Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country on the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe, encompasses mountainous terrain, medieval villages and Muslim and Christian landmarks.
Its countryside is marked by deep gorges, turquoise rivers and lakes, and the Dinaric Alps' forests and crags. It's a popular destination for outdoor sports such as hiking, mountain biking, white-water rafting, and skiing.
Strength Points of Bosnia
Sarajevo the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from places to visit like Vrelo Bosne, Bijela Tabija – where you can see the whole Sarajevo city, surrounded by the Dinaric Alps. Sarajevo is one of those rare cities where, during a ten-minute walk, you can see places of worship for the world’s most important monotheistic religions: Orthodox and Catholic churches, synagogues and mosques. All of these traditions have given Sarajevo a specific aroma and a particular cultural mix. A rich heritage, gorgeous nature, excellent value for the money and Sarajevo hospitality are just a few reasons why you should visit Sarajevo.
A Sebil (Arabic: سبيل) is a public water fountain, often decorated with stone carvings. Sebils were built at crossroads and outside mosques throughout the Ottoman Empire to provide drinking water for travelers and enable ritual purification before prayer. The construction of many Sebils was considered the hallmark of a beneficent ruler. In the 16th century Istanbul, sebils were a symbol of public possession. The attempt to add spigots was opposed because this was perceived as limiting public access to the blessings of nature. Endowing money for the construction of sebils was considered an act of piety. Initially, they functioned as kiosks where water was distributed to passersby. Often they were decorated in the Ottoman Rococo style and inscribed with Ottoman Turkish verses that formed a chronogram using the Abjad numbers to date the construction. Until the spread of in-house plumbing by the end of the 20th century, they were essential for the daily life of the inhabitants of Istanbul.
Banja Luka is the administrative capital of the Republika Srpska, the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is by far the largest city in the northwest. Banja Luka is a city surrounded by lush green hills, it is split in half by two rivers, the river Vrbas and a very rough river that is just in a short distance from Banja Luka, which suddenly loses its waterfalls and cascades, and flows gently into town.
The natural beauties of the surrounding area guarantee the city of Banja Luka a good position in tourism. Banja Luka has a number of hotels, one of the best being Hotel Cezar Banja Luka. One of the hotels right on the Vrbas River’s bank is the Marriott. The city and surrounding area boast a number of popular tourist attractions. Among the most famous are the pools, thermal springs, and spas in the region. Due to its parks and over 10 000 trees, Banja Luka was once nicknamed the "Green City". The area is popular among nature lovers, while the city center is attractive to tourists due to its historical structures and many restaurants. Other attractions of Banja Luka are the Banj Hill and a waterfall of the Vrbas River near Krupa. Rafting on the Vrbas River is currently becoming popular among the local tourists. There is fishing, rock climbing and hiking along the canyon of the Vrbas between Banja Luka and Jajce, and there is plenty of accommodation for visitors.
Tuzla is situated on the southeast slopes of the Majevica Mountain, the city of Tuzla occupies the central area of northeast Bosnia. Tuzla is the economic, cultural, scientific, cultural, educational, health and tourist center of northeast Bosnia. It is the only city in Europe that has not one Salt Lake, but three in the city center alone, with a wide range of entertainment and beach facilities. After Sarajevo and Banja Luka, Tuzla is the third largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tuzla is the only city in Europe that has a Salt Lake at its center. The ancient Pannonian Sea dried up around 10 million years ago, but work by researchers and scientists has now enabled a level of saline water to be kept stable at the surface, and in 2003 the Pannonian Lake was opened. A second lake that includes artificial waterfalls was inaugurated in 2008. An archaeological park and replica Neolithic lake dwellings were also incorporated into the scheme, providing information about the different cultures which left their material and spiritual mark here. The site has become an international tourist destination. A third lake was completed in August 2012. Construction expenses for this were nearly 2 million Bosnian marks (ca. 1 million euros). This third lake also contains 2 water slides which are an attraction for the younger population. The summer season of 2013 recorded approximately 5,000 visitors per day (c. 450,000 for 3 months)
Mostar is one of the most iconic cities in the Balkans. It is a very important city in the Herzegovina region and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. What is unique about this city is that it was named by the bridge Stari Most. Stari Most is a 16th century, Ottoman-style Bridge and Mostar’s most notable architectural landmark. It was built in the year 1566, but unfortunately, it was destroyed in the war 1993 and rebuilt in 2004. The interesting thing concerning the mentioned bridge is at that time an unseen way of reconstruction of the building. Namely, during the reconstruction of the bridge, there have been applied methods and materials used in the first construction. Because the bridge is on the UNESCO world heritage list, the reconstruction work has been kept on the eye of the experts. Today you can see the jumping divers every once in a while. What is also interesting is that there are for those who are brave they can jump, but they will need to get certified by their coach. What is also unique about the city is that it has several Turkish houses dating from the 17’Th century. You can also visit the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque and can climb the Menara and to see the whole city from the top. Just 40 kilometers outside of Mostar, Kravice Waterfalls is the absolute perfect place to spend a summer day. Around 25 meters high, the waterfalls cascade into a stunning emerald colored lake.
