Gornji Šeher

Gornji Šeher, Srpske Toplice since the 1990s, is a local community and a spa town in the area of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the banks of the Vrbas River in the southern part of the city's territory. There are eight springs of thermal water in the heart of Gornji Šeher, with a temperature of up to 32°C. Gornji Šeher is designated National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina by KONS.

History
Next to the thermal springs, a spa settlement was created in Roman times. It was located on the right bank of Vrbas, while the road connecting Split (Latin: Spalatum) with Gradiška (Latin: Servitium), i.e. the Roman provinces of Dalmatia and Pannonia, passed by it on the left bank.

The Ottomans conquered Banja Luka in 1521. The Ottomans established proper settlement here. Around 1580, Ferhat Pasha Sokolović built a bazaar a few kilometers downstream, on the left bank of Vrbas (surroundings of today's Kastel), and in 1583 he transferred the seat of the Bosnian pashaluk there. Since then, Banja Luka had two šehers (towns), Upper and Lower.

Geography
It is located south of Banja Luka, approximately 4 kilometers from the city center.

Education
The "Branislav Nušić" Elementary School is located in the settlement.

Population
According to the 1991 population census, the local community of Gornji Šeher had 4,920 inhabitants with the following national composition:


 * Bosniak – 3.115
 * Srb – 1.235
 * Croat – 56
 * Yugoslav – 361
 * the rest, undecided and unknown – 153.