Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Tuzla highlights

Known for lake

Tuzla is the third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tuzla is a modern multicultural city with rich history goes back to the 9th century, in touristic meaning the most known for salt lake.

Other places in Bosnia and Herzegovina that we are familiar with

Banja Luka - Known for fortress, museum, river, orthodox cathedral, islam mosque

Bihać (Bihac) - Known for museum, park, river

Blagaj - Known for architecture, bridge, cave, fortress, landmark, museum, river, viewpoint, islam monastery; monastery is a UNESCO Tentative List Site

Bobovac - Known for fortress, medieval old town, viewpoint

Bosnian Pyramids - Known for ancient settlement, landmark, museum, nature, park

Doboj - Known for fortress, historical center, museum

Dobrićevo (Dobricevo) - Known for orthodox monastery

Dobrun - Known for river, scenic road, viewpoint, orthodox monastery

Gradačac (Gradacac) - Known for architecture, castle, museum

Jablanica - Known for lake, landmark, monument, river

Jajce - Known for fortress, historical center, nature, park, river, waterfall; historical center is a UNESCO Tentative List Site

Ključ (Kljuc) - Known for fortress, medieval old town, park

Konjic - Known for bridge, river

Kraljeva Sutjeska - Known for historical center, museum, ruines, franciscan monastery

Kravica - Known for nature, park, waterfall

Livno - Known for nature, wildlife, islam mosque

Lukomir - Known for ethno village, viewpoint

Maglaj - Known for fortress, viewpoint, islam mosque

Martin Brod - Known for park, river, viewpoint, waterfall

Međugorje (Medjugorje) - Known for catholic pilgrimage center

Mogorjelo - Known for ancient settlement, archaeological site, nature

Mostar - Known for brewery, bridge, historical center, medieval old town, museum, river, franciscan monastery, islam mosque, orthodox cathedral; historical center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Neum - Known for coastal town, marina

Ostrovica - Known for castle

Ostrožac (Ostrozac) - Known for castle

Počitelj (Pocitelj) - Known for fortified town, fortress, medieval old town, viewpoint; medieval old town is a UNESCO Tentative List Site

Radimlja - Known for archaeological site; archaeological site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Sarajevo - Known for brewery, bridge, fortress, funicular, historical center, museum, park, river, viewpoint, catholic cathedral, orthodox cathedral, islam mosque; historical center is a UNESCO Tentative List Site

Šćit (Scit) - Known for museum, peninsula, franciscan monastery

Srebrenik - Known for castle, fortress

Stolac - Known for ancient megalites, fortress, river, viewpoint, waterfall; fortress is a UNESCO Tentative List Site

Tešanj (Tesanj) - Known for fortress, historical center, viewpoint

Travnik - Known for architecture, fortress, historical center, river

Trebinje - Known for bridge, medieval old town, museum, river, viewpoint, winery, orthodox cathedral, orthodox monastery

Tvrdoš (Tvrdos) - Known for winery, orthodox monastery

Una National Park - Known for nature, park, river, viewpoint, waterfall

Velika Kladuša (Velika Kladusa) - Known for fortress

Višegrad (Visegrad) - Known for bridge, river, tourist attraction; bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Vjetrenica - Known for cave; cave is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Vranduk - Known for fortress, historical center

Zavala - Known for orthodox monastery

Last reviewed: 27 June 2021

Tuzla description

Tuzla is located in the northeastern part of Bosnia, settled just underneath the Majevica mountain range, on the Jala River. The name Tuzla is the Ottoman Turkish word for salt mine, and refers to the extensive salt deposits found underneath the city.

Archaeological evidence suggests that Tuzla was a rich Neolithic settlement. Being inhabited continuously for more than 6,000 years, Tuzla is one of the oldest European sustained settlements. During the period of the Roman Republic (before the area was conquered by Rome), Tuzla (or Salines as it was called at the time) was ruled by the Illyrian tribe Breuci.

The city was first mentioned in 950 by Constantine Porphyrogenitus in his De Administrando Imperio as a fort named Salines. The name Soli was used for Tuzla in the Middle Ages. It means "salts" in Bosnian and the city's present name means "place of salt" in Ottoman Turkish.

During the Middle Ages Tuzla belonged mostly to the medieval Kingdom of Bosnia. After the fall of the kingdom to the Ottoman Empire in 1463, the region was controlled by local rulers Berislavic before the Ottomans occupied the few villages around 1512, and took control of the entire region in the 1530s.

Tuzla remained under Ottoman rule for nearly 400 years, where it was administered as part of the Sanjak of Zvornik. In 1878 it was occupied by Austria-Hungary. After the dissolution of the monarchy it became the part of the newly formed Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

During the Second World War, Tuzla was included in the puppet Independent State of Croatia and controlled by the mainly Muslim Legion of the Croatian Home Guard. Tuzla was among the first areas in Europe to be liberated, when Tito's Yugoslav Partisans freed it from the German occupiers on 2 October 1943. Many members of the Legion deserted to the Partisans at this time. In December 1944, the city was unsuccessfully attacked by Chetnik forces of Draza Mihailovic along with the Serbian State Guard.

