Written by: Srećko Ignjatović
The story about the history of the industrial-wooden railway “Kruščica” offers an interesting little anecdote that is quite specific, considering the fact that the area of the Kruščica district in the Travnik district is marked by the beginnings of the first industrialization in this part of Bosnia. The start of organized production of charcoal, the construction of the railway, the building of sawmills, and a wood impregnation factory is a historical event both for the town of Han Komanija – Vitez and its residents.
The content consists of certain events and facts from archival materials with numerous documents and from a smaller number of published sources that recount the beginning of industrialization during the Austro-Hungarian administration, the Kingdom of SHS/Yugoslavia, and the socialist era.
Starting literature for this work includes books:
- Branislav Begović, 1978. „Razvojni put šumske privrede u Bosni i Hercegovini u periodu austrougarske uprave (1878—1918) sa posebnim osvrtom na eksploataciju šuma i industrijsku preradu drveta“,
- Branislav Begović, 1985 „Šumska privreda Bosne i Hercegovine za vrijeme monarhističke Jugoslavije (1918.-1941.) s posebnim osvrtom na eksploataciju šuma i industrijsku preradu drveta. Sarajevo“,
- Dževad Juzbašić, 1974. „Izgradnja željeznica u Bosni i Hercegovini u svjetlu austrougarske politike od okupacije do kraja Kállayeve ere“,
- Državni arhiv BiH Sarajevo, skice, planovi, bibliotečka građa i
- Web portal vremeplov.ba, Lični arhivski fond.
Period of Austro-Hungarian rule – how it all started
At the session of the Common Monarchy’s Ministerial Council in December 1877, the Austrian Railway Minister Heinrich von Wittek (1884-1930) presented a file to the president of the Südbahn management board with maps of the western part of the Balkan Peninsula showing routes of railway lines that had already been generally planned as possible variants. Before the occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was carried out, the Austrian Ministry of Railways also paid attention to the concession for technical preliminary work for the railway from Sisak to the border at Novi, considering the potential extension of the Dobrljin – Banja Luka railway through Bosnia towards Sarajevo and Mitrovica, or through Bosnia (via Banja Luka) towards Dalmatia.
Since the already constructed line Dobrljin – Banja Luka (1872.) was opened, directly connecting Vienna, Minister Wittek included already planned routes from Banja Luka to Sarajevo, and from there across Prača and Rudo to Priboj toward Mitrovica, or via Uskoplje (Gornji Vakuf) and Livno to Split.
Greatest attention regarding the extension of the route was focused on a small settlement in Bosnia, Vitez. Namely, several variants were proposed. One of them is the extension of the route from Banja Luka towards Vitez, passing through Jajce and Travnik, while in the other variant, the route to Vitez is supposed to go via Vrbanja and Bila. There was also a sub-variant of the line from Jajce to Vitez so that instead of passing through Travnik, it would run along the Vrbas River valley to Uskoplje, then northeast towards Vitez. From Vitez, the generally designed route would go through Busovača, Kiseljak, and Ilidža to Sarajevo.
On the attached map, Minister Wittek drew a line that would branch off from Vitez towards Budapest and Split, specifically via Zenica and Doboja, leading north to Brodu and Budapest. In this way, by branching from the main route heading north toward Brodu, south toward Split, and southeast toward Sarajevo, Bosnia would be cut through by broad-gauge railway lines running from northeast to southeast and from north to south. This would finally connect the Monarchy across Bosnia with Dalmatia (Split – Šibenik – Zadar). (Source: Dževad Juzbašić, 1974.)
We can imagine that the proposal for the described Heinrich von Witteka variant was accepted; Vitez would then (and even today) be a major railway hub. Since then, fifteen years will pass before the narrow-gauge railway (1893) will pass through Vitez, placing it on par with a junction or a ‘pass-through’ station.
After 77 years (1893-1970) since the passage of the first train from Lašva to Travnik, the construction of a standard gauge railway line on this route is once again becoming a relevant topic. The construction of the railway was supposed to begin in September 1971 on the section (Lot 1) Lašva – Kaonik. More details about this can be found in the lower part of the text.
Occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878 and the Construction of Railway Lines in the Travnik District
After 22 days of bloody battles, Baron Filipović (Joseph Freiherr Philippovich von Philippsberg, 1818-1889), will march into Sarajevo on August 19, 1878. Immediately, he will establish civil and military administration over Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on the provisions of the Berlin Congress of 1878, which will remain formally under the Sultan until the annexation in 1908. By September of the same year, intense work will begin on constructing an iron bridge between the two Fordas and the first kilometers of railroad track towards Zenica, which will be opened to traffic the following year, i.e., on June 8, 1879.
The extension of the route from Zenica towards Sarajevo began in 1881 and will be put into service on October 4, 1882, at the expense of the occupation credit before the Ministry of War of the Dual Monarchy. A branch from the main railway from the Lašva station towards Travnik and Bugojno, or towards Jajce, will be delayed due to the prioritized construction of the Metković – Sarajevo line (1891.)
After the Metković – Sarajevo railway line was opened to public traffic (01.08.1891), construction began on the route from Lašva to Travnik. The railway was gradually completed so that by October 26, 1893, it was built up to Travnik, with a total length of 30+066 km. The section from Travnik to Donji Vakuf to Bugojno, measuring 40+708 km, was opened to traffic on October 14, 1894, resulting in a total route length from Lašva to Bugojno of 70+774 km. The segment from Donji Vakuf to Jajce was opened on May 1, 1895, covering a length of 33+629 km. The railway was land owned, operated by the Imperial Royal Bosna Railway (k.k. BB), and from 1895 under the management of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian State Railways Directorate (BHStB).
Soon, several forest railways will be connected to the Lašva – Travnik railway line. Primarily, these were the emergency management lines of the forest administrations in Busovača (9,980 meters for steam traction and 26,360 meters of other tracks, a gravity railway, a funicular) and Han-Company (Aerar Waldbahn Han-Compagnie – Kruscica) near Vitez (4,700 km for steam traction and 11,500 km of gravity railway, a funicular).
Otherwise, the forests in the Kruščica district within the Travnik district cover approximately 32,000 hectares, with about 15,000 hectares ready for exploitation. The town of Vitez is surrounded by the mountains Kruščica, Vilenica, Radovan, the Vranica mountain massif to the southwest, and the Busovačka mountain to the east. The main tree species is beech, followed by fir and spruce in the “mixture.” Thanks to this natural wealth, the Forest Directorate Han Company – Vitez primarily produced firewood, and with the passage of the “main” railway (Lašva – Travnik), the exploitation of forests for timber production and the manufacturing of railroad ties took place.
An overview of the archival documentation (Report on Forest-Industrial Railways in the Territory of the State Railways Sarajevo, June 1926), the narrow-gauge railway of the Vitez Forest Administration, on the line Han Kompanija – Kruščica, was 6.900 km long for steam traction and 14.500 km for maneuvering tracks, a gravity railway. The railway network in the Kruščica sawmill area (branch at km 3+359) was built with 1,450 meters of track, totaling 22.850 km. (Source: BH Archive – D.Ž.S. 1926. No. 16027/I – 1926).
Note:
In the course of research, a document was found discussing the extension of the railway to the existing yard, which is 3,056 meters long, from the place called Kurjevac to Lučevac, in May 1928. We can now state that the total length of the railway (steam and manipulative tracks) amounts to 25+906 km. (Source: DŽS 1928. Kut. 37, protocol 16560)
Contract with the company Giovani Schucany and the construction of the “Kruščica” forest railway
At the beginning of 1900, a long-term contract was concluded between the Provincial Government for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Italian company G. Schucany from Naples. The subject of the contract was approximately 400,000 m3 of coniferous sawmill logs, manufactured under the supervision of the Forest Administration in Han-Kompanija (Vitez) in the Kruščica mountain area. Through a special agreement clause, the company committed to providing an interest-free loan to the provincial treasury for the construction of transportation routes in the Kruščica area, which would be repaid during the term of the contract in twenty equal annual installments.
This year, according to the standards of the time, a narrow-gauge railway track was built, measuring 4.7 km with steam traction, and 11.5 km of gravity track with branches. In 1901, the company established a steam-powered sawmill at the exit of the Kruščica Valley, which was equipped with four saws and auxiliary machines, and later installed two more saws.
