The City of Banja Luka

Banja Luka is located in the north-west of the Republic of Srpska. It is located at 44° 57’’ North latitude and 17° 11’’ East longitude, at 163 m above sea level. Its unusually stretched panorama follows the lower waterway of the Vrbas River, which flows into the Sava River 50 km north of Banja Luka.

Territory of the City covers 1232 square kilometres of surface area. 53% of the total surface area is farmland (65 150 ha), and 48 300 ha is covered in forest.

The territory of the City of Banja Luka borders with the municipalities of Gradiška, Laktaši, Čelinac, Kneževo, Mrkonjić Grad, Ribnik, Oštra Luka and Prijedor.

Population:

According to the latest data there are 220,000 inhabitants in Banja Luka, while average population density is 178.6 inhabitants per square kilometre.

Unemployment rate: 21%
Employed persons: 45,094
Unemployed persons: 23,561
Unskilled workers: 6,404
Semi-skilled workers – elementary-school degree: 679
Skilled workers: 7,932
Technicians – high-school degree: 6,513
Highly-skilled workers: 515
Associate degree: 500
University degree. 1,000

Economy:

There are around 330 companies in Banja Luka engaged in industrial production employing approximately 11,000 workers. Out of them, 208 companies have less than 10 employees each, 76 companies have between 11-50 employees each, 36 companies have between 51 and 250 employees each, and only 7 companies have over 250 employees each.

Tourism:

Banja Luka has long been known as a city of greenery with over ten thousand trees, tended parks, green areas, and famous avenues. Plans related to the development of tourism include reconstruction of the Kastel fortress and reconstruction of the banks of the Vrbas River and green oases near the city (Banj brdo, Šibovi, Trapisti and picnic grounds near the Vrbanja River).

In addition to good natural basis for the growth of hunting and fishing, and spa and rural tourism, as well as organising various events, there is a growing interest in adventurous tourism in Banja Luka lately. This includes rafting, kayaking, hiking, speleology, paragliding and similar activities, while the Vrbas River and its canyon represent an ideal location for such activities.

Infrastructure:

The most developed type of traffic in the territory of Banja Luka are roads, while railroads are also used. There are M4 (Novi Grad — Doboj) and M16 (Gradiška — Crna Rijeka (Jajce)) main roads driving through the city, and there are also some less important regional and local roads. There is an ongoing construction of the Banja Luka – Gradiška highway (E-661) connecting Banja Luka and E-70 highway (Belgrade — Zagreb). There are also plans for the construction of a highway network, which would, inter alia, include the routes of Novi Grad — Banja Luka, Banja Luka — Doboj, Šamac — Doboj, Šamac — Bijeljina and Banja Luka — Kupres.

International airport Banja Luka is located 23 kilometres north of Banja Luka at Mahovljani – the municipality of Laktaši).

Technological Business Park Banja Luka

Location: Ramići

Surface area: approx. 170 ha

Ownership: mixed

Purpose: the area is intended for the construction of a technological business park with industrial zone (90% of surface area) and facilities of entrepreneurial infrastructure (incubators, scientific and technological park, starting centre, logistics)

Description:

Proximity of the highway (the site is located between the existing and the future highway, approx. 10-15 min away), railroad (passing by the site), Mahovljani Airport (approx. 15 min away)
Good connection with the city centre (10-15 min)
Existing utility infrastructure upon which additional infrastructure could be built

According to the contents of its activities, the Technological Business Park will have the following sectors:

Technological development centre (2 ha) is dedicated to business and not to science, and it includes:
- Establishment of new companies,
- Transfer of technology and intellectual property,
- Commercialisation of technology,
- Institutes, certification and university laboratories,
- Knowledge management,
- International networking,
- Successful professional training centres,
- High-tech industry.
Business zones within the technological business park consist of the following parts:
- Commercial part of the zone for the sale of the space area,
- Incentive part for the sale under favourable conditions for propulsive SMEs,
- Free customs zone.

General-purpose production business incubator for the incubation of SMEs for the period between 3 and 5 years with favourable use of services of not only the incubator but also the entire TBP.
Centre for Small Business for the support to the development of crafts and handicraft will do market research, identify buyers, pack, advertise and do a number of other activities with the support of technological development centre.

Logistic centre is a set of services necessary for the completion of the entrepreneurial infrastructure of the Park and its functioning. The Centre includes:
- Technological Business Park management – administrative building with a congress centre,
- Fairground,
- Multipurpose building for renting to service trade,
- Truck terminals with customs, warehouse and other services.