Prijedor

Prijedor (Приједор, prijěːdor) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it had a population of 89,397 inhabitants within its administrative limits. Prijedor is situated in the northwestern part of the Bosanska Krajina geographical region. Prijedor is known for its mixed religious heritage comprising Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholicism and Islam. Historic buildings from the Ottoman and Austrian-Hungarian periods are a feature of the urban landscape. The city underwent extensive renovation between 2006 and 2009. The town of Prijedor, within the municipality of Prijedor, is located in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the banks of the Sana and Gomjenica rivers, and at the south-western hills of the Kozara mountain. The area of the municipality is . The town is situated at 44°58'39" N and 16°42'29" E, at an altitude of above sea level. It is traditionally a part of the historical and cultural region of Bosanska Krajina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The terrain ascends to the north-east of Prijedor in waves and gradually becomes the mountain range of the Kozara mountain, which is famous from the peoples' uprisings in the previous centuries and battles against fascism during the Second World War. The city lies on the alluvial terrain created by the Sana river and its tributaries on the south-western hillsides of the Kozara mountain. Prijedor's history as a fortified centre of population can be traced back to the end of the 17th century, but the history of the colonization and culture of the surrounding area is much older, predating the emergence of the town. Numerous prehistoric, ancient and mediaeval archeological sites are evidence of the presence of a variety of different cultures. There are numerous settlements from the prehistoric period, dating back to 2100 B.C., usually associated with burial sites. In the pre-Roman and Roman times the area was settled by a large Illyrian tribe Maezaei, a sub-tribe of the Pannonians, renowned for their mining skills.