Since the company was relieved of concerns related to logging exploitation and the transportation of timber to the sawmill, exclusively using high-quality logs, it dedicated greater attention to the technological process of sawmill production. As a result, it achieved a high utilization rate of sawmill logs, which reflected positively on the quality of the finished products, almost entirely exported abroad, primarily to Italy and countries around the Mediterranean Sea.
The company operated without interruption until 1915, when Italy entered the war on the side of the Entente, and when it was to be placed under sequestration. However, the company managed to free itself from sequestration by proving that its owner was a Swiss citizen. Its operations until the end of the war (1918) were very limited and marked by ongoing disputes with the land revenue authorities, and it was liquidated in the same year. (Source: Branislav Begović, 1978.)
Technical Characteristics of the Kruščica Forest Railway
In May 1900, a Protocol was drafted that contained all the necessary technical documentation (site plans and sketches) for the projected route of the future forest-industrial railway “Kruščica.” The session of the Committee was held at the offices of the Forest Directorate of Han Company Vitez. The drafted Protocol included a plan for the start and duration of construction, the length of the route, construction of bridges, passing tracks, and storage yards, as well as other works. The signatories of the Protocol were the forest directorate manager on behalf of the client, the owner of the company G. Schucany from Naples, in this case the investor, and an authorized official (Director of the Travnik Department) on behalf of the Construction Sector of the Bosnian Railways (BHStB) as the contractor.
The entire route will be laid over state-owned land, except in two cases of expropriation of land, approximately 100 square meters, with a house and auxiliary buildings belonging to the notable Anđa Mišković and Jovo Gučanina. The land is located at the very end of the first kilometer of the planned route, intersecting with the Lašva – Travnik road, close to the building of the Forestry Directorate Han Company Vitez.
The starting point, or the first spatial kilometer, is located alongside the tracks of the Han Company Station – Vitez, specifically at the connection point on the spatial kilometer 13+922 of the ‘main’ Lašva – Bugojno railway. The length of the route is 4,680 meters. The width of the railway bed from the lower edge of the track machine is 3.6 meters. The smallest radius will be 70 meters. The maximum gradient of the track (towards Krušćić) is 25 ‰. The project includes the construction of eight bridges (lengths of 3, 4, 10, 30, and 50 meters), the longest of which is over the Lašva River at the first spatial kilometer D=50 meters (near the wooden bridge for road traffic Lašva – Travnik), and the Krušćić stream at spatial km 4+500, with a length of D=30 meters.
The bridges are wooden structures, with three of them laid on the banks, and the others rest on wooden pilings (Bridge D=10 m with 2 pilings; D=30 m with 3 pilings and a 5 m opening, and D=50 m with 5 pilings and openings of 10 and 11 meters). Rails will be supplied from the Zenica ironworks, type ‘VI’, quality, with a weight of 17.5 kg/cm2, and a length of 7 meters, with standard fastenings and spikes. The wooden sleepers will be delivered by the company “Wood impregnation – Guido Rütgers Institute,” Han Company – Vitez.
At the spatial kilometer 3+540 – 3+660, an additional track (D=120 m) will be constructed, along with a branch line D=200 m for the logging yard (company Giovani Schucany, later after 1918, company Parne pilane A. Sonns & Dietinger from Osijek 1893), and an additional track at spatial kilometer 4+500 to 4+620 (loading track for Central Ugljara) at the end of the route D=120 m plus an extension of the route by 60 m for train car maneuvers and locomotive turning.
The import of seasoned forest sawmill logs to the loading track (“Zentral Kohlenhof” Han Company Kruščica – Vitez) was delivered via a specially built wooden waterway (Wasserreis) specifically for the transportation of deciduous, or coniferous, timber, and simultaneously served as the central place for receiving and loading charcoal. Much later, a ‘counterweight’ type railway (gravity railway) of over 11 kilometers in length was constructed deep within the Kruščica mountain.
Along the forest route, 11 level crossings will be marked with signal signs, with two ramps to ensure the Lašva – Travnik roadway. The only water supply for filling the steam locomotive’s boiler is located at the Vitez station.
