- Srebrenica
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town, eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town's name is derived from the Serbo-Croatian word srebro, meaning “silver.” Rich deposits of silver and lead discovered in the surrounding mountains led to the town's founding in 1387 as a mining centre. Lead and zinc mining remain important. A health resort with thermal springs is located in nearby Crni Guber.Srebrenica was a centre of commerce and trade in the 15th century. It was populated by Ragusan merchants and German miners and was the site of a Franciscan monastery when it was seized by the Turks in 1440. Srebrenica was converted to Islam (Islāmic world) in the mid-16th century despite strong local resistance. In the 20th century its population was largely Muslim, with a significant Serbian minority. During the conflict between Muslims and Bosnian Serbs in the 1990s, the town was declared a “safe area” for Bosniacs (formerly designated as Muslims) by the United Nations. Bosnian Serbs laid siege to the town in 1995, massacring at least 7,000 Bosniacs (more than 8,000, according to some estimates). Several Bosnian Serbs were later convicted of war crimes by a UN tribunal at The Hague, Neth., for their role in the massacre. A report issued in 2002 criticized both the UN and the Dutch peacekeepers, prompting the resignation of the entire Dutch government; a memorial cemetery to the victims of the massacre was dedicated in 2003. Srebrenica was included in Serbian-held territory by the 1995 partition of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Pop. (2004 est.) 3,300.
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Universalium. 2010.
