Kostajnica () is a town and municipality located in northern Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the part of the Кrajina region. As of 2013, it had a population of 5,977 inhabitants, while the town of Kostajnica has a population of 4,047 inhabitants.
The municipality was created from part of the pre-war municipality of Novi Grad. It is located across the Una river from Hrvatska Kostajnica, Croatia.
Etymology
It is considered, that the name of town and municipality of Kostajnica originates from the old Slavic word for sweet chestnut (kostanj). Therefore, the name Kostajnica means the land of chestnuts. Indeed, that is true, because the forests of the Kostajnica municipality grow this particular tree. The name of this settlement was first recorded in 1258. The name Kostajnica is used for both settlements in the Una valley (Kostajnica-Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hrvatska Kostajnica-Croatia) which surround the Kostajnica castle.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of the Kostajnica municipality has a form of a medieval shield. In the central part of it is a chestnut with a leaf, that represents the origin of the name of this municipality and of the rare plant, that grows in this area. In the lower part of coat of arms are two leaves that together make a lower frame. Above these two leaves are the river Una (represented with blue colour), on the left side is the bridge, that connects two towns, and on the right side is the medieval Castle. Behind the chestnut and the leaf in the central part are two curves that represent the hill of Balj, where one could find these precious fruits – chestnuts. On the top of the coat of arms is the flag of the Republic of Srpska. Stone blocks represent the will to build and to be strong. Inn the upper central part of the coat of arms there is written 1258 which represents the year when name Kostajnica was first recorded .
Name
During the Bosnian War, when the municipality of Kostajnica was created (it was a part of the Novi Grad municipality), the name of the town was renamed to Srpska Kostajnica (Српска Костајница). After that the name of the town was changed to Bosanska Kostajnica. The final name of the settlement and the municipality is only Kostajnica, according to the decision of the Constitutional Court of Republika Srpska. Meanwhile, residents of the municipality never had an opportunity to decide on the official name.
Settlements
The Kostajnica municipality encompasses a very small area in comparison to the other municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The municipality has an area of 85,12 km2 and it was formed in the year 1995, therefore it is one of the youngest municipalities in the Republic of Srpska. On the area of the whole municipality there are 11 rural settlements and only one urban settlement (Kostajnica – municipality seat). The settlements that are make up the territory of this municipalities are: Gornja Slabinja, Grdanovac, Gumnjani, Kalenderi, Kostajnica, Mrakodol, Mraovo Polje, Petrinja, Pobrđani, Podoška, Tavija and Zovik.