Banja Luka was first mentioned under its current name in the Charter of Hungarian king Ladislaus II of Jagiellon on February 06, 1494. 

The discussions held by philologists and historians resulted in the finding that the city name consisted of an old adjective "banj" (ban`s), which disappeared long time ago from our language and has been preserved only in the name of the city. The possessive adjective was then added a noun "luka" (plain), which attributed the meaning ban`s plain to the name of the city.

 Ever since the Paleolithic period the settlements of various tribes had been developed along both banks of the Vrbas River. They used to stay, live and progress in this fertile valley. It is known for certain that the region was settled by an Illyric tribe of the Maezaei, who were annexed to the Roman province of Illyricum along with the territory that they had inhabited.   More...

The first Oriental settlement developed around Careva mahala in Gornji Šeher after the Turkish conquest in 1582. Banja Luka became the seat of the Pashaluk of Bosnia, a Turkish administrative unit run by a pasha. This lead the city to a rapid development due to Ferhat-pasha`s having mills and bridges over the Vrbas river built. More...

As a result of the Congress of Berlin came the decision that the Austro-Hungarian troops were to come to Banja Luka. The troops were received rather peacefully and faced no resistance. Under the Austro-Hungarian protectorate Banja Luka became an industry and craft  center. More...

After the centuries of oppressive foreign tyranny, World War I came, bringing along a waft of freedom. More...

Within the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians Banja Luka underwent a period of genuine progress. It became the center of the Vrbas Banovina, the administrative unit ruled by ban, and got a significant geo-strategic place in the newly founded country. 

Banja Luka ows its rapid growth to the first ban, brisk and energetic Svetislav Milosavljević (Svetislav - Tisa Milosavljević, born on September 07, 1882 in Niš, Serbia). 

The most severe calamity that befell the city in the post-war period was the disastrous 1969 earthquake. With the consequences of it remedied, Banja Luka got its recognizable looks and significance.     

In the wake of  Former Yugoslavia`s break-up, Banja Luka was the second biggest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the tenth biggest one in Yugoslavia. According to the 1991 census Banja Luka had 150 000 inhabitants.

During the war that raged in the territory of the entire Former Yugoslavia, Banja Luka was not directly affected by war actions, but its demographic structure suffered significant changes.