The historical town area is spatially and topographically encircled and defined the entity. There is a strong connection between natural resources (such as rivers, river cascades, waterfall, and sculpturally shaped rocks) and architectural heritage (which is the result of the century’s long human presence in this area). The boundary lines of the town area are natural. They generally encircle mediaeval town core inside the fortress with steep hillsides to the foothills and residential part of the town, which has developed in the Middle Ages at the north side of the fortress down to the Vrbas River. The fortress, town ramparts, and towers are located on the south part of the great sloping rocky ground. The Pliva River flows and closes boundary lines from the south-west, and the Vrbas River comes and closes boundary lines from the south-east and east. The concept of the town is typically mediaeval. Jajce represented one of the greatest and also one of the most developed mediaeval settlements in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
At a distance of 5 kilometers from the town, there are Great and Small Pliva lakes, resulting by transformation of the flow of river Pliva, which is also used as a significant hydropower resource. Pliva lakes have a great role in the development of the sport, recreation, sports fishing, tourism and fish farming. Great Pliva lake, due to the specific density of water, it is ideal for kayaking and canoeing, and kayaking competitions. In 1963 Jajce hosted the European and the World Kayaking and Canoeing Championship. Next to Pliva lakes there are car camping, apartments, hotels, motels, restaurants and resorts. Special attraction are a Water mills complex built on the tufa partition between the Great and Small Pliva lakes, popularly called Mlincici.
Bihac is the capital of the homonymous municipality in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina and the capital of Una-Sana Canton. The surface of the municipality is 900 km2. Until 1995 the area was approximately 689 km2, in order, after the conclusion of the Dayton Agreement, part of the pre-war municipalities Drvar was annexed to the municipality of Bihac. According to the 1991 census, the municipality counted 70,732 inhabitants, according to estimates, the population at 30 June 2007 was 61,035. [2] The city has 39,195 residents.
National Park Una is one of three national parks in Bosnia and Herzegovina and first in Federation B&H. It was established in 2008. It covers the area of the upper canyon of river Una upstream from Lohovo and lower canyon of river Unac all the way to the small river Krka in the west.
Along the valley of river Una, in the most part of National Park Una, you can find cultural monuments, fortresses, towers and towns which present the additional value to the National Park. This area was undoubtedly settled since the ancient times until today. Evidence to this could be found in numerous archeological sites, remains of many fortresses as well as still existing medieval fortresses.
River UnaRiver Una got its name from ancient Romans, who, when they saw its lively colors and heard the gurgle of its waterfalls shouted: “UNA”, which in Latin means the one, the only one, the unique one. The Una River actually runs through the city of Bihac. The first big waterfall is in Martinbrod, a small town some 50 kilometers away from Bihac. This is the spot where Una takes the viewer’s breath away as the travertine created numerous canals, rapids, small islands and few waterfalls close to one another, the biggest one of which is 20 meters high and it is a magnificent image a man can enjoy for hours.
Traditionally, the international Una Regatta takes place on this river every year. Bihac and Una are famous across Europe for white water rafting, so it attracts large number of people from all parts of the world.