Travel Guide Travnik

Travnik/Травник has a population of about 15,000, of which 67% are Bosniaks and 25% are Bosnian Croats. It is the capital of Travnik municipality (population 52,000) and Central Bosnia canton (population 245,000), in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is 30 km west of Zenica(via Vitez), 50 km southeast of Jajce, 91 km southeast of Banja Luka, 92 km northwest of Sarajevo and 106 km northeast of Livno. Bus connections: see bus station.Former capital of Ottoman Bosnia and birthplace of the great Yugoslav writer Ivo Andrić, Travnik is framed by the ramparts of a medieval city and by the high peaks of the Vlašić massif, which culminates at 1,933 m on Mount Paljenik. Although it is still the "capital" of the Central Bosnian Canton, the city has fallen into anonymity and has lost its aura. This is especially true with the disappearance of its multicommunity character, accelerated by the massacres and displacements of population during the last two wars. Located in the valley of the Lašva River (a 49 km long tributary of the Bosna River), at an altitude of 514 m, it is still a pleasant town with an important and well-preserved heritage, beautiful landscapes and the small ski resort of Vlašić, nearby. For many inhabitants of the former Yugoslavia, it remains above all the soul of central Bosnia and the symbol of a mountain lifestyle with its famous Vlašić cheese (also called "Travnik cheese") and its rustic sheepdog, the tornjak.