Welcome to Brcko and Svitac! Below you will find information on Brcko and settling into life here. Enjoy!
Current Political Situation
Svitac was established to run inter-ethnic arts workshops in Brčko, North East Bosnia. It is a unique place, as under the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995 it’s status could not be decided upon. Therefore in 1999, the district was awarded special multi-ethnic status as the “Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, operating on a self-governing basis. Now a District Government has been freely elected and formed, although the Supervisor of the Office of the High Representative still has certain powers over the elected officials.
Day to day life can seem unspectacular and calm, but there is a high level of unemployment (Approx 40%).Tensions and divides still exist amongst the population, from the political to the social and economic levels.
Brcko is situated at a border crossing over the Sava to Croatia, which has made it strategically important, both during and after the war. The population of the town is around 40,000 and within the District its 70.000. Before the war the town of Brčko was home to 41,000 people, 55% Bosniaks, 19% Serbs, 7% Croats and 19% others. Serb army forces seized the town of Brčko on 7 May 1992. Many men were detained in the concentration camp situated outside the town during the war, while women and children were able to leave to Muslim or Croat controlled areas. A series of mass graves have been found in the area.
At the same time, many Serbs who were forcibly displaced from areas such as the Krajina or Sarajevo (after Dayton) moved to Brčko. The town’s current inhabitants are still almost entirely Serb.
The return of displaced people (DPs) to Brčko district is progressing. However, most of the current Bosnian Serb inhabitants are themselves DPs, so cannot vacate houses until their own pre-war homes are vacated and/or rebuilt. This slows down and complicates the return process.
Brčko’s outlying districts have different ethnic breakdowns – Rahic is Bosniak, Broduša is largely Bosniak, with a Roma minority and Dizdaruša is almost equally Bosniak and Serb, for example. The ZOR is occupied mainly by returnees, originally from Brčko town, and DPs from elsewhere in Bosnia.
A small river the Brka flows through Brcko, providing one of the more natural settings amidst the town. There are some busy roads passing through the town, linking Banja Luka (Republika Serbska) to Bijelina (RS) and Belgrade (Serbia and Montenegro). This adds to the value of the town, as it stands between the two parts of the RS (Northern BiH and Eastern BiH).
Accommodation:
Svitac will find you accommodiation, due to a lack of plentiful accommodation in Brcko you may need to share a room, but will have your own bed and will not have to share with anyone of the opposite sex.
Things to do;
There are many, many cafes and bars throughout the town. Some of the more popular ones are ‘The Old Dubliner’ (which features live music on the weekends and is very popular) and the ‘Iron Horse’ by the Brka, where there is also ‘Café Pacific’ which does good Pizza. Another good choice is ‘Jazzwa’ hidden away in the shopping area opposite the fruit and veg market. In the main high street there is ‘Bambi’ which has more of a ‘Pub’ feel and the staff are really friendly, its also a good place to experience domestic ‘turbo folk’ music after 9.30pm at weekends(if you’re brave enough!!). If you want to dance to some domestic folk, then try a ‘folkoteka’ like Boomerang, near Interex or Club Grand, which is at the back and underneath the Hotel Grand Possavina. Down behind here is also the fruit and veg market and opposite a restaurant called ‘Family’ which is a nice wee place. A good ‘Slasticarnica’ (Cake Shop) is Restoran Palma at the other end of the High Street (Bosne Srebne) by the Catholic church. Try the Sampita if you’ve got a sweet tooth!
If you want to eavesdrop on politicians try ‘Cicibela’ in Srpska Varus, a strangely beautiful place with open air areas over the Sava. Recommended is their pizza which costs the same as anywhere else in Brcko.
Some essential Bosnian dishes to try include:
Cevapi – mincemeat sausages cooked on a barbeque. Generally served with…
Lapine – homemade round bread. Very good. And…
Rakia – homemade lethal strength plum brandy.
Burek – Mincemeat and onion pie
Sirnice – similar pie but made with cheese
Zelijanice – same again but with spinach and cheese. My favourite!
Janjetina sa Raznja – lamb cooked on a spit
Lukovice – meat served in an onion
Satrica – salad made of spring onion and sour cream
There’s lots more types of food to try, just ask around and experiment! Also contrary to popular belief it’s possible to be vegitarian in Bosnia.
There’s a number of markets in Brcko. First is the fruit and veg market mentioned above. It’s behind the Hotel Grand Possavina and definitely worth visiting to stock up on food and see some local colour. It’s open from 7 – 12 every day. Directly opposite this is the begininnings of the open air goods market. It leads across the Brcka and into the Pijaca, where you can buy cheap clothes and household goods. There is no second hand items here though. It is also open every day from 7 – 12.
For second hand goods and food brought in from the countryside there is a market called Pijaca na Klanacu. It’s a bit out of town, you can get there by following the path along the Brcka to it’s end and then taking the path through the fields. You should see a steady stream of people coming and going there to follow. It’s well worth a visit and is open from 7 – 11am every Monday.
A little further from Brcko is the Arizona Market. This is a huge place to buy all kinds of clothes and goods, much of it black market. It has had an important place here since the war, after which literally anything was available here. It has calmed down a lot since then but is worth a visit.
To get away from the crowds there are footpaths beside the Brka, within the central park, and some small walks along the Sava. BEWARE of the danger of landmines, because of flooding, riverside locations are still not considered safe, due to threat of landmines washing downstream. Also all areas with overgrown appearance must be avoided for this reason. For futher mine awareness training the Mine Education Team will happily provide a session. The are on Mese Selimovice Street.
Outside of Brcko, if you have access to a bike, there is plenty of opportunity to get off the beaten track and get lost in the villages. I would not recommend cycling the Brcko – Bijelina road, its pretty busy and hairaising!!
Gradacac is a lovely place to go and not far, although two short bus rides away. There is a lake, a castle and lots of space. Tuzla is the nearest big town, just a couple of hours on the bus. It’s Bosnia’s main producer of salt and also features a salt lake in the middle of the city. By this lake there is also a park with a big monument to Partisans killed in WWII and also one to Communist politicians from Former Yugoslavia.
There are two buses a day to Sarajevo; it is a great journey through the hills, and takes six hours. Belgrade is closer (3 hours) with lots more buses (one every hour) and it’s a lot cheaper to travel there. The two cities are heavily contrasting, but both are very interesting for an understanding of the region and are definitely worth a visit.
If you want a feel of the countryside the nearest access is across the river to Gunja, which is extremely flat, but good for cycling. The roads are pretty quiet. This is also a good access route to the North to Osijek and beyond on public transport.
Suggested Reading
Bosnia – a short History (Noel Malcolm)
The Bridge over the Drina (Ivo Andric)
Death and the Dervish (Mese Selimovic)
Suggested Films:
Pretty Village, Pretty Flame
No-Mans Land
Underground
Black Cat White Cat
This is obviously all subjective and you will find many different places to go and things to do, so to add your ideas please email us
