Ključ Кључ
Town and municipality
Panoramic view
Seal
Etymology: Ključ is the Bosnian word for "key"
Location of Ključ within Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ključ
Coordinates: 44°32′N 16°46′E / 44.533°N 16.767°E / 44.533; 16.767
Country	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Entity	Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Canton	Una-Sana
Geographical region	Bosanska Krajina
Government
• Municipality president	Nedžad Zukanović (SDP BiH)
Area
• Total	358 km2 (138 sq mi)
Population  (2013 census)
• Total	18,714
• Density	52/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Area code	+3873766XXXX
Website	www.opcina-kljuc.ba

Ključ (Serbian Cyrillic: Кључ, pronounced [kʎûːtʃ]) is a town and municipality located in the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The name of the town and the municipality translates to "Key" in English.

Geography[edit]

It is located a short distance south from Sanski Most. The Sana River runs through the municipality. The terrain is heavily forested.

History[edit]

Human settlements have existed in the area long before the Roman Era. The town itself is first mentioned in 1322 in the documents of ban Stjepan II Kotromanić. It was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1463 as the last Royal Bosnian fortress.

Ključ fortress was first mentioned in 1322. In 1463, during the Ottoman invasion of Bosnia, the last Bosnian king Stjepan Tomašević, took refuge in the city. His surrender and execution marked the downfall of the medieval Bosnian state.

The Charter from 1323 states that Vukoslav is the son of duke Hrvatin, and from this we conclude that the main stronghold of the lords of the Donji Kraji was in the town of Ključ, the center of the parish Banica. Evliya Çelebi mentions Ključ and says that he is located in Donji Kraji and on the Sana river.^[1]

From 1929 to 1941, Ključ was part of the Vrbas Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

As an area with a slight Serb majority, at the start of the war in Bosnia (1992-1995), the Ključ area was held by Bosnian Serb forces. In the summer of 1995, the Bosnian governmental forces took control over it. Most of the pre-war Serb population fled after the Dayton Peace Agreement, the town belongs to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today, it is estimated that about 97% of the population of Ključ are Bosniaks.

Settlements[edit]

In 1991, the municipality of Ključ contained 61 settlements:

As a result of the war, the villages of Busije, Crkveno, Čađavica, Donja Previja, Donja Slatina, Donji Ribnik, Donji Vrbljani, Dragoraj, Gornja Previja, Gornja Slatina, Gornje Sokolovo, Gornji Ribnik, Gornji Vrbljani, Rastoka, Sitnica, Sredice, Stražice, Treskavac, Velijašnica, Velije et Zableće, as well as parts of Donje Ratkovo, Donje Sokolovo, Dubočani, Gornje Ratkovo, Jarice, Ljubine et Velečevo became a part of Ribnik municipality, Republika Srpska.

Today the municipality of Ključ has 40 settlements:

Demographics[edit]

Population[edit]

Ethnic composition[edit]

Economy[edit]

The area is connected to other parts of Bosnia by the M-5 highway. Forestry, light industry and tourism are major components of the economy.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• [1]
• [2]