Banja Luka
Бања Лука (Serbian) | |
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Grad Banja Luka Град Бања Лука City of Banja Luka | |
Panoramic view of Banja Luka | |
![]() Location within Republika Srpska / Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
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Coordinates: 44°46′21″N 17°11′33″E / 44.77250°N 17.19250°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Entity | ![]() |
Geographical region | Bosanska Krajina |
Government | |
• Body | City Assembly of Banja Luka |
• Mayor | Draško Stanivuković (PDP) |
Area | |
• City | 1,238.91 km2 (478.35 sq mi) |
Elevation | 163 m (535 ft) |
Population (2013 census)[1] | |
• City | 185,042 |
• Urban | 138,963 |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 78000 |
Area code | +387 51 |
Website | www |
Banja Luka (Serbian Cyrillic: Бања Лука, pronounced [bǎɲa lǔːka] ) or Banjaluka (Serbian Cyrillic: Бањалука, pronounced [baɲalǔːka]) is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city of Republika Srpska, of which it is also the de facto capital.[2] Banja Luka is the traditional centre of the densely-forested Bosanska Krajina region of northwestern Bosnia. According to the 2013 census[update], the city proper has a population of 138,963, while its administrative area comprises a total of 185,042 inhabitants.
The city is home to the University of Banja Luka and University Clinical Center of the Republika Srpska, as well as numerous entity and state institutions for Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, respectively. The city lies on the Vrbas river and is well known in the countries of the former Yugoslavia for being full of tree-lined avenues, boulevards, gardens, and parks.[3] Banja Luka was designated European city of sport in 2018.
Bosniaks prevail in the capital city of Sarajevo, while Serbs are dominant in their entity and its capital, Banja Luka. Although Sarajevo is the capital of the entire multinational federation, Serbs and Croats often perceive it as a city governed by Bosniaks. Like many other cities, villages, municipalities and regions across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mostar underwent the period of national homogenization as a result of ethnic cleansing or forced migration in the face of extreme nationalism and violence. Unlike Sarajevo and Banja Luka, no ethnic group succeeded in achieving full supremacy in Mostar.