--------# Gymnasium, Banja Luka #--------

The area of today's Banja Luka was populated centuries ago. The archeological findings testify of material culture which dates form Paleolithic, Mousterian epoch (50 000 years BC). Many of these archeological findings are proofs that people had inhabited this region before the new era started and there are even stronger sources of information about what happened in the area after.

In the new epoch, the region of today's Banja Luka was populated by the Illyrian tribe Mezeji, who were conquered in 9 BC by the Roman leader Germanicus. Romans stayed in the area for a rather long time and they even built a military fortification (castra) on the left bank of the river Vrbas, then the fortress (castellum) where today's well known Kastel fortress sits. During the VI and VII century these areas together with the whole peninsula of Balkans were conquered by the Slavs.

The first written trace of the name of the city of Banja Luka is mentioned in the declaration dated 06 February 1494. and is composed of the generic noun "luka" representing a valley next to water and adjective of the noun "ban". This name was used for the whole plane where the town sits today. As the best-fortified town at that time Banja Luka soon became the biggest center of the principality.

In 1528 Turks captured the town and the dark period of the Banja Luka's history started with it. Almost four centuries of the cruelest occupation and exploitation together with the most brutal terror of domestic population made Banja Luka undeveloped territory until the end of 19th century, when Austrian-Hungarian occupation started too.

Many misfortunes such as the great fires (1688, 1724, 1869, 1877, and 1878) and floods (especially in 1730 and 1737) contributed to such circumstances.

With the Austrian-Hungarian occupation of BL on 31 July 1878 the management of the town was reorganized and BL became the center of the region. By the 1879 census BL had 9560 citizens and in 1885, 11375 citizens. A considerable change of the conditions contributed to the development of the fight for civil freedom, cultural development and economic progress at the time. The publication of the journals began, cultural and education societies were founded. The most significant figure of that time was the great Serb poet and writer Petar Kochic who left a deep trail in the history of these areas with his cultural and political activities at the beginning of this century. For years the statue of this great man decorate the central park named after the poet and his works are still read with interest.

WW I brought suffering to the people again. The freedom was welcomed with happiness as well as the creation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. From 1918 Banja Luka became the center of political and cultural life of the whole Krajina, and from 1929 becomes the capital of the Vrbas Principality. During the Kingdom of Karadjordjevic dynasty, Banja Luka got its most beautiful buildings and became The Beauty of Krajina, as this town is called even today.

The WW II brought the dark ages to this territory again. In 1941 the mutiny rouse against German nazis and ustashas, the army of the fascist Croatia. During the WW II in the broad surroundings of Banja Lujka German army and ustashas killed in the concentration camps and in many different ways almost million people, predominantly Serbs. The victory in WW II was welcomed by the people of Banja Luka who started developing of the town. After the WW II Banja Luka made fast progress in spite of the socialistic capital city's centralism.

The progress was interrupted b the catastrophic earthquake that damaged almost the whole town on 27 October 1969. However, Banja Luka rouse again as Phoenix, and became nicer and nicer every day.

After the latest war and disintegration of Yugoslavia, Banja Luka is the capital of Republic of Srpska and is developing rapidly as a cultural, industrial and economic center important in this area especially in the beginning of new era.

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