It was established by the protocol that the track was designed for steam traction and the selected type of locomotive from series ‘189’ ( locomotive factory Kraus/Linz, Austria) with an allowed speed of 16 km/h on open track and a wooden bridge over the Lašva River, with a speed limit of up to 6 km/h. Otherwise, the locomotives of the mentioned series exclusively operated for the needs of the mines in Zenica, Kakanj, Vareš, and Elektrobosna Jajce. According to available data, for a long time, locomotives from series 189-011; 189-019, and 189-025 operated on the forest railway “Kruščica”. The locomotives are an integral part of the fleet of the Dolac na Lašvi locomotive depot.
It has been confirmed that all series of freight cars can operate on the track. Passenger transport (public passenger transportation) is not planned except for the inclusion of one IV class car used during regular inspection checks of the track and bridges, and potentially the owner of the sawmill and VIP guests. (Source: ZVS – 1901; K-107, Š.15-179)
Transfer of the construction between the investor and the contractor – Final Inspection
At the beginning of December 1900, the Forest Administration Han Kompanija – Vitez, requests the commissioning of the completed forest-industrial railway “Kruščica” (Waldbahn im Kruščica – Thale) from the Bosnian-Herzegovinian State Railways Directorate for operational use. Based on the review of available documents, the commissioning was carried out in mid-1901. Namely, an authorized officer representing the Italian company G. Schucany from Naples was expected, acting as the investor, who would certify the minutes of the “Transfer of the construction between the investor and the contractor” with his signature.
Namely, the aforementioned company committed to financing the construction of the railway in favor of the land treasury by providing it with an interest-free loan with a repayment term of 20 years. Once the authorized person accepted the final financial calculation, the members of the commission, in the further course of technical acceptance, determined that the construction works were carried out in accordance with the contract, project, and technical regulations, and with their signatures, issued a permit for the use of the mentioned railway for exploitation. (Source: ZVS-1903; K-55, Š. 15-256)
Forest Exploitation Agreement in the Vranjački Stream Basin with the Firm G. Schucany
In 1906, a new contract was signed with the Italian company Giovani Schucany for the exploitation of coniferous forests in the Vranjački Stream basin in the Kruščica mountain area, which was designated for state operations. The subject of the contract was about 30,000 cubic meters of useful coniferous wood, which the company was to cut down, process, and export from the forest within five years, with a fee of 4.00 crowns per cubic meter of useful wood on the stump, in favor of the Forest Administration in Vitez.
The company built a sawmill facility powered by water in the lower course of Vranički Stream, equipped with a single full gate. The produced lumber was mostly exported. (Source: Branislav Begović, 1978.)
Pilana A. Sonns and Partners in Krušćica
Even during the Austro-Hungarian administration in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the beginning of the 20th century, Osijek trader A. Sonns (Parne pilane A. Sonns & Dietinger from Osijek 1893) built a water-powered sawmill on the Krušćica River in the area of the Travnik district. The sawmill was equipped with one Venetian gate, which was later replaced by a full gate with a capacity of up to 5,000 m3 of sawmill lumber, obtained by the owner through purchasing coniferous logs produced under the management of the Forest Administration in Han-Kompanija. These logs were distinguished during the handover of the company to G. Schucany as unmerchantable timber (so-called scrap logs). After the liquidation of Schucany’s firm (1918), the Sonns company and others continued operations between the First and Second World Wars, occasionally purchasing coniferous sawn timber produced by the Forest Administration in Vitez through auctions. (Source: Branislav Begović, 1978.)
Several small sawmills were built in the forested area of the Vitez Forest Administration owned by: Rifat Zaimović, Avdo Zukan, Ahmet Livančić, Mehmed, Salko Mujanović, Vjekoslav Franz, L. Šafradin, N. Grabovac, I. Marković, I. Matković, and others. We will mention only some of the more significant small sawmills.
Pilana L. Šafradina in Šafradina near Vitez, Vranjački Stream
Even during the Austro-Hungarian administration in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luka Šafradin from Šafradin near Han-Kompanija (Vitez) built a sawmill on the Vranjački stream, very close to the village of Šafradin near Han-Kompanija. The sawmill was powered by water and equipped with a limited-capacity Venetian blind gate that annually processed a maximum of 280 m3 of sawn timber. However, the owner did not fully utilize the capacity of his sawmill facility, which was operated intermittently. The sawmill was supplied with wood purchased from the Kruščica mountain area and primarily operated as a service for sawing laminated timber for neighboring servitutional authorized users.
