Pocitelj Castle

Počitelj is a village in Herzegovina, in Čapljina municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dotted with several notable works of Ottoman architecture from the 16th and 17th centuries, this small village was extensively bombed by Croatian forces during the 1993 Bosnian War.Following the bombing, Pocitelj's sixteenth-century master- works of Islamic art and architecture were dynamited and most of the town's Bosniak population was either killed or removed to concentration camps in one of the war's most brutal instances of ethnic cleansing. To mark the expulsion of Bosniaks and destruction of Islamic monuments, a huge cross was erected on the roadside next to the town

This unique settlement, listed as a UNESCO heritage site, was heavily damaged during and sadly even after the war but recent reconstruction has returned the town to its original form This once charming mediaeval town is situated in the valley of the Neretva River, some twentyfive kilometers from Mostar, on the route to the Adriatic Sea. The history of Pocitelj is not well known and has to be researched. As far as we know, it existed in 1444 as a fortress supported by Hungary. Turks took it over in 1471 and it became an important part of the Ottoman Empire. The town's principal mosque is built by Hadzi Alija in 1563. From the beginning of the 18th century Pocitelj was the seat of the captaincy and in 1782 it became the seat of the kadiluk. A seventeenth-century enclosing wall marks the height of the town's growth. At the time, there was in the town an elementary school (mekteb), a secondary theological school (medresa) and also public baths (hammam) and an inn for travelers (han).The town was constructed right into a rocky mountainside overlooking a bend in the Neretva River. This gives it the aspect of a natural amphitheater, and is a delight for any architect with a feeling for environmental settings. Its characteristic buildings are in Ottoman style. The Stone houses along stone pathways are an unique, hidden behind high walls surrounding peaceful, inner courtyards. It is testimony of a culture that internal values grace over external appearance.The Turkish world traveler Evliya Celebi passed through Pocitelj in 1664 and wrote in his travel account (about the town's principal mosque): "There is a tall cypress tree in its courtyard. This shining mosque was erected by a forebear of our lord Ibrahim Aga. Alongside the town walls, beside the water, his honored brother built a public kitchen (imaret) which distributes free bread and soup to needy inhabitants day and night. On Thursday evenings, it distributes spiced meat and savory and sweet rice dishes. The houses of the town are built one above the other, facing west towards the river. There is an abundance of walnut trees here. Since the climate is mild, fruit grows better here than in other towns." Evliya also mentions a clock tower WHICH bell "heavier and clearer than any other in Bosnia and Herzegovina" was, according to legend, brought from Crete. For many years the bell tolled the hours for Pocitelj and in calm weather could be heard in Capljina and Gabela, resounded from the stone into the far distance.The clock-tower's bell still tolled until 1917, when the Austrians, who had occupied Pocitelj since 1878, melted it down for bullets - just a year before an armistice brought to an end both World War I and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.With the Austrian conquest, Pocitelj lost its strategic importance and declined. Only in the 1960s did it begin to grow again, as a tourist center. In the Captain's House family mansion an art-ist's colony was founded in 1964. More than 2.000 artists, not just in the fine arts but also writers and poets, from the former Yugoslavia and around the world, came to the colony between its founding and the beginning of the 1992-1995 war. Pocitelj, with its jumble of medieval stone buildings, ancient tower overlooking the river and its proximity to the seaside, gave artists a quiet and scenic place to work.But the 1992-1995 war meant the destruction and looting of Pocitelj's mix of Mediterranean and Turkish architecture and the magnificent examples of the world's architectural treasury have been trashed.There's no life in Pocitelj without the colony and it started work again in 1999. Its reopening will revitalize this tiny medieval town. Nine houses have been already rebuilt, along with the Hadzic-Alijana mosque and the art colony building, in the first phase of a $93,750 project sponsored by the Federation of BiH (FBiH) government. This year, the official 8 June opening attracted several hundred artists and officials to Pocitelj, where just 300 people lived before the war. And another project has been budgeted for the next phase of work, including more houses, infrastructure, and the Ottoman bath house. Pocitelj life can be renewed and its glory reestablished.

