Mrkonjić Grad (Serbian Cyrillic: Мркоњић Град, pronounced [mr̩koɲit͡ɕ grad]) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the Bosanska Krajina region, between Banja Luka and Jajce. As of 2013, the municipality has a population of 16,671 inhabitants, while the town of Mrkonjić Grad has a population of 7,915 inhabitants.

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Mrkonjić Grad Мркоњић Град
Town and municipality
Mrkonjić Grad
Coat of arms
Location of Mrkonjić Grad within Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordinates: 44°25′N 17°05′E
Country	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Entity	Republika Srpska
Geographical region	Bosanska Krajina
Government
• Municipal mayor	Dragan Vođević (SNSD)
Area
• Total	677.43 km2 (261.56 sq mi)
Population  (2013 census)
• Total	16,671
• Density	25/km2 (64/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Area code	50

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The town changed its name several times in history: Gornje Kloke, Novo Jajce, Varcarev Vakuf, Varcar Vakuf, and ultimately the present one. The last renaming took place in 1924 after King Peter I of Serbia, who had taken the nom de guerre "Mrkonjić" while fighting in the uprising (1875–78) against the Ottoman Empire.

From 1929 to 1941, Mrkonjić Grad was part of the Vrbas Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

In World War II, the town became renowned by the first meeting of ZAVNOBiH on 25 November 1943, when Bosnia and Herzegovina was proclaimed as a common republic of Serbs, Croats and Muslims.

During the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995, the town was within the territory controlled by ethnic Serbs. The town is also known for the Mrkonjić Grad incident where the USAF lost one F-16 in June 1995.^[1] The pilot of the jet, Scott O'Grady, was stranded in the area for six days before being rescued by US Marines. In 8–12 October 1995, Mrkonjić Grad was in the hands of the Croatian Army (HV) and the Croatian Defence Council (HVO).

After the Dayton peace agreement the town was assigned to the entity of Republika Srpska.^[2] As a consequence, Croatian population of the town had no choice but to leave, and there are very few Croats living in Mrkonjić today, most of them elderly. In 1996, a mass grave containing the bodies of 181 Serbs—mostly civilians—was uncovered in Mrkonjić Grad. Almost all were killed by Muslim and Croat forces in late 1995.^[3] Bosnian Serbs committed a massacre on Croatian and Muslim PoWs on 13th September 1995. ^[4]

• Bočac fortress
• American pilot Scott O'Grady was shot down by the Bosnian Serb army in the Bosnian war
• Plaque commemorating the victims Muslim and Croat forces thrown into a massive grave

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered employed people per their core activity (as of 2016):^[10]

The Balkana Lake lies near the town and presents a small, but beautiful tourist resort including the nearby Skakavac Waterfall.

• Mrkonjić Grad incident