HWR
Historic Places
Old Town Mičevac
The remains of the famous medieval town of Mičevac are located on the right bank of Trebišnjica in the immediate vicinity of the Perovića most settlement. According to legend, the town was built by Duke Mičeta, after whom it was named. Mičevac consists of a fortress and a suburb. The fortress was located on a small hill and as such dominated the wider area, and below it was the suburb of Mičevac.According to Lukari, the Dubrovnik chronicler, Mičevac was first mentioned in 1042. The city had an extremely important strategic position, because it protected the communication that connected Dubrovnik and the wider hinterland. In Mičevac, in 1445 and 1451, the existence of customs is also mentioned, which additionally points to the economic and commercial importance of the city. The town of Mičevac is on the list of national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Orthodox Church in Bjelušine
The old Orthodox Church was built in 1834 in the area of Bjelusine. The church represents an important example of sacred orthodox architecture, guarding a beautiful icon of the Virgin Mary, a wooden iconostasis with several Russian, Venetian and local icons dating back to between the 15th and 18th centuries.The new Church, located in a hilly part of the city was built between 1863 and 1873 according to the project of the artist Spasoje Vulić. Due to a lack of understanding between Vulić and the people of Mostar, the work was finished by Andreja Damjanov who had just finished constructing the Orthodox Church of Sarajevo.
Orthodox Monastery Žitomislići
Žitomislići, is a little village situated on the left side of the Neretva River, along the road that connects Mostar to Ploče. In this village lies one of the most important Herzegovina Orthodox Monastery. It was constructed at the end of the 16th century on the foundations of an ancient church, commissioned by the nobleman Hrabren Miloradovic. One of its most interesting features is the door of the Imperial Altar with the iconographic representation of the “Annunciation”. Around the church, there are other buildings: an old overnight dwelling, dated 1767, a more recent hostel dated 1967 and a 19th century school. The monastery was totally restored in 2005, when it was proclaimed a Bosnia Herzegovina National Monument.
Ottoman town district in Stolac
In the center of the Stolac valley lies the čaršija (Ottoman central town district) and in its own centre the Čaršija mosque with the Great tepa (market square). The Čaršija mosque was built in 1519 and represents the oldest larger building in the čaršija of Stolac. Next to the mosque there was a mekteb (Ottoman religious school) and around the mosque a harem (Muslim cemetery), while the čaršija was fully structured by the shops surrounding the mosque. The most significant building in the čaršija was the han or musafirhana (Ottoman inn) built by Silahdar Husein-paša. The čaršija of Stolac was a central, public town square where imperial orders were read, public trade was conducted and other public communication was carried out, such as reading of court rulings or calls to wars.
Podgradska čaršija
The area between the Podgrad bridge and the Podgrad mosque, known as Mejdan or Little Čaršija, was historically used for trading agricultural goods, clothes, and various products. The mosque, rebuilt and renovated multiple times, had different names like Mejdan mosque, Hadži Salih Bure mosque, Zulfikar-kapetan mosque, or Ali-paša Rizvanbegović mosque. It stands on an island between two Bregava river inlets, featuring three shops with arched entries facing the čaršija. Similar to the Suleymani mosque in Travnik, it is supported by pillars above the shops, a rare characteristic of mosques with integrated shops. The mosque’s construction reflects Mediterranean architectural influences. Opposite to the mosque stood the Muftića han (inn) and various shops for traders and craftsmen, now known as Konak, serving as a hostel and youth club. Across the river, the Turković tower rises, believed to have been built in stages between the XVII and XVIII centuries. Initially a Rizvanbegović family residence, it became part of the Turković family’s dowry, representing a unique blend between a feudal tower and an urban house.
