Webcam Banya-Luka. Panorama
The town of Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina stretches along both banks of the Vrbas River, where the waters of another river, the Vrbanj, flow into it. This large city is located more than 30 kilometers from the borders with other Balkan states. It is 320 kilometers from the Serbian capital of Belgrade, 200 kilometers from the Croatian capital Zagreb and 240 kilometers from Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Banja Luka is the political, financial, cultural and educational center of the Serbian Republic. The city lies between the Pannonian Basin in the north and the Dinaric Mountains in the south. The altitude of the town is 164 meters above the sea level. The area is dominated by a moderate continental climate. The streets of Banja Luka are filled with numerous parks, alleys and boulevards. It is truly considered a park city.
Archaeological research has proven the existence of a settlement in the present town in 50,000 BC in the era of the Mustier. In pre-Antique times, the Illyrian tribes of the Ozeri and Mezei inhabited the area. This is evidenced by the remains of structures. In the 6th-9th centuries BC, the Roman legions conquered the area.
The city was later incorporated into the province of Illyric. Under Roman rule, roads were built along which new settlements and military camps were established. The Middle Ages was a prosperous time for Banja Luka. The economy developed, the town was strengthening its position.
With the arrival of the Turks and during the reign of Ferhad pasha Sokolovic from 1574 to 1588, Banja Luka became the central city of the Bosnian state. For 350 years, the Turks ruled here. Then in 1878 the city was occupied by the Austro-Hungarian army and was under their domination for 40 years. Since 1929, Banja Luka became the center of the Vrbas Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. At that time the city was at the peak of economic development.
Banja Luka is the custodian of numerous architectural and historical monuments from various eras, which are represented by the Master's Street, the Palace Hotel, the old Serbian elementary school, the Mortgage Bank, the Gomionica Monastery, the Kastel Fortress, the Church of Christ the Savior and other ancient structures.