Pocitelj Castle

Kljuc Castle

Ključ is a town and municipality by the same name in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically the Una-Sana Canton. The name of the town and the municipality translates to "Key" in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian

History

Human settlements have existed in the area before the Roman time. The town itself is first mentioned in 1322 in the documents of ban Stjepan II Kotromanić. It was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1463 as the last forteress of Bosnian rulers. After Dayton agreement, the pre-war municipality was divided between Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska. Nice Place to visit if touring Europe.

Vranduk Castle

Vranduk is located in Canton ZenicaDoboj, which consists of 12 municipalities: Breza, Doboj-South, Kakanj, Maglaj, Lead, Tesanj, Usora, Vares, Visoko, Zavidovici, Zenica and Zepce. Teritorija kantona je 3.950 km2, a broj stanovnika je oko 400.000. Canton territory is 3950 km2, and the population is around 400,000. Ovo područje je uglavnom brdovito. This area is mostly mountainous. Magistralni put M-17 ide uz rijeku Bosnu, nadovezujući se na autoput Zagreb - Beograd , put Slavonski Brod - Sarajevo - Neum - Dubrovnik itd. The main road M-17 goes along the river Bosna, Following on the highway Zagreb - Beograd, time of Slavonski Brod - Sarajevo - Neum - Dubrovnik, etc. Zahvaljujući svom geografskom položaju, Zenica je povezana željezničkom prugom od Jadrana do svih većih evropskih centara. Thanks to its geographical position, Zenica is connected by railway to the Adriatic all the major European centers.

Vranduk name was first mentioned in 1410. Ovo područje je uvijek bilo od geostrateškog značaja. This area has always been of importance GEOSTRATEŠKOG. Uloga Vranduka je bila da kontrolira saobraćaj iz pravca Panonske nizije ( Mađarska i Austrija ) preko rijeke Bosne, pa do Jadrana . Role Vranduk was to control traffic from the direction of the Pannonian plain (Hungary and Austria) over the river Bosna, and to the Adriatic.
Vranduk je samo jedan od mnogih srednjovjekovnih bosanskih gradova, koji se nalaze u ovom regionu koji je predstavljao područje sa vrlo bogatim političkim, ekonomskim i kulturnim životom. Vranduk is just one of many medieval Bosnian town, which is located in this region who represented the area with a very rich political, economic and cultural life. Stari grad se sastoji od citadele sa glavnim tornjem i ostacima zidina, koje su opasavale središte srednjovjekovnog grada. The old town consists of Citadele with the main tower and the remains of walls, which are opasavale center of the medieval city. Vrlo blizu tornja je sagrađena džamija Sultana Mehmeda Fatiha. Very close to the tower was built mosque Fatih Sultan Mehmed. Prema nekim podacima, ona je sagrađena na ostacima srednjovjekovne crkve. According to some data, it was built on the ruins of a medieval church. Danas postoji i tunel, sagrađen u Drugom svjetskom ratu , i on se nalazi ispod Vranduka. Today there is a tunnel, built in the Second World War, and he is placed under Vranduk.

Stolac Kula

This quaint, sunny southern town full of striking Ottoman architecture is a true playground for those intrigued by anthropology, archaeology and history.
The area has been settled for at least 15,000 years as evidenced by the markings in Badanj Cave, which experts have dated 12,000 - 16,000 BCE. Throughout its long history, Stolac has been an outstandingly cultured town. No other town in Bosnia and Herzegovina has produced such a rich array of intellectuals, artists, poets and leaders. Strolling through Stolac to the sound of the rushing Bregava river and the many songbirds, it is easy to imagine the inspiration felt by its many generations of extraordinary personalities.

