Vrela, Teslić Explained

Official Name:Vrela
Settlement Type:village
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Bosnia and Herzegovina
Subdivision Type1:Entity
Subdivision Name1:Republic of Srpska
Subdivision Type2:Canton
Subdivision Type3:Municipality
Subdivision Name3:Teslić
Coordinates:44.635°N 17.8683°W

Vrela (Serbian Cyrillic: Врела) is a small village in Teslić municipality, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It is bordered by the river Usora to the north and hills to the south, the Škrebin Kamen hill (literally: Škreba's Rock) to the west and the Kalošević village to the east. It is the first settlement of the Teslić municipality encountered when approaching from Doboj.

Population

The population numbers less than 200, all of Serb ethnicity, and 97% of Orthodox Christian religion.

History

Today, Verla is an individual local community within the municipality. Previously, it was an insignificant part of neighbouring local communities such as Žarkovina and Stenjak within Teslić municipality, or Kalošević within Tešanj municipality. Until 1968 it had a railway station.

Bosnian War

During the war in Bosnia, the village was an important border crossing between the then warring Republic of Srpska and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where numerous exchanges of POWs, civilians, and casualties were conducted. The area around the Inter-Entity Boundary Line was heavily seeded with land mines and some parts are still considered dangerous.

References

44.635°N 17.8683°W