Trade and Tourism Minister Suzana Gasic visited the municipality of Laktasi on Friday, to award the status of a tourist destination to this local community.
Gasic spoke with Mayor Ranko Karapetrovic, municipal leader and director of Laktasi Tourist Organization Svetlana Bastinac, eKapija news portal reports.
“The municipality of Laktasi approached the Ministry with a request for the designation of a tourist place, the commission visited the place and determined the existence of all the necessary qualitative and quantitative conditions for the designation of a tourist place. This means that much has been done in the area of Laktasi municipality, the number of tourist arrivals has increased, as well as the overall supply of this municipality. Because of all this, this place deserves to be declared as tourist place,”said Minister Suzana Gasic.
Laktasi is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the municipality has a population of 34,966 inhabitants, while the town has a population of 5,879 inhabitants.
Laktasi municipality is located in Lijevče polje, 19 km north of Banja Luka. The river Vrbas, which flows in the middle of its territory, divides it into the Župa (right bank of the Vrbas) and the Potkozarsko-Lijevčanski part (the left bank of the Vrbas). Lijevče polje, along the fertile Semberian plains, a geographical part of the Peripanon region, is the main granary of Republika Srpska.
The Laktaši municipality is located in the northeastern part of Republika Srpska and borders the city of Banja Luka, and the municipalities of Gradiška, Srbac, Prnjavor and Čelinac. Laktaši municipality takes up an area of 338,37 km2 (149,95 sq mi).
The area of this municipality has had a favorable traffic position in the past, beginning with the time of the Romans, when the so-called “salt path” that connected Salona to Servicio. Today, the Banja Luka – Gradiška and Banja Luka – Doboj highways pass through the Laktaši municipality, connecting the Laktaši municipality with the Zagreb – Belgrade highway, and in the future with the Budapest – Ploče highway. Laktaši municipality also has the only international airport in the Republic of Srpska, located north of the Laktaši town, near the village of Mahovljani.
Laktaši municipality has a continental climate, with harsh winters and warm summers. The warmest month of the year is July, with an average temperature of 25°C (77°F). The coldest month of the year is January, when temperatures average -5°C (23 °F). Annual precipitation forLaktaši municipality is about 875 mm. Due to the city’s high latitude; it snows almost every year as well. Strong winds come from the north and northeast bringing in lots of snow.
