Stone on the Stone: The Old Town Srebrenik in Bosnia

The Old Town Srebrenik is a medieval town-fortress of the Bosnian Ban Stjepan II Kotromanjic (1292-1353). It was mentioned for the first time in 1333, in connection with the dispute over Ston, between the Bosnian ban Stjepan II Kotromanjic and the Serbian king Dusan. It is located on the border of the Pannonian plains and the mountainous part of Bosnia, and was a fortress that protected Bosnia from the Hungarians. The Old Town Srebrenik is located on the northeastern slopes of Majevica, in the Gornji Srebrenik village, about 5 km from the Srebrenik town (Geographical coordinates: 44º42'12.06''N, 18º31'52.16''E, elevation: 416). The city was built on a high, steep and almost inaccessible rock above the Tinja river valley. It is 5 km from the main road Sarajevo-TuzlaOrasje. The Old Town Srebrnik, as we see it today, bears the hallmarks of a strategic facility. It was originally built as a feudal castle, but in addition to its residential function, it had the character of a 'guard' in the system of fortified limes between flat Pannonia and predominantly mountainous Bosnia. He played this role of defender of wide areas, with more or less success, for several centuries, even during the rule of the Ottoman Empire in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Old Town Srebrenik is a suitable example for the presentation of the theory of 'Architecturally Defined Space (ADS)', which the author of this work published in 1988 with his doctoral dissertation entitled "Defining architectural space on the example of an oriental-type town house in Yugoslavia". According to this theory, architecture is based on four basic elements: Environment, Man, Boundaries and Perspectives.