Crtice iz starije prošlosti Busovače
On the Oldest Preserved and Known Mention of Busovača in Historical Documents

Summary/Abstract: Busovača was first mentioned in 1371 in a trade contract from Dubrovnik. At that time, a resident of Busovača named Gojko Čepić made a valuable agreement for the sale of iron with a Venetian, Ivan Bono Rambold, through the mediation of Hans Sasinović, an influential German entrepreneur in medieval Bosnia. Around 14.5 tons of iron were sold for 600 ducats, and the contract serves as evidence of the rare and significant trade of Bosnian iron with foreign countries at the time. Although the document does not provide information on the settlement’s origin, it confi rms its earlier importance. Due to its favorable location and proximity to mines, Busovača played a significant role in medieval Bosnia, especially in trade with Dubrovnik. The article briefly addresses historical sources on Busovača during the Ottoman period, when it became part of the Visoko nahija (administrative unit) and the Sarajevo kadiluk (judicial district). The Ottomans recognized its mining potential, and iron continued to be extracted and taxed. During the sixteenth century, Busovača developed from a small village into a more significant settlement. In later centuries, it was increasingly mentioned in travel writings, though often with varying and exaggerated estimates. Reports from the eigtheenth and nineteenth centuries mention the growing number of houses, a mixed population, and the development of infrastructure such as inns, shops, and religious buildings. With the Austro-Hungarian occupation in 1878, Busovača gained administrative importance, and census records from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries testify to its continued development up until World War I, which marked the beginning of a new era in its history.

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