rakitno-Hrgud and spreads over Rakitno, Vardi mountains, Mostarsko Blato, Rotimlje and Hrgud to Trebišnica in the southeast. The area is made-up of up late Jurassic sediments, followed by Cretaceous and Paleogene age layers, then Neogene and Quaternary deposits. Highlights are early Cretaceous dun, well stratified limestone and dolomites. Late Cretaceous deposits, cenoman-turon, are represented by white and pink, massive limestone with the shoot. In Paleogenic layers function Liburnijska and alveolinic-nummulitic limestones, then eocenic flysch, which is represented by marl, sandstone, calcarenite and conglomerates.

Neogenic layers are built of marl, sandy clay, sandstone and conglomerates, and can be found in the vicinity of Grabovo Drage and Mostarsko Blato. Quaternary banks of pebbles, sand and water karst saturated found on almost all rocky fields and drifts along the river beds. Between the lower mountain Vardi, Gvozd, Rujan and Trtle (altitude 600-900m) is a karstic depression Kočerinsko, Trnsko, Mokarsko and Ruževo field and Mostar Blato (altitude of 220-300m). Široki Brijeg area belongs to typical bauxite courts Lokve Black - Kidačke Njive, Resnica - deposit and Uzarići - Knešpolje. This area was devastated shoot landfills and tailings, and rehabilitation requirements.

Waters

The water from the municipality of Široki Brijeg belong to the basin of the Neretva river. The main surface currents towards Mostar Blato the ticket with Ugrovača, Mokašnica, Crnašnica and Žvatić. The river belongs Listica of surface waters Čabulje, who bujični aquifer Brinje collected from Ladin and Dobrinja. Brinje whose rudiments north of Bogodola, below kote Kulic (1199) runs to the west and on their way to Listica receives at Prskalo stream Ladin, and 2.5 kilometers below, the stream of water Dobrinski. These streams buy all surface waters during the period of abundant precipitation and dissolution of snow on the south-western parts of the mountain Čabulje.

Surface waters come to Rakitno field are being dryed by water points, Jelica, Zmijinac and during major precipitation formed a periodic watercourse Ugrovača that going deeply carved canyon Brin, receiving side stream, and in the village of Trn, Kočerin water fields, and on the road to Blato Mostarskog, in Siroki Brijeg center connects with the river Lištica.

History

Ancient period

The ruins from Illyrian period confirm that the area of Široki Brijeg had a big population even in pre-historic times. The residues can be seen on the hill Gradina which on the frontier of Mokri and Čerigaj. There can be even today seen the walls of the forts where they have been in past. Even in the ancient period they was a plenty of life in that region. From that period (Roman empire) there are residues of the Roman fort (refugium) in the village Biogradci and basilica in Mokri, plus there are remainings of the forts and roads.Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos is mentioning the city Mokriskik built in that area .

Middle ages

The basilica in Mokri was built and destroyed several times in the Middle Ages and it was used for its purpose. In her neighbourhood is nekrepola with stećak,which are present elsewhere. There number and size indicate that this region was (from 12th till 15th century) has been very populated and rich. From that period on Kočerin was kept the longest tablet on stećak written with Bosnian Cyrillic, known as Kočerinska ploča („Kočerin tablet“). The residues of middle-age fort can be found in the Bork, close to the source of river Lištica.

Ottoman rule

After the Turkish conquest in the middle of 15th century the population was mainly rural rural and in the mountains. Until the middle of 19th century, Herzegovina was cut off from social, cultural and political events in other European countries. The only remaining leaders were Franciscans. Christian did not have rights. The churches and monasteries which remained after the initial destructions in conquests, were destroyed by the Turks in 1563. Since then and till the middle of 19th century there were no monasteries or churches west of the Neretva river.

Austro-Hungary

World war two and afterwards

During the Second World War Ustaše held the city together with Italian troops. During their presence, the Italians built a couple forts for the city observation.

Like most of the West Herzegovina cities, Široki Brijeg was labeled as a pro-Ustaše and a pro-fascisct region. Therefore it was demonized by the officials of SFRY. The investments were very poor in it. A number of people emigrated to Zagreb and Dalmatia, as well as to Germany as gastarbeiters.

