Bosnia
Not many people see Bosnia and Herzegovina as a tourist
destination. That is a pity, because the country has a lot to
offer, especially to people who love sports or nature. In the
east there are possibilities for climbing, in the central part
skiing and in the west rafting and canoeing. The Adriatic Sea
(near Neum) can provide the tourist a vacation with sun, sea and
beach. A brief summary of the possibilities:
- Cities
- See for the cities of Bosnia-Herzegovina the cities-section of this site.
- Culture
- Despite the war, many historical constructions have been
preserved. As old as many of hundreds of years are the
Stećci: Carved stones by a group of Bogumils, a religion
which does not exist any more. Near the museum of Sarajevo
one can find some in the garden, but in rural places some
can be found in the nature.
High on the mountain Bjelašnica, south of Sarajevo is the country highest and most remote village of Lukomir. The village can only in the summer be reached by car and time seems to have forgotten this village.
In the south is the village of Počitelj, from the 15th century, built by the Bosnian king Tvrtko.
At the source of the Buna-river, near the village of Blagaj one can find an old Turkish monastry (Tekija), built against a 250m high rock. This well preserved building is one of the country most known construction. Blagaj
The most known symbol of Bosnia-Herzegovina is the bridge of Mostar. This bridge, built in the 14th century was destroyed in the war in 1993, but rebuilt with original stones and opened on July 23rd, 2004. - Nature
- Bosnia-Herzegovina knows many virgin nature areas. Most
of all the high peaks of the Dinaric alps in the southeast
care for unaccessible and therefore preserved areas. What a
visitor should visit are:
- National park Sutjeska: In the eastern part
named after the river Sutjeska which has created a
beautiful canyon. The par is well known for the heavy
fightings during World War II, there is still a giant
monument there. On the slopes of the highest mountain of
Bosnia-Herzegovina (Maglić, 2.386m, on the border with
Montenegro) is one of the last ancient European forests,
Perućica. It is a good area for hiking.
- National park Kozara, in the north. this mountainous area (in the Panonian plains). The area has forests, and much flowers and wildlife.
- Hutovo Blato, in the south. This swamp has more then 250 birdspecies.
- National park Sutjeska: In the eastern part
named after the river Sutjeska which has created a
beautiful canyon. The par is well known for the heavy
fightings during World War II, there is still a giant
monument there. On the slopes of the highest mountain of
Bosnia-Herzegovina (Maglić, 2.386m, on the border with
Montenegro) is one of the last ancient European forests,
Perućica. It is a good area for hiking.
- Active
- Bosnia-Herzegovina is an excellent country for active
sports. Think about::
- Canoeing and Rafting: The rivers Una and Sana (west), Neretva (south), Drina and Tara (east) are perfect for this wet experience.
- Climbing: With sumits above 2.000 metres, Bosnia-Herzegovina has great conditions for climbing.
- Hiking: the mountains and forests have excellent possibilities for those who want to walk through the country, both for the starting as for the more experienced ones.
- Fishing: the rivers and lakes (including the well-known lakes Jablaničko jezero, Boračko jezero) are suitable for a day (or more) fishing.
- Wintersport
- In 1984 the area around Sarajevo was put on the map as winterdestination by the Olympics. The mountains in Bosnia-Herzegovina are assured of snow every winter. Around Sarajevo many facilities have been modernised the latest years, therefore it is a payable alternative for the countries in the Alps. Facilities can also be found on the Vlašić-mountain near Zenica
- Religious
- Međugorje is the most-known place of worship. In 1981,
the virgin Mary should be seen here. Every year the villages
attracts more the hundreds of thousands of people, pilgrims
and people from the Croatian coast on excursion. This
village has everything what a touristdestinations has:
(internet)cafes, souvenirshops, restaurants, etc. Everything
is built around the main square with its Sv.Jakov-church
where masses are held in several languages. From there
pelgrims can walk to the mountain of the cross, where Mary
should have been seen.
Official
pages of Međugorje
- Sun and beach
- Only 22 km of the Adriatic Coast belongs to Bosnia-herzegovina. The village of Neum seperates the southern part of the Croatian province Dubrovnik-Neretva from the rest of Croatia. Neum is a touristdestination with beach, much sun and most of all many hotels along the coast with prices which are remarkably lower then in Croatia. A good way to relax.