Vjekoslav Franz’s Sawmill in Vitez
This sawmill on water power on the Lašva River, in Vitez, district of Travnik, had one Venetian roller gate, one circular saw, and a machine for grinding saw blades. It was originally built at the beginning of World War II (1939) by Vjekoslav Franz from Busovača. The capacity of the sawmill installation was approximately 850 cubic meters of sawn timber. The sawmill had a reserve area because it was constructed after January 1, 1929. It was supplied periodically with wood through auctions and sawn logs produced under the management of the Forest Administration in Vitez.
Puclina N. Grabovca in Vitez
At the end of monarchist Yugoslavia, there was a sawmill operating on the Lašva River, in Han-Company (Vitez), owned by N. Grabovac. It was equipped with one Venetian blind gate with a single circular saw, and its annual capacity was approximately 600 cubic meters of sawn timber.
Markovićeva Pilana in Vranjački Potok, Kruščica – Vitez
The sawmill was powered by water in the lower course of Vranjački Stream, in the Kruščica River basin. It was established during the Austro-Hungarian administration in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1906) as an auxiliary facility for the steam sawmill of the Italian company Giovani Schucany in Kruščica. After the exploitation of the forest in the Vranjački Stream basin by the aforementioned company, the sawmill was purchased in 1911 by I. Matković from Vitez, and he continued operating it until the April war in 1941. Instead of the full gate that was originally installed when it was co-owned by G. Schucany, Matković installed one Venetianer gate, whose capacity was limited and amounted to about 580 m³ of sawn timber annually. Even that capacity was not fully utilized because the sawmill was used intermittently. (Source: Branislav Begović, 1985.)
This managerial operation of the Forest Administration Vitez, through the delivery of timber to the G. Schucany company and smaller sawmills in the surrounding area, and the transportation service of timber and finished lumber by narrow-gauge railway, has significantly contributed to the development and improvement of the woodworking industry in this region.
In addition to transporting forest timber to built sawmills, or processed wood products to customers outside the Travnik district, the “Kruščica” forest railway provided services for the transportation of charcoal from the established facility and warehouse (owned by the Han Company Forestry Directorate – Vitez) “Central Charcoal Plant” (“Zentral Kohlenhof” Han Company Kruščica – Vitez) in Kruščica to the final station in Vareš and services for transporting processed beech railway ties for further processing by “Wood Impregnation – Guido Rütgers Institute” (“Holzimprägnierung – Anstalt Guido Rütgers,” Han Company Vitez).
Coal Mining in Vitez from 1890 – 1918
The Austro-Hungarian administration began systematic work in the early years of occupation on preparations for iron production on a fully industrial basis. In this regard, work started as early as 1890 on constructing a modern blast furnace for smelting iron ore in Vareš. For the production of wood charcoal used in smelting mills instead of coke, forest administrations in Vareš and Sarajevo were engaged, organizing special facilities for charcoal production under their own management.
With the extension of the industrial facility (the second high furnace built in 1896), much larger quantities of charcoal were needed, and it was decided to immediately begin preparations for the opening of new forestry administrations organized within new regulation operations with charcoal plant facilities in the Busovača region, Han-Company (Vitez), Namil and Vozuća areas.
The produced wooden charcoal was transported directly by train to Vareš. The forest regions of Busovača and Vitez were situated along the railway line Travnik – Lašva (built in 1893), and the transportation continued along the line from Lašva to Podlugovi (built in 1882), or from Podlugovi to Vareš (constructed industrial rail line in 1895).
The cutting and production of charcoal wood was carried out almost exclusively by local workers – farmers, while the work related to carbonization of the wood was entrusted to crews of specialized workers – charcoal makers, primarily from Italy, Tyrol, and Carniola. The Central Charcoal Plant (factory and storage) was located at the very end of the forest railway in Kruščica. All the work related to charcoal production and managed by the Forest Administration of Han Company – Vitez was under their own jurisdiction.
