On this day, 836 years ago, the Bosnian ban Kulin signed the oldest preserved document of the Bosnian medieval office, which actually testifies to the centuries-old statehood of our country. His famous Charter, which gives the people of Dubrovnik the freedom of movement and the right to trade tax-free on Bosnian soil at the time, is considered by some historians to be the birth certificate of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I, Ban Kulin of Bosnia, promise you, Prince Krvaš, and all the people of Dubrovnik, to be your true enemy from now on and forever, and to keep the right and true trust with you…,”- dictated to the scribe Radoje, Ban Kulin of Bosnia in August 1189 in his famous Charter, with which he would guarantee the citizens of Dubrovnik a safe stay and trade throughout the then-banvinia. Written bilingually; in the Latin language – the Latin script and in the Old Bosnian vernacular – the Bosnian script, under the strong influence of Gothic and Illyrian characters, the Charter of Kulin ban is a cultural artifact for all South Slavic peoples.
For today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina, this historical document is actually the most credible confirmation of the constitutionality and sovereignty of an economically, legally and politically fully regulated country. The original copy of the Charter of Ban Kulin is stored in the Russian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Saint Petersburg, and its two copies are kept by the Dubrovnik Archives. All attempts to present it to the local public in the form of an exhibition, through diplomatic or other means, have not borne fruit. However, for all Bosnians and Herzegovinians, the most important thing is to inherit the Ban’s message – of good neighborly relations and tolerance. Because this is a document that, with its provisions, set the legal basis for the establishment, preservation and protection of multiculturalism, human rights and freedoms on the soil of our country of BiH.
On the occasion of Bosnian Literacy Day, or the 836th anniversary of the Charter of Ban Kulin, the Bosniak Cultural Community and the City of Sarajevo are organizing an open literary and artistic performance “A Word about the Land” by the leader of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian theater scene, Hasija Borić.
The performance, based on the poetry of Mak Dizdar, one of the greatest poets of the Bosnian language, will take place tonight at 19:30 at the Liberation Square – Alija Izetbegović in Sarajevo.
We remind you that Bosnian Literacy Day was founded by the Bosnian Community of Culture in 2019 on the occasion of the 830th anniversary of the Charter of Ban Kulin as a day to promote the Bosnian language and literacy in the Bosnian language. Since then, it has been celebrated every year on August 29, the day when the Charter of Ban Kulin was issued in 1189, the oldest preserved Bosnian state and diplomatic document, a fundamentally important monument of the Bosnian language and literacy in the Bosnian language – announced the Bosnian Community of Culture.
On the 836th anniversary of the Charter of the Kulin Ban, today the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina (with free admission from 11:00 to 13:00) will also host the ceremonial opening of the IX International Festival “GRAD” 2025, which will be held under the organization of the Cultural Forum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as part of the Sarajevo Cultural Olympics – “Inside/Outside”.
In addition to the traditional Promenade of the Bosnian Knights, part of the program will focus on a tour of the museum’s Department of Archaeology (exhibits related to the Kakanj and Butmir cultures, displays from the period of antiquity and medieval Bosnia), and in the Botanical Garden of this cultural and scientific institution, the Charter of the Kulin Ban will be read as an invitation to citizens for good neighborly relations, tolerance, peace and freedom.
