The colonization of German national minority and its sacred architecture in Republic of Srpska

Abstract

The arrival of the Austro-Hungarian authorities to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Congress of Berlin in 1878, created the preconditions for the inhabitation of people from all over the Habsburg Monarchy to the territory of BIH. The members of the German national minority had the most benefits and the most organized system of arrival, and due to the convenience of arable land and planned settlement, all German colonies were formed on the territory of today’s Republic of Srpska. Germans who came, retained their national, religious and cultural identity, and immediately upon arrival began to build and help the churches and convents, belonging both to Roman-Catholic and Evangelical denominations, contributing to the establishment of the spatial identity and architectural landscape. The sacred buildings, whose architecture and historical development are the topic of this paper, are largely preserved to this day.