Fra Jako Baltić (1813-1887), svjedok svoga vremena
Besides Bishop fra Marijan Šunjić, the central figure in the Travnik region in the 19th century was fra Jako Baltić (1813-1887). He spent two years in Istanbul, but the whole rest of his life he spent in the region of the Fojnica Monastery: in Fojnica, Brestovsko, Kotor Varoš, Vitez, Dolac and Ovčarevo. When it was possible for him, in addition to his other obligations, for some forty years took notes on the area life and so he created most important annals in the 19th century. The Annals reflect how he was well educated, talented and an engaged Franciscan. In his Annals he follows the life of the Franciscan community, political and social occurrences. There are many data on the life of the common people, important persons, economy, education, and cultural monuments. Baltić wrote his Annals without fear of public opinion, but courageously and decisively he represented his experiences and views. He did it to enable to his co-friars to have broader insights in local history and to learn from these experiences. Many writings in his Annals are related to the last decades of Ottoman rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the life and behavior of the people in the region Travnik over and above all was preferred.
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