Culture and Heritage
Welcome to the Herzegovina Wine Route, where stunning landscapes, unique culture, and world-class wines combine to offer a memorable experience for wine and culture enthusiasts alike.
This picturesque region showcases the best of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from the breathtaking views in Mostar to the historic charm of Trebinje, Ljubuški with the oldest museum in Bosnia and Herzegovina, religious and pilgrimage sites, and UNESCO sites like the Old Bridge and Radimlja necropolis.
The Herzegovina Wine Route is home to a vibrant wine and religious heritage, with iconic places to explore such as the pilgrimage site in Medjugorje, the Tekke in Blagaj, and the monasteries around Trebinje. Other highlights include the Tvrdos Monastery, the Rabi Moša Danon site in Stolac, and the numerous vineyards that dot the landscape. Whether you’re looking to explore the region’s spiritual side or its winemaking traditions, the Herzegovina Wine Route offers a unique insight into the culture and history of the region.
HWR
Culture and Heritage
Bosnaseum
“Bosnaseum” is a museum that was opened in 2018, in the old city center of Mostar. The museum is contains around 800 square meters of exhibition space which showcase the culture and history of all peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina through 12 thematic units. The museum does not only contain exhibitions, but is also enriched with various interactive content that provide a full journey through the history of Mostar and Herzegovina.
Opening times: everyday from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
Branković tower
Assumptions about the existence of the old town of Trebinje, where the famous Queen Jelena of Anjou had her court, place it in a locality known today as “Brankovina” which is named after the tower of Branković. It had a very important role as a “watchtower” in old Trebinje. There are records of the Branković family’s origins in Herzegovina, which lived at the time of the greatest rise of the Serbian state in the time of King Milutin and Stefan Dečanski and in the time of King and Emperor Dušan. The Brankovićs are said to be the last Serbian medieval dynasty that was on the historical stage from the first half of the 14th to the first half of the 16th century. The tower was built by prefect Mladen, the progenitor of the family and lord of Trebinje and Dračevica. The family’s surname comes from Mladen’s son Branko, after whom the tower was named.
Bregava Mills
One of the most captivating and timeless beauty lies in the water mills along the Bregava River. While these mills have lost their practical use over time, they stand as monuments of the past. In the past, each smaller river had dozens of mills, but today, they remain only in our imagination. The mills on Bregava in Stolac are some of the best-preserved. These mills were once vital economic establishments from the 16th to the 20th century, with around 22 mills in Stolac. They were owned by families such as Mehmedbasic, Behmen, Rizvanbegovic, and others.
Castle of Nancy and Patrick Latta
In 1999, Nancy and Patrick Latta began to build a castle in Medjugorje, to be used as a retreat place for priests, nuns, seminarians, and religious. Robert Nanasi, the architect, designed the various buildings and structures comprising the castle. 17 years later, the work is continuing. Patrick was a very successful businessman in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He and his wife Nancy enjoyed a lavish life style, but God was missing from their lives. Patrick’s four children (from two previous marriages) had everything that money could buy, but they were haunted by addictions to drugs, alcohol, and immoral life styles. Patrick’s conversion occurred when Nancy gave him a copy of Our Lady’s messages from Medjugorje. He read the shortest message – “For the last time, I am calling you to conversion.” Something inside him told him that it was time to return to the Catholic Church. After going to Confession, he began his journey back to the Catholic faith. As a result of prayer, fasting, and living according to the “five stones” mentioned by Our Lady, their lives, and those of his children, changed for the better. Patrick and Nancy give talks to pilgrimage groups, telling and retelling their story to young and old alike.
Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Diocese of Trebinje (Trebinje-Mrkanje) is one of the oldest in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and was first mentioned in the Bull of Pope Benedict VIII in 1022. The construction of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary began in 1880, immediately after the arrival of the Austro-Hungarian army, and was completed in 1884. In 1984, the former parish church was declared a Cathedral Church, on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the Trebinje Diocese and 100th anniversary of the church. In 2006, the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary was declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Church of St. Archangel
The church is located in the Hrupjela settlement, on a hill where there used to be a tower built during the Austro-Hungarian occupation. It is dedicated to St. Archangels. It dominates the city with its beauty together with Herzegovinian Gračanica. Also, from the elevation on which it is located, there is a unique view of Trebinje.
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.