The dotted line that separates the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Republika Srpska indiscernibly swirls around as if, in a moment of frustration, the mapmaker was blindfolded and told to carve the country into two. Because the dividing line looks more like the path of a river than a defined border, it is common to pass in and out of both entities from one city to the next.
When crossing into the Republika Srpska, the differences are visible. Road signs are written in the Cyrillic alphabet and point travelers towards Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. A tri-colored Serbian flag is flown from street posts instead of Bosnia’s national flag. On the Bosnian Serb side of that invisible line, it feels like the wind only blows east.
Banja Luka is the capital of the Republika Srpska and the second largest city in Bosnia. Unlike Sarajevo, Banja Luka is not multicultural or multidimensional. Its rigid architectural style reflects only Bosnia’s time in Yugoslavia and the Republika Srpska’s nationalist longing to be Serbian.
Banja Luka is only a 35 minute drive from the site of the Omarska camp and the Prijedor municipality where the Bosnian Serb army enacted a cleansing campaign against the Bosnian Muslims. In 1991, Bosnian Serbs held a majority at 55 percent of the population in the Banja Luka municipality, whereas Bosnian Muslims and Croats were each 15 percent of the population. [1]
A camp called Manjača was located about 35 km southwest of Banja Luka. Over four thousand civilian detainees were held in Manjača camp throughout the conflict, a majority of whom were Muslim. When the nearby Omarska camp was being shut down after its conditions were outed by journalists, Serb forces transferred prisoners at Omarska to Manjača. [2] The conditions at Manjača were not much better.
Detainees were forced to work 8-10 hours per day while sustaining themselves on thin broth and a slice of bread twice a day. In the dead of summer, only two cups of water were rationed each day and expected to be shared amongst four detainees [3]. Detainees were beat if they attempted to collect water from rainfall. [4]
In July 1992, the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) became involved at the camp by registering and weighing the detainees. [5] By October 30, 1992, the ICRC was working in the camp every day and negotiating with Bosnian Serb military and political leaders to arrange for the release of prisoners and closure of the camp. [6] Some detainees were transferred to another camp or a prison but most were released under the condition that they be transferred to a third country and never return to Bosnia. [7] All detainees left Manjača by December 18, 1992. [8]
Travel Tips
The main city center highlights include Christ the Savior Orthodox Cathedral, the nearby street Veselina Masleše with shopping and restaurants, Banja Luka fortress along the Vrbas river, and many well-kept parks. Nighttime feels vibrant with people enjoying public spaces and cafes.
Banja Luka is an overnight stop on the Bosnian Half Moon travel itinerary. You can get a feel for the city and see the main sights within an afternoon or evening.