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.
Thanks to its favourable natural conditions - geological composition, contours, climate, hydrographic and vegetation - Stolac and its environs have been settled since ancient times. Its rich hunting-grounds and other natural benefits attracted prehistoric man, and later the Illyrians, Romans and Slavs, all of whom left behind them a wealth of evidence of their material culture.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (PALAEOLITHIC SITE) OF BADANJ IN BOROJEVIĆI NEAR STOLAC consists of a semi-cave or overhang recessed beneath a cliff that descends to the right bank of the river Bregava. Two chronologically distinct strata of palaeolithic settlement were identified beneath the surface layer. Of particular significance was the discovery of a drawing carved into the rock of the Badanj site, one of the oldest examples of art in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The drawing is cut into the diagonal surface of a large polished block of stone, and probably represents the figure of a horse seen from the offside flank that has been hit by arrows. Only the rear half of the body survives, with flanks typical for a horse and part of the body; the rest of the drawing has been destroyed. The Badanj carving includes figures of animals and symbols, as is typical of Mediterranean palaeolithic art. The site is dated to the late Upper Palaeolithic, i.e. 1300 to 12000 BCE, and was discovered in 1976. The drawing was found beside the cave, the first of its kind on the eastern Adriatic coast, and is partly damaged.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF THE HELLENISTIC TOWN OF DAORSON, OŠANIĆI consists of three linked groups the disposition of which is dictated by the lie of the land. The central area is occupied by a dominant hill fort or acropolis below and to the south and south-west of which are terraces on the ridge, while to the east, on the Banje plateau, is the outer-acropolis area of residential and commercial, mainly artisanal and trade quarters of the settlement. The hill fort was built on a prehistoric fortified settlement which had been in existence there since the early (17/16th century BCE) to the end of the late Bronze Age (9/8th century BCE). The date of the ransacking of the town of Daorson that finally put an end to human settlement there can be determined with fair accuracy as the mid or second half of the 1st century BCE from the details of the wars waged by the Roman Praetor Vatinius against the Delmati. No permanent settlement ever arose on the ruins of the town of Daors. There is ample evidence of its advanced culture and civilization: it minted its own coins and produced complex artistically decorated buckles, there is graffiti on shards of pottery vessels, and parts of stone statues of human figures some 2 m in height were found. A megalithic wall, erected following the lie of the land, has been dated to the 4th century BCE, when both towers were probably built following the construction of the wall. The rest of the acropolis is of later date, through to the 1st century BCE. One of the most important finds is a helmet with the Greek inscription ΠΙИ, probably the abbreviated Illyrian name of the owner PINNES; it was probably made in the 3rd century BCE. The site is exposed to rapid deterioration as a result of lack of maintenance and failure to carry out even minimum protection measures.

Travnik Castle

Although there is evidence of some settlement in the region dating back to the Bronze Age, the true history of Travnik begins during the first few centuries AD. Dating from this time there are numerous indications of Roman settlement in the region, including graves, forts, the remains of various other structures, early Christian basilicas, etc. etc. In the city itself, Roman coins and plaques have been found. Some writing found indicates the settlement is closely connected to the known Roman colony in modern day Zenica, 30 km (19 mi) away.
In the Middle Ages the Travnik area is known as the župa Lašva province of the medieval Bosnian kingdom. The area is first mentioned by Bela IV of Hungary in 1244. Travnik itself was one of a number of fortified towns in the region, with its fortress Kaštel becoming today's old town sector. The city itself is first mentioned by the Ottomans during their conquest of nearby Jajce.
After the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia, much of the local Croatian Catholic population converted to Islam. The city quickly grew into one of the more important settlements in the region, as authorities constructed mosques, marketplaces, and various infrastructure. During 1699 when Sarajevo was set afire by soldiers of Field-Marshall Prince Eugene of Savoy, Travnik became the capital of the Ottoman province of Bosnia and residence of the Bosnian viziers. The city became an important center of government in the whole Western frontier of the empire, and consulates were established by the governments of France and Austria-Hungary.
The period of Austrian occupation brought westernization and industry to Travnik, but also a reduction of importance. While cities such as Banja Luka, Sarajevo, Tuzla, and Zenica grew rapidly, Travnik changed so little that during 1991 it had a mere 30,000 or so people, with 70,000 in the entire municipality.
During the Bosnian War, the town mostly escaped damage from conflict with Serbian forces, but the area experienced fighting between local Bosniak and Croat factions before the Washingto Agreement was signed. After the war, Travnik was made the capital of the Central Bosnia Canton.

