SREBRENICA

town, eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town's name is derived from the Serbo-Croatian word srebro, meaning silver. Rich deposits of silver and lead discovered in the surrounding mountains led to the town's founding in 1387 as a mining centre. Lead and zinc mining remain important. A health resort with thermal springs is located in nearby Crni Guber. Srebrenica was a centre of commerce and trade in the 15th century. It was populated by Ragusan merchants and German miners and was the site of a Franciscan monastery when it was seized by the Turks in 1440. Srebrenica was converted to Islam in the mid-16th century despite strong local resistance. In the 20th century its population has been predominantly Muslim, with a large Serb minority (about a third). During the conflict between Muslims and Bosnian Serbs in the 1990s, the town was declared one of the safe areas for Muslims by the United Nations. Bosnian Serbs laid siege to the town in 1995, taking control of it in July. In the days following the siege, Serb soldiers massacred or expelled thousands of Muslims. Srebrenica was included in Serb-held territory by the 1995 partition of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Pop. (1981) 4,512.