Zavidovići is a city and municipality located in Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, located between Doboj and Zenica on the confluence of rivers Bosna, Krivaja and Gostović. It sits in a valley surrounded by many mountains of which the largest is Klek. As of 2013, the municipality had a population of 35,988 inhabitants and the city itself 8,174.

History

Zavidovići was home to two neolithic cultures: Butmir and Kakanj. Significant Kakanj culture site is located in Tuk.

Zavidovići was developed by the Austrians during the 19th century Austro-Hungarian reign in Bosnia, mostly because of the "wood industry". After World War II, Krivaja, the company that was founded in 1884 and named after the Krivaja river, expanded. The company focused on furniture manufacturing, which it began to export to the United States under the name "Krivaja Beechbrook". Due to the Bosnian War in the 1990s, the former giant and the city were left with almost nothing.

Although once a diverse town, many of the former Serb and Croat residents left their homes during the Bosnian War. Few have returned to their properties. Unfortunately, now, it is a mostly Bosniak city, with few non-Bosniaks remaining.

Zavidovići's nickname is "Wood Town". Zavidovići is located in the basin of three rivers: Bosna, Krivaja and Gostović.

Geography

Mountains

• Klek

Demographics

The city of Zavidovići itself had 12,947 residents in 1991.

Settlements

Notable people

• Edin Bašić, handball player

• Aida Čorbadžić, opera singer

• Alija Bešić, Bosnian-born Luxembourgian footballer

• Mladen Bartolović, footballer

• Šemsudin Gegić, playwright and film director

• Ferid Muhić, President of the Bosniak Academy of Sciences and Arts

• Nedžad Sinanović, basketball player

• Safet Sušić, footballer and football manager

• Sead Sušić, footballer

• Šefik Džaferović, politician, the vice president of SDA and the Bosniak Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Venio Losert, handball player and two-time Olympic gold-medallist

• Monika Radulovic, Australian model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Australia 2015

• Rijad Mukić,

Twin towns – sister cities

Zavidovići is twinned with:

• Berane, Montenegro

• Bozüyük, Turkey

• Gemlik, Turkey

• Kakanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Nilüfer, Turkey

• Roncadelle, Italy

• Wiltz, Luxembourg

• Yunusemre, Turkey

References

External links

• ZaN

• Portal Krivajske Doline

• Large iron ball just discovered near Zavidovici