Uskoplje (Bosnia)
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Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje Горњи Вакуф-Ускопље |
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| Municipality and town | |
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 Location of Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje within Bosnia and Herzegovina. |
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 Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje
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| Coordinates: 43°56′N 17°35′E / 43.933°N 17.583°ECoordinates: 43°56′N 17°35′E / 43.933°N 17.583°E | |
| Country |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
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| Entity | Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Government | |
| • Municipality president | Sead Čaušević (SDA) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 402 km2 (155 sq mi) |
| Population (2013 census) | |
| • Total | 22,304 |
| • Density | 55,5/km2 (1,440/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Area code(s) | +387 30 |
| Website | gornjivakuf-uskoplje |
Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje is a town and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, located between Bugojno, Prozor-Rama, Kupres, Novi Travnik and Konjic. It is under the administration of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Although settlement in the area stretches back to prehistoric times, the town with Gornji Vakuf name arose in the 16th century in the location of the existing settlement called Česta. The name Gornji Vakuf refers to the fact that the town was established as a waqf (Vakuf) by Bosniak nobility. Mehmed-beg Stočanin, a famous Bosniak bey, is the founder of Gornji Vakuf. This town has a typical Bosnian čaršija, which is common in Central Bosnia.
Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje was made infamous as one of the first towns to suffer from the Croat-Bosniak war (1992–94) during the Bosnian war (1992–95) - as a critical node - was vital for UNPROFOR to hold to enable UNHCR supplies to move into the country. It was held by B Company Group 1 CHESHIRE from the British Army during part of early 1993 who lost Lance corporal Wayne Edwards, who was shot by an unidentified sniper.
Gornji Vakuf had a population of about 10,000 Croats and 14,000 Bosniaks. On 11 January 1993 the first clashes between the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) and the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) took place. There are conflicting reports as to how the fighting started and what caused it; a bomb placed in a Muslim owned hotel used as a headquarters or an all-out attack by ARBiH forces on HVO positions. The HVO had around 300 forces in the town and 2,000 in the surrounding area, while the ARBiH deployed several brigades of its 3rd Corps. A front line was established through the center of town. HVO artillery fired from positions on the hills to the southeast on ARBiH forces in Gornji Vakuf after their demands for surrender were rejected until a ceasefire was arranged.
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Wikipedia