After the war it developed into a major industrial and cultural center during the Communist period in the former Yugoslavia. After Bosnia's war, following the Dayton Peace Accords, Tuzla was the headquarters of the U.S. forces for the Multinational Division (MND) during Operation Joint Endeavour IFOR and subsequent SFOR.

Today Tuzla is the economic, cultural, educational, health and tourist center of northeast Bosnia. It is an educational center and is home to two universities. It is also the main industrial machine and one of the leading economic strongholds of Bosnia with a wide and varied industrial sector including an expanding service sector thanks to its salt lake tourism.

The ancient Pannonian Sea dried up around 10 million years ago, but work by researchers and scientists has now enabled a level of saline water to be kept stable at the surface, and in 2003 the Pannonian Lake was opened. So, today the salt lake tourism in Tuzla is possible because of Tuzla is the only city in Europe that has a salt lake at its center.

An artificial second lake (built in 2008) and a third lake (was completed in 2012) are part of the archaeological park, with artificial waterfalls and replica of Neolithic lake dwellings, providing information about the different cultures which left their material and spiritual mark here.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tuzla is also regarded as one of the most multicultural cities in the country and has managed to keep the pluralist character of the city throughout the Bosnian War and after, with Bosniaks, Serbs, Croats and a small minority of Bosnian Jews residing in Tuzla.

Tuzla related tours

We at Monterrasol Travel welcome you to see Tuzla during multi-day small group car tour. Contact us if you would like to customize your tour to Tuzla.

We have developed several small group tours that visiting beautiful Tuzla. But, if you have a special conditions or any from these tours fit you, please do not hesitate to contact us, we can organize a tour exactly as you would like. We charge nothing for develop a custom itinerary. And remember, we have no problems to take you from almost any place where you stay, hotel or private accommodation.

All seasons 9 days Bosnia discovery non-touristy places tour from Tuzla. Explore Medieval land of Bosnia by off the beaten path travel. all seasons tour 9 days Price from € 1,544 View tour details Request this tour tour starts in: Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina tour finishes in: Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina tour duration: 9 days (8 nights) tour countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina tour destinations: Blagaj, Bosnian Pyramids, Doboj, Jajce, Kravica, Međugorje, Mostar, Počitelj, Radimlja, Sarajevo, Srebrenik, Stolac, Tešanj, Travnik, Trebinje, Tvrdoš, Šćit All seasons 9 days discovery tour over Bosnia-Herzegovina from Tuzla. Visit this medieval land and see old towns, fortresses and monasteries. Think on this tour as good example off the beaten path travel, out of touristy areas, and safer to take in current situation. During this tour we going to visit medieval fortresses Srebrenik, Doboj, Tesanj, Jajce, Travnik, and Stolac, old town Jajce, historical center of Mostar (UNESCO World Heritage site) and its famous bridge, visit Radimlja (UNESCO World Heritage site) with unique carved tombstones, visit calm sunny town Trebinje with its cute historical center, beautiful river, Ottoman bridge and hilly cathedral, silent Tvrdos monastery with old winery and taste its white, rose, and red wines, walk in streets of medieval fortified town Pocitelj, enjoy Stolac hilly fortress, wonder on beauty of Kravica waterfalls, walk streets of multicultural Sarajevo, and wonder on the beauty of Bosnian nature all the time.

All seasons 17 days Bosnia discovery non-touristy places tour from Tuzla. Explore Medieval land of Bosnia by off the beaten path travel. all seasons tour 17 days Price from € 3,048 View tour details Request this tour tour starts in: Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina tour finishes in: Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina tour duration: 17 days (16 nights) tour countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina tour destinations: Banja Luka, Bihać, Blagaj, Bosnian Pyramids, Doboj, Jajce, Ključ, Kravica, Livno, Ljubačke doline, Martin Brod, Međugorje, Mogorjelo, Mostar, Počitelj, Radimlja, Sarajevo, Srebrenik, Stolac, Tešanj, Travnik, Trebinje, Tvrdoš, Una National Park, Višegrad, Vjetrenica, Vranduk, Zavala, Štrbački buk, Šćit We welcome you to travel all across Bosnia-Herzegovina with our all seasons 17 days discovery tour starting from Tuzla. Visit the medieval land of Bosnia-Herzegovina and see old towns, fortresses and monasteries, as well as most of the existing UNESCO World Heritage sites. This tour is a good example of off the beaten path travel, out of touristy areas, and still in Europe. During this tour, we are going to visit several medieval fortresses: Srebrenik, Doboj, Tesanj, Banja Luka, Kljuc, Jajce, Stolac, Travnik, and Vranduk. We will come to see wonders of nature, waterfalls Strbacki Buk, Martin Brod, and Kravica. We will pass small roads across National Parks Una and Sutjeska. We will visit medieval towns Jajce, Blagaj, Pocitelj, Stolac, and Visegrad. We will stay on bridges from the Ottoman era in Visegrad, Mostar, and Trebinje. The whole tour will open for you the history and nature of the medieval land of Bosnia-Herzegovina. You will learn local traditions, see museums and monasteries, try local food and drinks, and will remember this tour full of unexpected positive impressions.