Alongside the foreign charcoal burners present, the local population was also engaged in this work. They built their charcoal kilns (ricks, blacksmith forges) without roofs, and their methods did not differ from those of the foreign charcoal burners, even in the use of ‘tools.’ The local charcoal burner had to gather wood himself, transport it to the kiln, and then burn it. The finished product was brought by horse, on which two baskets were loaded for each trip to the depot or to the railway. The delivered wood coal was classified, weighed, and packed into special wooden boxes for further transport. Purchases from the local charcoal burners were carried out by the Forest Administration of the Han Company – Vitez.
The iron industry of Erarska coal businesses, wood charcoal, during the period 1890–1918, took over at prices significantly lower than those on the market.
Since 1905, the production of iron in the high furnaces of Vareš has used coke (transported by ship from England to Dubrovnik), and based on the use of coke, production was much faster and cheaper than using charcoal. This shift to exclusive use of coke negatively affected the operations of the forestry administrations, and due to decreased demand for charcoal, a large number of local workers lost their jobs and income. This situation also impacted the business activities of the Forest Directorate in Vitez. (Source: Branislav Begović, 1978.)
Impregnation of Railway Sleepers in Vitez
Success in development and improvement in the wood industry and the production of wooden charcoal in these regions has been confirmed by the establishment of a plant for impregnating sleepers at Han Company by the well-known Vienna firm “Impregnation of Wood – Guido Rütgers Institute” (Holzimprägnierung – Anstalt Guido Rütgers, Han-Kompanie-Vitez). With a daily capacity of 800 to 1,000 sleepers, by the mid-1890s, this factory was able to meet all needs for processed and impregnated wood for railway sleepers, telegraph poles, and for wooden ‘piles’ used in bridge construction exclusively for railway infrastructure development.
Guido Rütgers (1832, Koblenz, Germany – 1892, Angern, Lower Austria) is the founder and owner of the first Austrian wood impregnation factory, which began operation in 1868 under the name “Holzimprägnierung Guido Rütgers.”
Impregnation of sleepers at Han Company (Vitez) was one of the 22 former stationary impregnation plants operated by the Rütgers Institute in the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Wooden railway sleepers or telegraph poles were chemically impregnated in pressure boilers, primarily with creosote.
The establishment of a company for wood impregnation, during the felling of beech trees in the forest and processing them into specific dimensions as railway sleepers, employed many local residents, even though the work was seasonal, from late autumn until the end of winter.
In Bosnia, thresholds (an older term – podvlaka, šveler, ‘Schwellen’) made from beechwood (rarely from oak and pine) were produced for the Bosnian-Herzegovinian state Railways, which exclusively use beech thresholds soaked according to the system “Rütgers“. The manufacturing of thresholds is assigned to workers who operate in small groups, no more than 8 in number. When felling trees, workers would use simple saws, hand saws, or hand saws with handles, then a ‘krenjska’ or Bosnian axe, and wooden and iron hammers.
Shaping for cutting trees use a ‘bradvilj’ (a long-handled axe, planer). The fallen tree would be dismantled into blocks or billets (Turkish term kütük: beam, log) approximately 1.60 meters long, matching the length of narrow-gauge railroad ties. Then, the timber lighter would plane the billets to reach the specified dimensions of the ties (1.60 meters long, up to 13 cm high, and 14.21 cm wide) and afterward transport them to the storage yard for ‘twisting’ (natural drying) prior to impregnation. The team of eight workers can prepare between 25 to 40 ties per day (each worker producing 3 to 5 ties daily).&
Near the railroad station, in the year 1899, the company built two rooms in which it installed special boilers (two boilers) capable of creating a vacuum and producing pressure, i.e., a pneumatic method of impregnation. Vessels were brought in by wagons (from 5 to 9 wagons per boiler), loaded with sleepers (from 55-60 per wagon), and the process of ‘ steaming’ or ‘pressurizing’ air under a pressure of 3 to 4 atmospheres with hot steam at 112.5°C was initiated. Then the pressure is reduced, and hot creosote oil (70°C) is fed into the boiler, mixed in a ratio of 1:25 with 15% phenol, under a pressure of 6 to 7 atmospheres. Finally, the sleepers are coated with 4 percent tar oil.
