CAPTAIN’S TOWER

(TOWER OF BIHAĆ CAPTAINS)

Author: Dino Dupanović, MA, Museum of the Una-Sana Canton • Photo & video: Mirza Hasanefendić

The toponym Bihać, according to previous historical research, first appeared in 1260 in the charter of King Bela IV of Hungary. In the Middle Ages, Bihać began to develop as a royal free city, which significantly affected its urban development, as significant architectural outlines were built. According to historical sources, the city housed monasteries, one Dominican and one Franciscan, as well as a number of commercial, residential and religious buildings. In the 16th century Bihać and its surroundings became one of the most significant forts, and therefore Radoslav Lopašić rightly claims that, together with Jajce and Sarajevo, Bihać has been one of the most significant cities in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the 16th century, during a foray of the Ottoman army, Bihać was conquered in 1592. Until the withdrawal of Ottoman authorities, it was one of the most significant forts at the west borders of the Ottoman Empire, serving both for its defense and as a starting point for Ottoman raids and attacks on borders of Croatia. In such circumstances, forts like the Captain's Tower were the most significant fortification part of the city. The Captain's Tower is one of the most significant buildings, i.e. parts of cultural heritage, from the time of Ottoman administration. Historical sources do not offer an opportunity for a significant reconstruction and establishment of the accurate timeframe of building the Captain's Tower.

Chronicler Ivan Tomašić, relying upon H. Strauss, believes that the Captain's Tower was built in around 1205, and that it was one of the four towers of Bihać, three of which were destroyed in the period between 1291 and 1292.

Hamdija Kreševljaković writes that there were three towers in Bihać, which were the remains of the Bihać fortress. “The first tower was razed in 1870, the second in 1889, while the third still stands and now serves as a prison. This tower seated Bihać captains. It was built before 1592.ˮ

On the other hand, some historians believe that the tower was built in the early 17th century, which leaves space for researchers to thoroughly deal with this issue.

It is one of the few buildings which survived numerous destructions in the 19th and the 20th century though with certain damage which required significant reconstruction. The interior organization of rooms itself changed several times during reconstructions. The Captain's Tower originally had the ground floor and three floors, and in the penultimate reconstruction another floor was added. The tower itself was built of blocks of limestone rocks, which is typical for this region. The square basis of the towers has an area of 10x10 meters and the tower has a shape of a four-sided concealed pyramid, which makes it unique compared to other towers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is covered by a hipped roof with an overhang. Basically, the Captain's Tower is a fortification building which, together with other surrounding buildings, Church of St. Anthony, mausoleum and the building of Inn, composes a whole. Besides, the preserved city bulwarks from the time before the arrival of Ottoman administration are unique in the context of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the past, the Captain's Tower changed its purpose a couple of times: it was a fortification building during Ottoman administration, and upon arrival of Austro-Hungary in 1889 it was turned into a prison. In the following years, particularly during the Second World War, the tower served as ustasha prison, from which detainees were deported to concentration camps and execution sites. As a result, the tower experienced significant changes in the interior, as window openings were added. Until 1959 it served as a county jail. On one rock on the outer side of the wall of the Captain's Tower there is a relief of a pelican. Some people believe that the rock was built in from a razed building in Bihać. In the 1970s the Captain's Tower was restored and turned into a museum.  

For needs of the Regional Museum of the Pounje region, the Captain's Tower was adapted in 1972 and it hosted permanent museum exhibitions, with over 600 exhibits. In front of the Captain's Tower was a lapidarium (which still exists), where the oldest stone exhibits of the Pounje are displayed in sumptuous greenery. The ground floor hosted ethnological exhibition “Production and processing of textile in household industry”, where original exhibits presented the traditional way of making textile fibers and their processing to final products. The first floor of the tower hosted archaeological exhibition “Prehistoric age of the Pounje”. The most representative exhibits were a stone slab with carved drawings of Japodian horsemen and a stone urn from the village of Golubići near Bihać, which are still in the tower. Art Gallery of the museum was located on the second floor. The third floor hosted two exhibitions: “Bosnian room” and “Village kitchen”. These interiors were reconstructed using original exhibits. Partisans' weapons were exhibited on the fourth floor. Original exhibits presented the development of partisan armament in the Pounje during the People's Liberation War, from the most primitive, agricultural tools adapted for fight in the beginning of the rebellion, up to the most contemporary weapons seized from the enemy or donated by the Allies, as well as weapons made in partisan workshops.

The latest reconstruction of the Captain's Tower was completed in 2021, when this building, as an annex to the Museum of the Una-Sana Canton was opened for visitors. Today there are five permanent museum exhibitions in the tower, distributed by floors. Thematically, the exhibitions cover the period from prehistory to the Austro-Hungarian period. On the first floor there is a permanent museum exhibition entitled “Spiritual and Tangible Culture of Japodes”. Exhibition “Old Towns of the Una-Sana Canton” is on the second floor, while the permanent museum exhibition “Bihać is the key to Bosnia” is on the third floor. These exhibitions complement each other and make up a whole. The fourth floor hosts museum exhibition “Captain's divanhana (lounge)”, which is essentially an ambiental reconstruction of the space where Bihać captain resided. On the top, fourth floor, there is a permanent museum exhibition entitled “Old towns of the Una-Sana Canton in works of visual artists”.

The Captain's Tower has been declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.