That's enough of Mostar. You could 'do it' in a whistle-stop if you had to; beyond the bridge there's not much, and its terribly hot, even at the beginning of summer.
The following day we had a day out looking at three places around Mostar.
First was the old town of Počitelj, about 30min SSW of Mostar, on the Neretva River. Never heard of it, but its probably more significant than Mostar.
From Wikipedia:
The earliest mention of or recorded reference to Počitelj is in charters of king Alfonso V and Fridrich III from 1444 to 1448. However, the village most likely predates these documents. The exact date can't be pinpointed but it is likely that fortified town along with its complementary settlements was built by Bosnian king Tvrtko I sometime in 1383. Počitelj was considered the administrative center and center of governance of župa Dubrava, and point of major strategic importance. During the years following the fall of Bosnian medieval state and Ottoman conquests, between 1463 and 1471, the town was fortified by Vladislav Hercegović, with a support of Dubrovnik, king Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and the Pope. From this point the walled town of Počitelj continued to evolve, especially in the period from the 16th to the 18th century.
In the period between 1463–1471 the town housed a Hungarian garrison and was fortified into a strategic defense stronghold. In 1471, following a brief siege, the town was conquered by the Ottomans, and remained within the Ottoman Empire until 1878. From 1782 to 1879 Počitelj was the seat of a kadiluk (area under the jurisdiction of a qadi, or judge) and the center of the Počitelj military district from 1713 to 1835.
So bringing us to the era of Bosnian Kingdom, pre Ottoman conquest. The two fortresses still stand, albeit repaired, and overlook the town and river. Only one is accessible.
Leaving Mostar, plenty of vineyards.
Towards Počitelj, we started seeing the
Bosnian A1 motorway, part of the
European highway E73 linking Budapest to the Adriatic. The A1, when completed will link Sarajevo straight through to the coast. I think our guide said 2 hours!!
The Kulina fortress, not accessible. 14-15th century.
The walled town of Počitelj - now a major artist 'colony'.
Red flowered bushes are pomegranate. It was a God-knows how many steps to the top, in great heat and the dear local ladies were selling frozen pomegranate juice in old Coke bottles.
You can climb to the Pašina tabija fortress which has been restored, with walkways etc. Most of the pics above were taken from the lookout. Views downstream.
Destination!!
. Coupled with a glass of blueberry juice, it was energising!
sugared up, I headed up the hill to the Yellow Fortress, about 25 mins.