Residential complex Begovina
Begovina, a residential complex in Stolac, was built as an economic entity with inns and gardens, separate from the rest of the city. It shows respect for natural terrain and privacy, forming a protected family territory. Architecturally, it consists of four parts: the public access road, the entrance yard with four buildings, a semi-private courtyard, and a private family house. The complex is surrounded by a high stone wall on three sides, with the Bregava River acting as a natural border on the fourth side. The complex comprises five inn buildings, six residential buildings, and auxiliary structures. Access is from the south side via Ćuprija in Begovina, a stone bridge that connected the Rizvanbegović family houses. The complex is considered one of the most beautiful and significant residential complexes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Antique Villa Mogorjelo
Mogorjelo is one of the most important monuments of the Roman era in Bosnia and Herzegovina and belongs to the most beautiful buildings of late antique architecture. Mogorjelo supplied the Roman city of Narona and probably served in the defense of the city and its surrounding, a dense grove of coastal trees (cypress) gives this monument a particularly beautiful frame. The building was excavated between 1889 and 1903, and in the following years it was conserved, being declared as a national monument in 2002.
Apparition Hill and the Blue Cross
Apparition Hill and the Blue Cross in Medjugorje hold profound spiritual significance for millions of pilgrims worldwide. Medjugorje is a renowned pilgrimage site where, since June 1981, six young visionaries have reported regular apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Apparition Hill, or Podbrdo, is the site where the first apparition allegedly occurred, drawing countless devotees seeking solace, healing, and spiritual renewal. On the other hand, the Blue Cross, situated at the base of Apparition Hill, has become a place of intense prayer and reflection, where visitors meditate on the sufferings of Christ and present their intentions to the Virgin Mary. Both sites have become symbols of hope and faith, attracting people from various backgrounds to seek divine encounters and experience the transformative power of Medjugorje’s spiritual atmosphere.
Antique Villa Mogorjelo
Mogorjelo is one of the most important monuments of the Roman era in Bosnia and Herzegovina and belongs to the most beautiful buildings of late antique architecture. Mogorjelo supplied the Roman city of Narona and probably served in the defense of the city and its surrounding, a dense grove of coastal trees (cypress) gives this monument a particularly beautiful frame. The building was excavated between 1889 and 1903, and in the following years it was conserved, being declared as a national monument in 2002.
Apparition Hill and the Blue Cross
Apparition Hill and the Blue Cross in Medjugorje hold profound spiritual significance for millions of pilgrims worldwide. Medjugorje is a renowned pilgrimage site where, since June 1981, six young visionaries have reported regular apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Apparition Hill, or Podbrdo, is the site where the first apparition allegedly occurred, drawing countless devotees seeking solace, healing, and spiritual renewal. On the other hand, the Blue Cross, situated at the base of Apparition Hill, has become a place of intense prayer and reflection, where visitors meditate on the sufferings of Christ and present their intentions to the Virgin Mary. Both sites have become symbols of hope and faith, attracting people from various backgrounds to seek divine encounters and experience the transformative power of Medjugorje’s spiritual atmosphere.
Archaeological site Gabela
Gabela is a national cultural monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to its strategic location, Gabela was also inhabited in Roman times, from which we have the remains of a brick factory and farm buildings on the outskirts of the town. Of the large number of medieval buildings, the remains of the old fort and a stone plaque with a large winged lion, the symbol of the Republic of Venice, are the most impressive to this day. Gabela was from the 15th to the 18th century a large trading center, but also an important strategic fortress on the Venetian-Turkish border. At one time it was known as the slave square. Various political and economic interests were competing for supremacy over Gabel. The Turks occupied it in 1477, and after several failed attempts in 1694, the Venetians occupied Gabela, then with the Peace of Požarevac in 1718, Gabela belonged to the Turks, and the Venetians demolished all the important buildings. Gabela is again under Turkish administration, but without its former power. During the Austro-Hungarian rule and the construction of the narrow-gauge railway, Gabela was a junction from Sarajevo to Dubrovnik and Metković. The Mexican scientist Roberto Salinas Price developed a hypothesis based on geographical information in the Iliad that the Trojan War was in the valley of the Neretva River, that is, that Gabela was Ilios, the capital of the state of Troy.