Economy

Agriculture

Agricultural production in the municipality of Široki Brijeg is mostly reduced to the production for their own use on yards and a minor part of the arable land. It is the production of agricultural products for the market is very small compared to the alternatives, and refers primarily to the production of wine, a little bit in the production of vegetables and flowers, very little in the livestock and milk production.

This resulted in a large percentage of agricultural land is not used- according to latest statistics - even 60% that could be used for agricultural land is not processed.

The lack of clear government strategy and orientation towards the launching and development of agricultural production is also very important feature of the present situation in agriculture .

Prior the war

Unlike twenty years ago, is now in agricultural production there is no fundamental cultural production, production that would be meaningful and possible in a larger area of the municipality. For many years it was tobacco. Together with the war has fallen down and the existing state system and thus the former system of organization of agricultural production. In the entire period since then until today, the new system was established.

It is the whole country, especially the area where the municipality brought nekontroliranom import all kinds of things. So the majority of agricultural products has become cheaper to import than produce.

The result has already been mentioned drastically reducing obrađivanih area, reducing the number of cattle and even up to five times, the entire reduction in volume of agricultural production. Finally it came to life the feeling that it is impossible to engage in agricultural production as the production activity of which can be live or something and make money.

After the war

The municipality's overall economic performance is stronger than that of the surrounding municipalities - primarily in the Entrepreneurial Sector, and the time orientation and working-age population by non-sector higher. Therefore, the percentage of uncultivated land is the largest in the municipality in comparison to the surrounding ones- 60% (Posušje 59%, 49% Ljubuski and Grude 47%). The number of residents who are engaged solely in agriculture is relatively smallest in Siroki Brijeg.

Industry

In the area of industrial production in the municipality are significantly represented meat industry and metal industry, and to a smaller production of footwear, manufacture of construction products and stone processing, production of insulation materials, graphic activity, etc.

Official statistics, which regularly publishes the Federal Bureau of Statistics tracked the movement of industrial production at the level of the Federation and cantons, so that these (official) data for the municipality does not have. However, the basic features of industrial production in this region in the West would be essentially similar and reflect the movement of industrial production for the municipality of Siroki Brijeg.

In the period 2004./2005. The recorded slight growth of the index of industrial production (101.3). When the production of metals and production of metal products recorded a significant growth (index 2005./2004. = 134.3 and 180.4), production of paper products (index = 110.7), while other areas of industrial production recorded a significant decrease ( such as food and beverages: Index = 80.0, mining: index = 71.4).

For further growth of industrial production are essential investments in the development of existing industrial capacity in the areas that are currently represented in the municipality and which employ a large number of workers. This primarily refers to the production of metals and metal products. These activities according to official statistics reported a continued growth during 2005. year. The establishment and construction of new or expansion of existing business and industrial zones is prerequisite for the growth of manufacturing sector, attract domestic and foreign capital and create new jobs.

Sport

Široki Brijeg has multiple national champion in many sports, including football and basketball. NK Široki Brijeg is a double champion and conqueror of BiH Cup champion five consecutive league HB, and their domestic matches played on stadium Pečar, which meets all the criteria of the UEFA-e, while Mostar in the mud works modern Sports-recreation center / training camp Musa-Karačić with the ambulance, equipped with shower, two natural and one playground with artificial grass. Basketball Club, founded in 1974., Still bears the name of HKK Široki Eronet HT and the multiple champion, as well as won multiple State Cup and most postwar BiH club titles with 6 National Championships and 6 titles Cup conquerors of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Culture

Cross in downtown , made by Anđelko Mikulić, 2000.

Franciscan Church-the symbol of the city

The town is the birthplace of the soccer player of the year in Austria Mario Bazina, as well as Stanko Bubalo and popular Croatian singer Ivan Mikulic who appeared on the Eurovision Song Contest representing Croatia in 2004. The town is also the birthplace of former Croatian defence minister Gojko Šušak, a naturalised Canadian citizen, and the native town/municipality of a number of Croatian politicians. The town holds a memorial football tournament in Gojko Šušak's honour each year. The town also hosts the Dani Filma (Days of Film) film festival. www.siroki.com