Ferhadija ( Ferhad Pasa Mosque )

Ferhat-Pasha Mosque (Bosnian: Ferhat-pašina džamija, Turkish: Ferhad Paşa Camii), more widely known as Ferhadija Mosque, was a central building in the city of Banja Luka and one of the greatest achievements of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 16th century Ottoman and Islamic architecture.
Commissioned by the Bosnian Sanjak-bey Ferhat-paša Sokolović the mosque was built in 1579, [1] and its classical Ottoman architecture was by an unknown apprentice of Mimar Sinan. The mosque complex included three small adjacent mausoleums containing the tombs of Ferhat-paša Sokolović, his granddaughter Safi-kaduna, and his ensign; also a central fountain – the Shaderwan (stone) Fountain – with a smaller fountain at the corner of a wrought iron fence; and a cemetery. Later a Sahat-Kula (clock tower) was added.
In common with most buildings of this type in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the mosque was on a modest scale: 18 meters (59 ft) wide, 14 meters (46 ft) long and 18 meters (59 ft) high at the top of the main dome. The minaret was 43 m (141 ft) high.
Ferhadija was listed as a Bosnia and Herzegovina cultural heritage site in 1950. It was subsequently protected by UNESCO until its destruction in 1993. Today the site, with the mosque's remains, is listed as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The mosque was one of 16 destroyed in the city of Banja Luka during the Bosnian War in 1992-1995.
The Republika Srpska authorities ordered the demolition of the entire Ferhadija and Arnaudija mosque complexes, which stood approximately 800 m (2,625 ft) apart. Both mosques were destroyed in the same night within 15 minutes of each other. (It has been noted that the almost simultaneous destruction of the Ferhadija and Arnaudija mosques required large quantities of explosives and extensive coordination. Many believe that this would not have been possible without the involvement of Banja Luka and Republika Srpska authorities.)
The Serb militia blew up the Ferhadija Mosque on the night of 6-7 May, 1993. May 6 is the date of the Serbian Othodox holiday of Đurđevdan (Saint George’s day). The minaret survived the first explosion, but was then razed to the ground.
Most of the debris was taken to the city dump; some stone, and ornamental details, were crushed by the Serbs for use as landfill. The leveled site was turned into a parking lot. Several weeks after the destruction of Ferhadija the nearby Sahat Kula, one of the oldest clock towers in Europe, was also destroyed.
At the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia a Serb leader from Banja Luka, Radoslav Brđanin, was convicted for his part in organizing the destruction of Muslim property including mosques, and also in the ethnic cleansing of non-Serbs. He was sentenced to a single prison term of 32 years.
The Brđanin case proved that the destruction of the mosques was orchestrated as part of the ethnic cleansing campaign. In addition, the Bosnian side in the Bosnian genocide case at the International Court of Justice has cited the destruction of Ferhadija Mosque as one of the elements of ethnic cleansing and genocide employed by the RS authorities during the Bosnian War.

Kula Husejn Kapetan Gradascevica.