The entire process (steaming, vacuum preparation, and impregnation) lasts from three and a half to four hours. In one year, the company could impregnate up to 300,000 railway ties. The impregnated ties would be nailed with a steel nail with a flat head, on which the date of impregnation would be recorded (initially, month and year, e.g., 07/95 indicates the seventh month of 1895), and later a two-digit year mark (e.g., 07 for 1907). At that time, the factory issued a seven-year warranty for the durability of beech railway ties, eight years for pine, and nine years for oak. (Source: Fran Ž. Kesterčanek, *Through Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Forestry Journal Nos. 9 and 10, Zagreb, September 1, 1897, Year XXI)
The managers of the Guido Rütgers Institute company, from a business perspective, had a good sense for the construction of an impregnation plant for wood in Han Company – Vitez. Specifically, through business connections, they learned about the construction of the planned railway route “(Janjići) Lašva – Bugojno – Split,” for which work began in 1891/92. By contract signed with the Directorate of the State Railways, they were the exclusive suppliers of the necessary impregnated products for the construction of the railway and wooden bridges in that area of Bosnia.
The successful business operations will continue during the construction of the Donji Vakuf – Jajce railway line (1895) and partially during the construction of the Jajce – Srnetica route from 1914 to 1916 (opened for traffic on January 10, 1916), while the construction of the narrow-gauge Bugojno – Split railway was abandoned due to wartime events (1914–1918). As part of the enterprise, a steam-powered sawmill will be built for the mechanical processing of railway ties, bridge structures, and telegraph poles. To facilitate the transportation of processed timber to the sawmill’s storage, an industrial siding powered by steam will be constructed, approximately 600 meters long.
Vitez – World War I and Post-War Period
Following the end of the war and the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, on December 1, 1918, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (SHS) was created, which also incorporated Bosnia and Herzegovina. With the change in the state’s organization, a series of laws were enacted aimed at the comprehensive transformation of foreign capital into state ownership. During the implementation of legal regulations concerning the sequestration of property from the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (until June 1919) and nationalization (1922), the wood impregnation business at Han Company in Vitez was entrusted to the management of the Ministry of Forests and Mining.
A Board of Directors will be established at the head of the company, with managers of the impregnation plant and sawmill facilities, and will continue to operate as a state-owned enterprise until the end of 1945.
Industrialization of Vitez in the Post-War Period (1945)
Immediately after liberation (1945), the impregnation plants and the steam sawmill with transportation communication and vehicles of the company “Impregnation” for wood impregnation in Vitez, came under the influence of ‘state coercion’, i.e., property was confiscated and turned into state ownership, later (1948) being nationalized and transformed into social property. Since then, it has been operating as part of the national railway system.
In 1950, the “Basic Law on the Management of State Economic Enterprises and Higher Economic Associations by Work Collectives” was passed, popularly known as the Law on Factory Management Transfer to Workers. This law would transfer social ownership of the company “Impregnation” into the hands of the direct producers, which would be considered a kind of beginning of the “self-management model,” a central ideological element of Yugoslav socialism.
Since 1962, the company will operate as part of ŠIP “Sebešić” from Travnik, serving as one of the wood processing facilities. Modernization of the company is planned to achieve an annual production capacity of 36,000 m3 of impregnated products, or 50,000 m3 of sawmill products. One of the successful projects the company takes pride in is the delivery of impregnated thresholds for the construction of the Sarajevo – Ploče standard gauge railway (commissioned on November 29, 1966). After the war events in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–1995), the company was privatized and soon closed due to unprofitability. The installed production machines were dismantled, and only ruins remain of the factory buildings.
The strong economic development of Vitez is linked to the chemical industry. Namely, a company of national importance, established by the Government of FNRJ and the Ministry of People’s Defense, called “202” or “Slobodan Princip – Seljo,” was founded on July 3, 1950. The company’s facilities were built in the Večeriska settlement and connected by an industrial railway line of 15 kilometers. The railway was a branch (at km 0+460) off the long-existing forest railway “Kruščica.”
Production was exclusively of a technical nature for the needs of the Ministry of People’s Defense, and the beginning of production was ‘established’ in 1953. Later, two more facilities would be constructed for the production of economic explosives and sticks, or products according to the “PVC” program (granulates, extrusion, thermoset panels, etc.). All three facilities (state-owned companies) merged and were registered in the Business System “Vitezit” Ltd., Vitez, in November 1994.
