EVANGELICAL CHURCH DOBOJ | Town
With the arrival of Romans, at the river mouth of Usora into Bosna, begins the construction of a larger fortified object. They have recognized the strategic importance of this locality.
Romans have built up several construction entities over more than four centuries of their residence in these areas. They have built 'the Castrum' - a type of a military compound for approximately 4 - 5 thousand of soldiers on the surface of 160x134 meters. In the direct vicinity of Castrum there was a civil settlement - 'Canabea', consisting of two rows of buildings with a street in between them. That was one of the oldest settlements bearing characteristic of a certain construction type in the northern Bosnia.
Slavic people arrive to these regions in the 7th century. The most significant settlement is also at that time the one at the river mouth of Usora into Bosna, where small churches and cemeteries are found.
By the strengthening of the medieval Bosnian state in the 12th century starts the construction of the stone made fortress on a high cliff above the Bosna river. Around the fortress begins the construction of Doboj town, which was a Mediterranean type of settlement with a square in the center. Doboj fortress and the town surrounding it have come out of the need of the medieval Bosnian state to control the roads going through the valleys of rivers Bosna, Usora and Spreca.
Stecak
(specific Bosnian medieval tombstones, decorated with various ornaments)
Turks are taking over Doboj in 1476, repairing the fortress in 1490 and adapting it to the greater destruction power of canons. Austro - Hungarian army in 1697 and 1717 temporarily takes over and burns down Doboj. During the Turkish occupation Doboj was developing slowly.
Austro - Hungarian army has taken over the town in 1878. Its development in this period was determined by its geographical position and it started with the construction of railroads Doboj-Tuzla - Simin Han, Slavonski Brod-Doboj- Teslic and Slavonski Brod - Sarajevo.
During the World War I, in the period between 1915 and 1916, there was a concentration camp in Doboj to which Austro - Hungarian authorities placed more than 45 000 people from border areas of southeast Herzegovina towards Serbia. To the numerous victims of this concentration camp in 1937 a memorial monument was put up with a bronze bust of the prisoner, structure containing remains of the corps and a church.
With public demonstration on 27th of March 1941, Doboj citizens have also expressed their protest against the joining to the Axis, after what the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was attacked by Germany and its allies.
As a traffic knot, Doboj was in the World War II a theater of many important happenings. The terror of the occupier, who entered the town on 15th of April 1941, faced the strong resistance of the people of Doboj region. People have started up a massive rebellion on 23rd of August 1941, took over Doboj, Maglaj and Gracanica, and on 24th of August rebels have blown up ammunition warehouses in Doboj, which was prepared for the transport to the eastern front, which represented at that time, one of the largest diversions in the occupied Europe. The people of Doboj region have given a great contribution in the liberation war. Doboj was liberated on 17th of April 1945.
After the war the town was reconstructed by mass voluntary labor actions. By the construction of railroad tracks Samac- Sarajevo and Doboj - Banja Luka main conditions were created for the fast and more global development of this region.
Until nineties Doboj was built up and it became a regional center for several municipalities in the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Industrial and agricultural production developed. It had a great importance as a railway and a traffic knot in general.
The number of inhabitants has significantly increased.
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Christianity was present here already in the first centuries A.C. Those times these areas were a part of the Roman Empire.
In the 7th century starts the arrival of Slavic tribes, who in the 10th century accept Christianity.
After splitting of the Church (1054) byzantine and roman (orthodox and catholic church) influences are interweaving.
In the Middle age Bogomille teaching finds a fertile ground in that time Bosnian state.
Islam comes in the 15th century with the arrival of Turks. A lot of population accepts it, since it brought with it certain allowances.
Reformation has had a great influence in the other countries of Europe, but it had passed unnoticed in these areas due to the isolation under the Turkish occupation.
With the arrival of the Austro - Hungarian 1878, comes also the Protestantism (clerks, soldiers and the rest population that moved down here), but it doesn't stay for long.
First evangelic churches (Brcko, Mostar, Trebinje, Sarajevo) are founded in the second half of the 20th century, when missioners from other parts of that time Yugoslavia, but also other countries, start to arrive.
RECENT HISTORY
In the spring 1992, as a consequence of Yugoslavia splitting apart started the civil war, which lasted until the autumn 1995. The Dayton Peace Agreement terminated it. A lot of the inhabitants of Doboj and nearby settlements have during the war fled or were expelled, and a lot of displaced and expelled persons from other towns have settled in the town and its vicinity. Territory of the former Doboj municipality has been divided into three parts of which the largest, with the urban nucleus, stayed in the Republic Srpska, while the other two are in the Federation BiH.
After the past war, Doboj continues to live and develop itself. The greatest part in that is reestablished freedom of movement, which makes Doboj again a traffic center. The existing industrial capacities have been partly preserved. Doboj has great agricultural potentials. Still, there are consequences of the war present: destruction and political instability in the country.
What is also a characteristic for the post-war period is: the process of transition, social changes and privatization. Migrations of population are still ongoing, considering that after the war started the process of repossession of property, so the prewar owners get hold of their property. Some of them are returning to live in Doboj and the vicinity, while the others are only exchanging or selling their property.
Today the town itself has 30 000 inhabitants, and the municipal territory together with the town (reduced during the civil war) 70 000.
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