When Husein took over the Gradačac captaincy, he focused most of his attention on administration of internal affairs. It is notable that all of Husein's construction projects were related to the city of Gradačac and its immediate area. During his rule, Gradačac further expanded its status as one of the most prosperous captaincies in Bosnia.
The first and most notable construction was that of the Gradaščević family castle. The fort had existed for decades and was subject to extensive renovations since the time of Mehmed-kapetan in 1765. Husein's father Osman and brother Murat had done some work as well, in 1808 and 1818 to 1819 respectively. However, the exact nature of Husein's contribution to the complex is unknown. The castle's tower has long been associated with Husein but architectural evidence points to the tower existing alongside the rest of the complex from earlier times. It seems likely that Husein was merely responsible for a significant renovation of the tower that lingered in the people's memory.
Husein was certainly responsible for a completely new castle built during his rule. By all accounts, this was a large project, which included the construction of an artificial island surrounded by a moat up to 100 meters wide and of a great depth. The castle was named Čardak and the surrounding village quickly derived its name from it. The walls were of an oval shape, the entire structure being seventeen meters long and eight meters wide. The complex and area also included a mosque, wells, a fishery, and hunting grounds.
Within the Gradačac city walls Husein's most significant contribution to the city was the clock tower (Bosnian: sahat-kula) which was built in 1824. The object's base is 5.5 by 5.5 meters, while the height is 21.50 meters. It was the last object of this type to be built in Bosnia.
Some 40 to 50 meters outside the city walls lies Husein's greatest architectural contribution to Gradačac: the Husejnija mosque. Built in 1826, it features an octagonal dome roof and a particularly high minaret of twenty-five meters. Three smaller octagonal domes are found above the verandah. Islamic decorations and artistry are seen on the door and surrounding wall as well as the interior. The entire complex is surrounded by a small stone wall and gate.
Husein's rule in Gradačac was also notable because of his tolerance towards the Christian populace under his jurisdiction; both Catholic and Orthodox. Though social norms of the time dictated that the Ottoman sultan's official approval was necessary for the construction of any non-Islamic religious buildings, Husein approved the construction of several such buildings without it. A Catholic school was built in the village of Tolisa in 1823, followed by a large church that could hold 1,500 people. Another two Catholic churches were built in the villages of Dubrave and Garevac, while an Orthodox church was built in the hamlet of Obudovac. During Husein's captaincy, the Christians in Gradačac were known to be the most satisfied in Bosnia.
The year 1827 marked Husein's entrance into the greater Bosnian political scene. This was largely due to the impending Russo Turkish War and his role in preparing the defense of the boundaries of the Province of Bosnia. Upon receiving orders from the Bosnian vizier Abdurahim-paša, Husein mobilized the Gradačac populace and strengthened his defenses. During talks held in Sarajevo between the vizier and the country's captains, it is said that Husein stayed the longest to discuss strategy. He was appointed commander of an army that he was to mobilize from the lands between the Drina to the Vrbas. By all accounts, he did a satisfactory job. However, in mid-June 1828, Husein had to rush to Sarajevo with a small accompanying force to get the vizier to safety following a revolt among the troops.
By 1830, Husein had risen to new political heights as he was able to speak on behalf of all (or at least most of) the captains of Bosnia. At that time, he was coordinating the defense of Bosnia against a possible invasion by Serbia, as well as taking it upon himself to address Austrian authorities and warn them against any incursion across the Sava. The authority he wielded in the later years of his captaincy in Gradačac explains the great role he was to have in the years to follow

KULA U ZVORNIKU.

THIS IS THE OLDEST CASTLE IN ZVORNIK. Zvornik is located on the mighty Drina River on the border with Serbia. This town was once a micro-region focal point of industry, economy and culture.

The municipality of Zvornik covers 387 km2 and ranges from 135-600 meters above sea level. It is very rich in natural resources, primarily limestone, wood, and mineral water springs (notably the seven springs of Vitinicki Kiseljak which is one of the many tasty Bosnian mineral waters). The Drina River itself is the greatest attraction in Zvornik. Rafting or canoeing around Zvornik has some really fantastic spots as does fishing in the region south of the high dam. The mild climate and land structure suit the production of berries, plums, cherries, and vegetables. This town has two annual festivals. In July, there is a week-long cultural festival with folk, jazz and rock bands performing on the river bank. In May or June, there is the annual canoeing competition. KKK Drina Zvornik, the canoe club in Divic that organises this competition, also rents canoes and water scooters at reasonable prices.

