Historical review
PREHISTORY
The continuity of life in this area is testified to the findings of the Kakanj and Butmir culture in the rich Neolithic settlement in the Environment / Radinovići. This archaeological site is on the list of national monuments of BiH since 2006. Systematic archaeological research carried out between 2002 and 2008 by the German Archaeological Institute from Frankfurt and the University of Bamberg and Kiel, the National Museum of BiH and the Museum of the National Museum in Visoko confirmed the existence of a prehistoric settlement, and the Environment entered the group of the most significant Neolithic sites in Europe.
ANTIC PERIOD
Before the arrival of the Romans, the majority of Bosnia was inhabited by the Illyrian tribe of the Desidians. Strengthening the centers in the Ilidza area, Višnjica near Kiseljak and Breza, Visoko becomes the crossroads of the main Roman roads. There are many archeological findings from this period from locations such as Crkvina, near the village of Mokronozi (Roman settlement, coins and a number of ceramic fragments), Veliki Gradac near Ramadanovci and Veliki Gradac, near Seča (Roman fort). Remains of Roman culture were also found at the archaeological site in Milama-Arnautovići, Vratnica, Raskršća near Maurović etc.
MIDDLE AGES
Visoko preserves the rich evidence of Bosnia’s long-standing existence. In this period it was the seat of a medieval Bosnian state, Bosnian bans and kings. It was named after the medieval Bosnian royal city of Visoki, located on the hill Visocica, 300 m above the basin in which the village of Podvisoki will develop later, and today the Visoko. Visoko region is abundant with many cultural and historical monuments from this period.
Kulina bana plate, found by dr. Ćiro Truhelka in 1898 in Biskupici / Muhasinovići, from the church of Ban Kulin, dates back from 1185 to 1202, and is one of the oldest monuments from the period of the medieval Bosnian state.
The birth certificate of the state of Bosnia, the oldest ever found document that testifies to Bosnian statehood, the charter of Kulina bana, was written on 29.08.1189. in the municipality of Visoko. It is a bilingual document, written in Latin and Bosnian (Bosnian Cyrillic), about Dubrovnik merchants. It is preserved in three copies, two of which are in the Dubrovnik archive, and one in the Russian Academy of Sciences and Arts in St. Petersburg. Petersburg.
Historic area – The medieval royal Bosnian city of Visoki was proclaimed a national monument of BiH in 2004. The time when the fortress was erected can not be established with certainty, while for the first time the town of Visoki is mentioned before Bobovac, in the Charter of the company I, written in 1355. Archaeological material from this site is stored in the Archaeological Museum of Visoko in the fund of the National Museum of Visoko, among which there are many fragments of glass, ceramics, coins, construction materials, and one of the most important fragments is the arch of the Old Town with specific Gothic architectural elements, relief of horsemen and inscription in Bosnian , as well as a very nice overhead – bifur.
Of the more important monuments of this period, it is important to mention the locality of Čajangrad, a fortification located above the Gračanica River in the village of the same name, which was considered to be intended for the monitoring of the road on the Visoko-Bobovac road. At the foot of Čajangrad, a tombstone of Nespina peninsula, measuring 2 x 1 m, was found at the National Museum in Sarajevo, while the gypsy replica was kept in the lapidarium of the Regional Museum.
One of the most important archaeological sites is the Crown church and the burial church of the Bosnian kings in Mila-Arnautovići, proclaimed as a national monument in BiH in 2003. It is the place of crowning of the first Bosnian King Tvrtko I (1377) and the burial place of the Bosnian king Tvrtko I and bane Stjepan II Kotromanić. The site consists of four architectural ensembles: a) the oldest wall in the southeast corner of the late antique period, b) a Roman church erected above the oldest building, c) an older Gothic building that rests on the apse of the Romanesque church and d) a younger or large Gothic church.
The special significance of this site is given by the fact that the first Bosnian parliamentary assembly was held here, and from written sources it can be concluded that it was regularly held there. It is about 2 km away from the medieval village of Podvisoki, and is located in the circle of cultural and political centers of the medieval Bosnia-Biskupic / Muhasinovic and Moštra.
The location of the Franciscan monastery in Arnautovići, which was built by Ban Stjepan II Kotromanić in 1244, is on the provisional list of national monuments of BiH.
In the municipality of Visoko there are about 344 tombstones-stećak monasteries, such as: Bijele Vode, Buzici, Čifluk, Dobrinje, Dvor, Džindići, Ginje, Goduša, Goranci, Klisa, Malo Čajno, Maurovići, Poršani, Šušnje, Tušnjići , Uvorići i Zbilje.
OTTOMAN PERIOD
It was high in the composition of the Ottoman Empire and before the definite fall of the medieval Bosnian state under Ottoman rule, and by 1462, it became the center of the administrative-territorial area – the Visoki Nahije. The founder of the Visoko, as a settlement of the Oriental-Islamic type, is considered the Bosnian and Herzegovinian Sandžak-beg Ajas-beg. In the third decade of the 16th century, Visoko gained the status of the Kasaba, when the first mosque, Sherefuddinova, was named after its founder. In the vicinity of it, the first Muslim Mahala, also called the same name, was located. At the beginning of the 17th century the Visoki nahija includes over 160 inhabited places in today’s municipalities of Visoko, Breza, Kakanj, Ilijas, Fojnica, Kiseljak, Kreševo, Vareš and Busovača. With the arrival of a new monotheistic faith – Islam, the entire character of the settlement and way of life are changing.
