Banja Luka

Banja Luka (Serbian Cyrillic: Бања Лука, pronounced [bǎɲa lǔːka] ) or Banjaluka (Serbian Cyrillic: Бањалука, pronounced [baɲalǔːka]) is the second-largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the most populous in Republika Srpska. It is Republika Srpska's main economic, political, and administrative centre. Banja Luka is the traditional centre of the densely forested Bosanska Krajina region of northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 2013 census, the city proper has a population of 138,963, while its administrative area comprises a total of 185,042 inhabitants. The City Day of Banja Luka is celebrated on 22 April, commemorating the liberation of the city at the end of World War II. The city is home to the University of Banja Luka and the University Clinical Center of the Republika Srpska, as well as numerous entity- and state-level institutions of Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, respectively. The city is located on the Vrbas river. Banja Luka was declared a European City of Sport in 2018 and designated a UNESCO City of Music in 2023.