An anonymous Venetian spy sent
a letter in Latin from Bosnia
to the Venetian Duke in Trogir
on June 3 1463.
The report is known as the
Trogir report and is,
at present, kept in the
Archive of Zadar.
That is, in fact, the first
so far known mention
of Travnik in history.
Convenient geographical position
of Travnik, in a narrow valley of
the river Lašva, surrounded by
mountains Vlašic in the north and
the branches of Vilenica in the south,
was crucial for its founders and
later for its conquerors, as it
enabled them to easily control
the entire area.
As a link between valleys of two
major Bosnian rivers,
Bosna and Vrbas,
it has large traffic
and strategic significance.
After the Austrian Prince Eugene
of Savoy reached Sarajevo in his
sudden military march down the
valley of the river Bosna
and cruelly destroyed and burnt it,
in 1699, Halil Pasha Coso,
for the sake of security and
for harsh climate and healthy
waters, moved viziers residence
to Travnik.
It was the beginning of the
citys most famous days
that would last for 143 years.
77 viziers would sit in Travnik
and administer Bosnia.
Most of these Turkish governors
of which several had
Bosnians origin, considered
coming here to be a punishment.
Travnik remained the
administrative center of the
Bosnian pashalik until 1850,
with two small breaks.
In 1749, viziers expanded the
existing facility in the Upper
Caršija, along the left bank
of the river Lašva and turned
it to their residence
called Konak.
In these chambers, surrounded
by pillows, cigarettes, harem
and exotic animals, viziers
were deciding on the fate of
the Bosnian pashalik;
It was a meeting place for
Conucil of Dignitaries
and Divan;
French and Austrian consuls
came to the audiences here;
Vjekoslav Karas, a painter with
fes, portrayed here the daughter
of Omer Pasha Latas;
Here ended the famous vizier's
elephant of Dželaludin Pasha.
The visitors were received in
the public part of the residence
which was entered from the street
on the north, while the entrance
to the garden and the vizier's
chambers was protected by
a large gate, secured with
armed soldiers who were
guarding a vizier.
Visitors would first pass through
the corridor, where they could
meet members of viziers suite,
performing their daily duties.
Viziers suite would sometimes
count several hundreds of people.
Divanhana on the first floor was
a place for gatherings and talks,
often called the soul
of the Bosnian home.
The most important and the most
luxurious rooms at the residence
were divans.
During the winter, the divan on
the ground floor was used and
during the summer,
the one on the first floor.
Important guests were received
here and these were often
the only rooms they
saw during their stay.
Guests and vizier would sit
on pillows in the corner
of a sofa.
Many difficult and important
decisions were made right here.
It was possible to reach the
vizier's private rooms
from divanhana.
Kamerija was a place were
family gathered during the
worm summer days,
eating or relaxing,
especially its female members.
On the south side of the residence,
there was a garden with fields and
trees, and on the west side there
was a yard with stables,
barn for grain and roost.
Although there are the evidences
that the building was under the
state protection in 1947, this
extraordinary example of authentic
Bosnian architecture was destroyed
on the 19th of March in 1950
due to misconceptions of some
contemporary politicians who
believed that the monuments that
symbolizes the occupation should
be destroyed, and that history
should be counted since their age.
This area is still called Konak,
and although there is no authentic
environment any more,
it is an important place for the
citizents of Travnik as it
reminds them of the
turbulent history.