Vrbas, a beautiful green river, and the lush nature attracted people to move to this region for more than 50,000 years ago.
The history of our city begins in the first years of A.D., when the Romans took control over this region as well and built fortress (Castra) at the location of today's fortress Kastel. The "Salt Road", connecting the river Sava and the Adriatic Sea, went by it.
The middle-age was really a dark age for us, as the city had disappeared from the history in that period and emerged from a thousand-year long "mist" no sooner than in 1494 - for the first name under the name of Banja Luka. Some 30 years later, three and a half centuries long Turkish reign begins. During this time, Banja Luka became important administrative, military and commercial centre with very oriental look. Ferhad-pasha Sokolović contributed to much of that - in 1580 he made Banja Luka the capital of the newly formed Bosnian pashadom and he let built, besides the Fortress, a large mosque, a bridge and more than 200 other objects.
In 1878, the Berlin Congress put the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including Banja Luka, under the rule of the Habsurg Monarchy. In the following four decades under the Austro-Hungarian rule, the city received a more European look and contents - factories; schools; hotels and other buildings; broad, beautifully tree-lined streets that remain the trademark and pride of Banja Luka even today.
The creation of Yugoslav Kingdom in 1918 saw this region become a part of it; Banja Luka became the capital of one of the nine regional units - Vrbaska banovina. The golden age of Banja Luka ensued, inseparable from the name of "Pericles of Banja Luka" - the first ban of Vrbaska banovina, Svetislav Tisa Milosavljević. By building such monumental objects as Banski dvor, Banska uprava, the Theatre, the Museum, Higijenski zavod, Sokolski dom, many schools, hotels and dozens of other objects and cultural institutions, he managed, in mere four and a half years, to make its face more beautiful and its soul kinder. After all, in that period, in 1934 to be more precise, the Rotary Club Banja Luka was founded.
After the tragic years of the World War II, a period of the socialistic Yugoslavia began (1945 - 1992). A catastrophic earthquake of October 26 and 27 1969 was a kind of a crossroad for Banja Luka: helped by the state and other countries the city recovered quickly and, in the coming years, experienced new enthusiasm and build-up of industrial, educational, cultural, infrastructural and sports facilities. Meanwhile, the city continued to grow rapidly to 50, 70, 125, 180 thousands inhabitants...
Unfortunately, yet another war (1992 - 1995) broke out in which the republics of the socialistic Yugoslavia became sovereign states.
With approximately 250 thousands inhabitants, Banja Luka is today the capital of the Republic of Srpska, one of the two entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and increasingly important crossroad of infrastructural, economic and cultural flows in the wider region.
On the road towards a democratic society, the Rotary Club in our city once again began its work in 1999.
