Bosnia and Herzegovina - Complex of travertine waterfalls in Martin Brod - Una National Park

Complex of travertine waterfalls in Martin Brod - Una National Park

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Jewish Cemetery in Sarajevo

Jews began to settle in Sarajevo in the early 16th century, at a time when the city was beginning to experience a rapid development (Zlatar, p. 57). The earliest documentary source referring to their presence is a document in the sijill of the Sarajevo court dating from 1557. Another surviving Sarajevo sijill dating from the 16th century, more precisely from 1565, refers to Jews as traders in fine cloth and fine leather (sahtijan). In the late 16th century, the Grand Vizier Sijavush Pashabuilt a large caravanserai known as Sijavush Pasha’s Daira, which Jews called Kortiž. Somewhat later the Old Jewish Synagogue was built alongside itas the first sacral edifice of Sarajevo Sephardic Jews. Its architectural style echoes that of their temples in the faraway Spain.

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Vjetrenica cave

Vjeternica (which means 'wind cave') is the largest cave in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the warmer parts of the year a cold air blows from its entrance. The cave has been explored and described to a total of about 6.1 thousand meters in length; of this the main canal is about 2.47 thousand metres long (from the edge of Popovo polje to the south). There are several permanent and occasional streams, and lakes, which the largest is about 180 m long. There are many stalactites, flowstone, draperies, cascades and others forms. In terms of its biological diversity it is one of the richest caves in the world. It is officially in second place, with 85 troglobionates. The remains of eight fossilised animals have bee found in it, the largest being the cave bear (Carnivoria, Ursus spelacus) and one comlete skeleton of leopard (Carnivoria, Panthera pardus). On the rocks at the entrance to the cave there are two carved stones, typical for Medieval tombstones in the region. In a scientific sense, Vjetrenica has been the site of many different forms of research, which may be traced back to the 16th century. Pliny the Elder in his work 'Historia naturalis' mentions a nameless cave from which a strong whirlwind blows, and he was actully referring to Vjeternica. Vjeternica has been visited by thousands of tourists until 1991, when in the fighting tourist equipement was destroyed.

Bosnia and Herzegovina - The natural and architectural ensemble of Stolac

Stolac is located in the area known as Herzegovina Humina, on the tourist route crossing Herzegovina linking the mountainous hinterland in Bosnia with the coastal regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dubrovnik and Montenegro. This road, which runs from Sarajevo via Mostar, Stolac, Ljubinje and Trebinje, enables one to reach Dubrovnik in less than four hours. Another route leads from Imotski and Ljubuški, Međugorje, Čapljina, Stolac, Berković and Bileća.

Bosnia and Herzegovina - The natural and architectural ensemble of Blidinje

It is a high-mountainous area (364 m2) in the central part of the Dinarides, constituting the north-western part of the Herzegovina region, which belongs to the municipalities of Posušje, Tomislavgrad, Jablanica, Prozor and Mostar. Bosnia and Herzegovina. The area occupies the greater part of the mountain massifs of Čvrsnica and Vran Planina, as well as the dry valley of Dugo Polje. It was founded in 1995 with the aim of systematically preserving and improving its natural and cultural values and distinctive features. The major natural feature of the area is the Blidinje lake, after which the Nature Park takes its name. This high-altitude lake (at 1182 m above sea level) lies in the depression of Dugo Polje. In area it is the largest mountain lake in Bosnia and Herzegovina, covering approx. 3 km2.

Bosnia and Herzegovina - The natural and architectural ensemble of Blagaj

The earliest reference to Podblagaj dates from 1447. The settlement was located at the foot of the Blagaj fort, where the road runs down from the fort and intersects with the Nevesinje road. There was too little trade for a commercial centre to emerge. In an agricultural environment of this kind the circumstances were not such as to give rise to an urban settlement, let alone its subsequent development. The urbanization of the settlement of Blagaj as we now know it was defined in the Ottoman period, during the second half of the 15th century, and its structure took shape during the 16th century. The mediaeval fortress of Blagaj (Stjepan grad) is constantly referred to in the sources as a distinct territorial entity. It was during the Ottoman period that building activity began to develop in the outskirts of the fortress, with the erection of houses and of public edifices, with the most important buildings located along the three watercourses: Suhi potok (brook) in Harman, Suhi potok in Galičići, and the river Buna, or more exactly the road above it. The centre was occupied by the čaršija, the trade and crafts centre of the settlement, the mosque complex with its harem and mekteb, and the han. The residential area took shape typologically as urban quarters or mahalas, with buildings facing inwards onto their courtyards, and rural areas with the buildings facing outwards. Residential complexes came into being, evidence of a high standard of living; the complex of the Velagić house is one of the most valuable groups of this type in Herzegovina.

Bosnia and Herzegovina - The historic urban site of Počitelj

The historic urban site of Počitelj is located on the left bank of the river Neretva, on the main Mostar to Metković road, to the south of Mostar, in the territory of Čapljina Municipality. In the middle ages, Počitelj was the administrative centre and centre of governance of Dubrava župa (county), and its westernmost point, which gave it major strategic importance. It is supposed that the fortified town and its attendant settlements were built by Bosnia's King Stjepan Tvrtko I in 1383. The walled town of Počitelj evolved over the period from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Architecturally, the surviving stone-built parts of the town are a fortified complex, in which two stages of evolution may be observed: mediaeval, and Ottoman.

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Strict Nature Reserve - Primeval forest “Perućica”

Sutjeska National Park is a jewel in the Green Crown of Europe, and undoubtedly the most precious jewel, never fully explored, the largest natural reserve of this kind in Europe, real challenge for all botanists but, at the same time, inaccessible to the common man for decades is Strict Nature Reserve “Perućica”. The whole region is rich in cultural heritage and tradition. Perucica is one of two remaining old growth forests in Europe.

Bosnia and Herzegovina - The natural and architectural ensemble of Jajce

The site has for centuries been a crossroads of the routes leading from the interior of the continent to the Mediterranean. The entire complex with the fortress, town ramparts and towers lies on the southern slope of a large rocky pyramid, enclosed to the south-west by the bed of the river Pliva and to the southeast and east by the river Vrbas. The perimeter of the mediaeval town of Jajce is about 1300 m, with an area of 112,000 sq.m. The system of the fortress and defensive walls was built in a number of stages