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
Muslibegović House
In order to breathe in the atmosphere of daily life during the Ottoman period, all one needs to do is visit one of the three Turkish dwellings still present in town: these are the houses of the influential Bišćević (1635), Kajtaz (18th century) and Muslibegović (end of 19th century). Intriguing and well-maintained antique dwellings testify in detail to the residential style and to the real flavour of domestic life in that period. Each house is surrounded by high walls to protect the intimacy of Muslim family life. The delightful internal courtyards have characteristic decorations on the floors, romantic fountains, exotic plants, flowers and fruit trees. Comfort reigns supreme in these interiors, with objects of daily use, precious carpets and small libraries with rare texts. To visit a Turkish residence is a way to come into touch with a reality often only imagined and then to take it away with you, once you have returned home.
Opening times: every day from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Old Bridge and Old Town Area
The iconic Old Bridge of Mostar is a magnificent stone masterpiece built in 1566, stands tall as the city’s symbol and connects local legends to its legacy. This architectural marvel survived for over four centuries until tragedy struck in 1993 when it was bombed. But resilience prevailed, and the bridge’s reconstruction was a remarkable endeavor, based on the original techniques Ottomans used while building the bridge. The ceremonial inauguration of the bridge took place in 2004, and in 2005, the Old Bridge was included in the UNESCO list of cultural heritage. The Old Bridge, as the main symbol of the city, attracts thousands of visitors every year, and it is especially fascinating in July when traditional bridge jumps take place.
Old Bridge Museum
The museum, opened in 2006, to celebrate the second anniversary of the reconstruction of the bridge, its premises inside the Tara Tower complex and is made up of three distinct sections. The first, represented by the Tower itself, displays an exhibition of objects of archaeological interest discovered during the reconstruction carried out in 2002, all of which are enriched by informative charts that explain the principal historical events connected to the Bridge. From the five floors of this section, which are open to visitors, one reaches a lovely gazebo, standing at the highest point of the building which offers a 360° panoramic view of the city. The second section exhibits pre-existing remains of archaeological importance from underneath the tower, the remains of two wooden bridges belonging to the period before that of the stone bridge and the base of the Old Bridge. And finally, the third section, called “Labyrinth”, is made up of a photographic gallery dedicated to the Old Bridge, to the damaged towers and to their following phases of rebuilding. Audio-visual multimedia charts recount the history of the reconstruction of the bridge.
Opening times: Monday-Friday from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm and weekends 10 am to 6 pm
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.
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.