The architectural ensemble – Tabac / Tabhana Mosque, according to the available data, was probably built in the 17th century, due to the expansion of the Tabac craft, and was proclaimed a national monument in 2003. Repeatedly flooded and flooded. It is today’s appearance after the reconstruction of 2010, which is still in progress.
From the cultural and historical monuments of this period, the mentioned Orthodox Church of Sv. Prokopija, that is, the architectural ensemble and its movable heritage, built in 1853, which is on the list of national monuments of BiH since 2004.
Two Islamic monuments, the Alaudin (Shadrvan) mosque (built in the middle of the 16th century) and the Nakashibendi Teki, are on the provisional list of national monuments of BiH. Also, from the Islamic sacral objects of this period, it is important to mention the old mosque in Godusa, which is generally considered to be the oldest in the Visoko municipality, and the old mosque in Dobrinja and Podvinci built in a typical Bosnian style. Hadži Hasan Mosque (Saračica), was built in the 17th century, and reconstructed in 2000, with a turbop in the vicinity. Hadži Ibrahim Mosque (Pertačka), was built in the first half of the 16th century and reconstructed in 1996 with a unique stone minaret. The Alauddin Sagir mosque (Donja Mahala), built most probably in the 17th century, was restored in 1981. Hadži Muruvet’s mosque (Kraljevac), built also in the 17th century, today’s appearance was rebuilt in 1986. Mosques in Rosulje and Novo Brdo were built at the latest and there are no data, even teaching about who built them.
When it comes to facilities built during the Ottoman period, one should mention the building in which the Medjlis Islamic Community in Visoko is located today. Ahmet efendijina medresa was originally built in 1838. The Medresa building burned in a fire in 1911, and was rebuilt in 1913, when the original stone slab from the originally built object was built on the corner of the new building.
Islamic sacral monuments from the Ottoman period of significance for the local and wider community are definitely the sites of the old Muslim monks in the area of the municipality of Visoko – about 126 of them, the largest of which is a large cemetery near the concrete bridge in Visoko along the right bank of the river Bosna, to a large extent devastated.
For this period of the High and the environment, the development of craft activities, especially the tobacco, pottery, opancar and cobbler crafts, is the most important. As an illustration of the development of craftsmanship in Visoko, the evidence shows that during the 19th century, Viscose tabacs processed about 80,000 skin annually, and the opans produced up to a million opanas annually. The only preserved tabula pillar in the Balkans, located on the plateau, across the museum building is kept in the museum’s fund.
AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN PERIOD
With the arrival of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, in 1878, Visoko attempts to maintain the importance that he had until then. It gets the status of a district in the Sarajevo district, with 897 houses and 4,205 inhabitants. It retained the characteristics of the settlement of the Balkan-Oriental type, but by the penetration of Western European influences, changes in the appearance and character of the settlement occur. The first buildings will be built in the spirit of Austro-Hungarian architecture, in the stylish varieties of secession, neo-Moorish style and neoclassicism:
The building of the Visoko railway station (1882), the building of the district office and the court – today the building of the Municipality of Visoko (1895), the building of the Franciscan Gymnasium with the church (1900), or the Building Unit – Monastery of Sv. Bonaventure, located since 2012 on the list of national monuments of BiH, the building of the Municipal Municipality-Beledija – today the Homeland Museum (1902), the building of the National Elementary School on Kraljevec (1910) and the building of entrepreneur and trader Leopold Šajber – today the building of the Municipal Land Registry Office (1908).
SIGNIFICANT MONUMENTS OF THE 20TH CENTURY
The Jewish cemetery is located 5-6 km from the city center on the road to Kiseljak, within which there is a monument to the fallen fighters and Jewish victims of fascism in Visoko. The oldest monuments in this cemetery date back 100 years, although they probably have older ones.
The concrete bridge, across the river Bosna, made in 1929 according to the project of engineer Julije Hahamović, is the first building of reinforced concrete in this area.
The building of the former Sokolski dom (today the space of DTV Partizan) was built in 1934.years.
The memorial costume for the fallen fighters in the anti-fascist fight of NOR, from the high point in the city park, on the left bank of the Bosna River, is one of the few monuments from this period in honor of the 142 soldiers killed from our municipality in the NOR.
The White Mosque was built in 1980 at the site of the older Sherefuddin Mosque from the Ottoman period. It was designed by a large Bosnian-Herzegovinian architect Zlatko Ugljen, who won the prestigious award for architecture “Aga Khan” in 1983. In 2007 she received a significant recognition of Hungarian architects, who rated her as one of the three best-designed sacral objects in Europe. In addition to this facility, Zlatko Ugljen designed the Visoko hotel building and the Post Office building in Visoko.
A memorial to the Shahidites and dead fighters, located in the city center, dedicated 314 victims of aggression to Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995). The names of all martyrs and fallen soldiers were included, among them are 23 bearers of the golden lily, 19 winners of the golden badge and silver shield winner, buried on the Shehid’s grave in Varos polje.
For more detailed information on the cultural-historical, natural, mobile and immovable heritage of Visoko municipality, you can find on the website of the Regional Museum www.zavicajnimuzej.com