Zvornik throughout Centuries

Thanks to a very favorable natural and geographic position, this region was inhabited about three thousand years ago. The proof of this was the remains of materials belonging to various social groups.
Archeological researches of pre-historic habitats and necropolises of this region prove the continuity of cultural and ethnical origin of the oldest population of this part of Podrinje, from which the Illyrian ethnos was created.

ROMAN PERIOD
Zvornik is a city of turbulent past, and as such, one of the oldest cities in Bosnia and Hercegovina. It was, and still remains, a place where different roads are crossing. Unfortunately, those roads often brought in the conquerors. In 229 BC, during the reign of king Agron and queen Teuta, Roman Empire started the conquest of Illyrians, who lived on this territory in ancient times. The Romans did not gain the full control until year 6-9 AD.
Not only that the Romans have established important political, economic and social relations, but they also had a strong cultural influence on the native population. During Roman times, through the territory of Zvornik, run a vital road connecting Roman mines in Srebrenica (Domavia) with the important Roman city of Sremska Mitrovica (Sirmium), which was the city of imperial residence for a short period of time, and where a mint was founded.
Remains of this about three kilometers long Roman road running along the river Drina, have been discovered north of Bratunac, near Voljevica, and also north of Zvornik, between Branjevo and Šepak. Archaeological dicsoveries confirm that this region was densely populated, and well protected by Roman fortresses. There are several assumptions regarding the exact location of Roman fortified city Ad Drinum, but the most accepted one is that the settlement was at the mouth of rivers Drina and Drinjača.

MIDDLE AGES
Small groups of Slavic tribes, crossing Sava and Danube, came to this region in the second half of the 6th century. Ever since the settlement of the Slavs, the region has been under the rule of Slavic, Frankish, Byzantium and Hungarian lords. During their war against the Byzantine Empire, the Hungarians seized this territory and kept it, with interruptions, until the Turkish period.
As rulers of these parts, Radoslav Mihajlovic, Serbian king Dragutin, the Subašićs, Stevan Kotromanić, king Tvrtko I and despot Đurađ Branković are mentioned in the meantime.
It is presumed that the town was built in the end of 13th and at the beginning of the 14th century. This is the period of the rule of the Serbian king Dragutin (1284 - 1316), who diligently worked on strengthening of the Christian Orthodox religion, not only in this area but in whole Bosnia, by marrying his daughter Jelisaveta to Bosnian Ban (Vice-Roy) Stefan I Kotromanić.

The Zlatonosović family has been known since 1389 and it is often mentioned in connection with Zvornik, thus it can be presumed with certainty that this family ruled in the area. Duke Vukmir and prince Vukašin are mentioned as members of the Zlatonosović family. Between 1432 and 1433 there was an open conflict between king Tvrtko II and despot Đurađ. Đurađ who was helped by the Zlatonosićs, won and took over this area. He became known as the Lord of Usora and Zvornik.
From the period of despot Đurađ’s rule, a few legends have been preserved about his wife, Damned Jerina, a Byzantine princess, who was not loved by the people, thus becoming known as a seductress and a murderer. She is taught to be responsible for building of the old Zvornik town. It is said that Jerina ordered the stone, which was needed for construction, to be carried from a mine near the village of Viličević, on the Rudnik Mountain (12 km in straight line from Zvornik). The stone was passed from hand to hand from the mine to the town. The Turks seized the town most likely in 1460 along with Srebrenica.
Zvornik stayed under their power until the Austro-Hungarians occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878.

Zvornik was mentioned for the first time under the name of Zvonik in 1410. It was mentioned under the present-day name of Zvornik for the first time in 1519. It is not known how the town got its name. There are several assumptions. According to one, looking from the East the town has a bell-like shape. According to other version, the town got its name after the bell – tower, which had been built during the reign of Dragutin. According to the third assumption, the town was named after several cold water springs (Izvornik). It was also known in Roman times as a rest stop on the way to Sirmium and further East.

NEW AGE
During the Austro-Hungarian occupation (1878 – 1918), Zvornik was the district centre with developed crafts and trade. The Austro – Hungarian influence is especially obvious in Zvornik in the fields of architecture and construction. Opposite the old administration buildings of Oriental style from the Turkish period, with narrow windows and little light, new, monumental buildings were constructed, which represented the new regime and emphasized its strength.
The witnesses of that period are old buildings: Municipality building, club, Andraš’s villa, edifice of the Serbian Orthodox Church (printing-house at present-day) and a large number of houses of the Zvornik respectable families.

During the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918 - 1945), Zvornik remained the centre of the district, which covered the area with almost the same borders as in Austro – Hungarian occupation. The main occupation of Zvornik inhabitants during old Yugoslavia was agriculture. Most of the crafts in the town were connected to agriculture, like blacksmith, wagon – maker, shoe-maker, baker, furrier, coppersmith and butcher.

There were 180 workshops with 336 craftsmen in the Zvornik district in 1940.
Zvornik was a very important trade spot in this period. The ships “zvornikuše” used to transport lumber, plums, apples, walnuts. Maize was transported to neighboring food – importing areas by packed – animals. The fair in Zvornik on St. Elia’s Day (the 2nd of August) wax famous.
Zvornik has been the crossroad of state roads for Bijeljina, Tuzla, Srebrenica, Sarajevo and over the Drina bridge (built in 1929) for Šabac, Valjevo, Beograd and Užice.
Zvornik had two libraries in 1936 – the library of the association “Soko” with 508 books and the public library “Sloga” with 170 books. Six more reading-clubs operated in the district.
Zvornik was bombed in April, 1941. It was liberated on 19th of February 1945. Zvornik, the town and municipality, which have been the scene of many wars, were affected by the civil war 1992 – 1995.