Perspective on the construction of the new Lašva – Vitez – Travnik railway line 1970-1975
By decision of the Railway Workers’ Council, dated October 15, 1972, a decision was made to permanently suspend passenger train services on the line from Lašva to Jajce. (Source: Glas željezničara, informational publication of ŽTP Sarajevo. Year VII, no. 161, October 25, 1972.)
On June 3, 1973, passenger transportation was permanently discontinued, and on June 1, 1975, freight traffic was also ceased. The last freight train, number 79077, was dispatched from Travnik toward Lašva on July 2, 1975, departing at 11:52 AM. (Source: Ajdin Fevzija Braco, – verbally quoted by the author from personal archival documentation).
After narrow-gauge tracks played a very significant role in the former conditions and were a driver of economic development in the regions they passed through, they have now become their obstacle. Therefore, a serious approach was taken to finding a solution to this issue. One of the solutions involves the construction of a standard gauge railway instead of narrow gauge. The development program for the enterprise (ŽTP Sarajevo) for the period 1970-1975 envisages the normalization of the railway tracks, specifically:
The Company Development Program (ŽTP Sarajevo) for the period of 1970-1975 envisions the normalization of the Lašva – Travnik – Bugojno railway line in order to meet the transportation needs of the Travnik and Bugojno economic regions.
The company, as the bearer of investments, reached an agreement with the Assembly of the Municipality of Zenica and with the local business organizations, who will participate in the financing in certain ways. The route of the railway would mainly follow the old narrow-gauge track, except in areas where it was not possible to do so due to terrain configuration.
In implementing the adopted development policy of the company, it was finally decided that the construction of this railway line would begin in September 1971 on the section *Lašva – Kaonik.* (Source: Railwaymen’s Voice, informational bulletin of ŽTP Sarajevo. Year VI, No. 133, August 18, 1971.)
In 1971, the Community JŽ Commission, in the presence of representatives from the Dubrovnik, Čapljina, and Trebinje municipal assemblies, considered the investment program for the normalization of the Čapljina – Dubrovnik railway within the South Adriatic Project. After two days of work, the Commission adopted the conclusion that the railway’s normalization is economically justified. (Source: Glas željezničara, an informational newsletter of ŽTP Sarajevo. Year VI, issue 128, May 31, 1971.)
With the investment program adopted in 1973, the economic viability of constructing a standard gauge railway line from Prijedor to Sanski Most was demonstrated through profitability calculations. The route would run along the right bank of the Sana River, which mostly coincides with the narrow gauge track. (Source: Glas željezničara, informational bulletin of ŽTP Sarajevo. Year IX, number 198, April 5, 1974.)
There was nothing in terms of large economic plans or investment programs (1970-1975) for the Sarajevo Railway Transport Organization. Its clearly defined projects that were ‘profitable’ and ‘economically justified’ did not receive support from the broader community, or simply were not strong enough to secure sufficient funds for their implementation. Namely, the adopted plans were of ‘republican’ character but not of ‘decisive’ importance for the economy (SR) of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
To remind ourselves, this refers to financing projects that are of decisive importance to the economy of all Yugoslavia. During 1970/71, renovations and simultaneous electrification of the Sarajevo – Strizivojno Vrpolje railway track were carried out. The execution of these works can be viewed as a Yugoslav federal project, although the majority of the project was financed by the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Sarajevo Railway Transport Organization (ŽTO Sarajevo) purchased new electric locomotives with foreign credits and built depots for their reception in Rajlovac, Zenica, and Doboj. At the same time, as a federal-level project, final works were performed along the Belgrade – Bar railway track to enable its public operation. Otherwise, the long-standing construction of this railway was one of the largest and most expensive federal projects.
Are the projects listed above ‘put aside’ for better times? We do not know, even though nearly 53 years have passed since their inception (1970-2023).
Similar articles: “Remembrance of the Jasenica Forest Railway in the Travnik District” https://vremeplov.ba/?p=19167
This modest research paper, which we have presented in this article, concludes with sincere thanks to the employees of the BiH Archive in Sarajevo, without whose assistance in recommending the use of available library and archival materials, this would not have been possible.
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