Kula u Teocaku

Due to its fortress and strategic position, overlooking the Drina and Sava rivers, Bijeljina and Brcko and settlements in Semberija plain, Teocak had played a significant role in the far past. The remains of medieval fortress and related settlements can be seen in Teocak. Below the fortress there are remains of the mosque assumed that was built by the Sultan Faith II, after the 1474 when the Hungarian took over the fortress. The population of area around Teočak was of Christian origin and memory on Hungarian and Roman churches and monastery still live in folk tradition in Teocak. There were two necropolises of stecaks (medieval Bosnian tombstones) in localities of Mramor and Harci and some of the stecaks remain preserved until present.During the medieval times, the situation in the area was very turbulent with frequent changes of rulers: from Hungarian kings and Serbian despots to Bosnian rulers. When first mentioned in medieval period this area called Soli (Salt, or Tuzla) was part of Serbia, ruled by the Serbian king Dragutin since 1284, and his sons Vladislav and Uros as his ancestors.The orthodox Russian nobleman, Rotislav Mihailovic, the son in law of Hungarian king Bela, ruled the area in the period 1255-1264. It is known that the Serbian despots (prince) Stefan Lazarević and Đurađ Branković also ruled the area. The history of the old town of Srebrenica recording 13 different rulers in the period 1411-1463 speaks about utterly unstable and turbulent situation in the area before Turkish invasion.

The similar situation was shared by the most significant medieval fortified town in the Ugljevik region, the town of Teocak. First mention of Teocak in historical records dates back to 1423 related to the Serbian despot Djuradj Brankovic (1427-1456), who took over the town from Hungarians (and got the right tu rule over the western Podrinje ) and started rebuilding and construction works (legends related to reconstruction, forced labor and milk running through the waterpipes still preserved in local tradition). It can be assumed that in this period the small fort was enlarged and emerged into the fortified medieval town of Teocak. It can be assumed that in this period a church was erected in Teocak, keeping the relics of St. Luca the Evangelist for certain period (later on rebuilt and turned into the mosque that still exists and according to some estimations presents the oldest mosque in BiH). After the fall of Bosnia under the Turks in 1463, the Hungarians kept control over the Teocak until 1521 when, together with Srebrenik, it was taken by the Turks (Srebrenicka banovina).

Kula iznad Sarajeva.

Here is one more old castles in Sarajevo. Beautiful place to visit if going there. I will ad more historical information later.

Srebrenik Kula

Srebrenik was first mnentioned 15 February 1333 when the town was under the reign of viceroy Stjepan Kotromanic ( 1314 - 1353 ) Delegration from Dubrovnik's Republic that day came to Srebrenik when eviceroy Stjepan Kotromanic "under the town of Srebrenik" issued a charter to Dubrovnik's Republic in which he comfirmed their possession in Stones cape. Viceroy Stjepan Kotromanic got son so those days were big feasts.

Durig the reing of Tvrtko 1 Bosnia was the peak of its power. After his death Hungary conquered Srebrenik for the firs time but several times Srebrenik managed to became free from Hungary until the secont half of 14th Century. Early in 1463 the Otoman Empire conquered Srebrenik for the first time altogether with 117 Bosnian fortifications but in autuman 1463 Hungary took away Srebrenik again. Two years later Srebrenik became the center of bannat which included folowing towns. Tesanj, Soko Braka ( Brcko ). Waya ( unknown ), Teocak and Gradacac. The bannat was under the rule of Matija Korvin until 1512 when the Ottoman Empire made not numerosu but brave army of capitulate. There is no information about Srebrenik in second half of the 16th century. Srebrenik was included in Gradacac military district in 1701. in 1718 peace was signed in Pozarevac so Srebrenik was near Austrian border. As a border place between two worlds Srebrenik became important again. In 1756 there was army in the town obedient to Gradacac captain. In Austrian report from 1790 Srebrenik was mentioned as an old castle while in 1804 thre were 20 soldiers in the town. In a report from 1833 there were 7 cannons while in 1835 Srebrenik was abandoned. Only few buildings remained in 1850 and among them there was a mosque used for prayers until the second half of 19th century.

Today walls of the old town date from some earlier period ( 18th century ) but the old town Srebrenik shows is old , middle-ages outlines. Today Srebrenik Belongs to the most beautiful and most preserved , middle-aged towns in Bosnai and Herzegovina..