During the First World War, many inhabitants of Bosnia and Herzegovina were mobilized into the Austro-Hungarian Army and fought in service of the Monarchy. Like all major conflicts, the war resulted in both military prisoners of war and civilians detained behind enemy lines.
One of the locations where enemy soldiers were held as prisoners was Begov Han. The prisoners were Russian soldiers who were assigned to work in the surrounding forests, cutting and preparing timber for the needs of the Royal Army. During their captivity, they spent their days felling trees and processing wood for military purposes.
When these prisoners died, a separate burial site was established for them outside the populated area of Begov Han rather than burying them among the local population. This cemetery became the final resting place for all of the deceased Russian prisoners.
It is important to note that the burial site has been the subject of historical research. Studies revealed that the inscription on the largest tombstone belongs to a Russian nobleman, possibly a duke or a count. Researchers also found that the inscriptions on the other tombstones were written in three different scripts and linguistic forms: Old Slavic, Old Russian, and Latin. Only a small number of sites containing inscriptions in all three of these forms have been discovered to date.
The cemetery consists of three groups of graves, each marked with inscribed tombstones.
Location:
82Q7+MG2 Begov Han, Bosna in Hercegovina
