Blagaj
Here you can find some interesting facts about Blagaj. Enjoy!
Blagaj is a small place in the southeastern part of Mostar, is a place that provides peace. In history, this place has been very important, as evidenced by numerous monuments. Blagaj was a city and Mostar a town.
Large Green Cave
Traces of life in Blagaj date back to the Neolithic. In the famous Green cave have been found artifacts from the 5 century BC. “ At the foot of the cliff is the cave from which the waters of the Buna River emerge. The site served as a refuge for people in the Neolithic period. It owes its name to the vegetation that shines through the translucent water and is reflected on the walls. It consists of two caves: the Small Green Cave (Mala Zelena pećina), located at the entrance and 10 m deep, and the Large Green Cave (Velika Zelena pećina) which sinks southward under the cliff. Due to the particularly strong currents, diving here is reserved for professionals. On the other hand, you can enter the Small Cave by inflatable boat. The Big cave was explored from 1955. It was used as a refuge around 4200 BC, as shown by the various traces of human life discovered here: campfire, flints and carved bones, as well as ceramics dating from 3000 to 2800 BC. Until the 1960s, the cave was also home to bird nests, including eagles that disappeared due to hunting. Now, several associations are working to reintroduce eagles in the region. “; (https://www.petitfute.co.uk/)


Home of last Bosnian queen
The most famous Bosnian queen Catherine, who is often mentioned as the last queen of the Kingdom of Bosnia, was born in Blagaj. Her home, better known as the Tower, is often visited by tourists. Queen Catherine remains one of the most important figures in the folk tradition and history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her marriage in 1446 was arranged to bring peace between the King and her father, Stjepan Vukčić. The queenship of Catherine, who at that point converted to Roman Catholicism, was marked with an energetic construction of churches throughout the country.
Blagaj Tekke
The next legend of the mystical Blagaj is Tekke at the source of the river Buna. The Tekke at Vrelo Bune is a place where dervishes performed and still perform zirk (praise be to God). Built at the site of an earlier Bogomil sanctuary, it is a place of which history has no precise and stored data. Archeological excavations have found and confirmed that this location holds the remains of a Late Antique structure.
During the Middle Ages, even before the arrival of the Ottomans, it was a place of utter cultural and religious importance (1. VI 1454.). The first written track of the Tekke was made by Evlija Celebija in 1664. in his travelogues, at time when the Tekke was already well-known throughout the Ottoman empire and within the scientific community. (Read more: https://tekijablagaj.ba/en/history/)


Source & River Buna
The Buna, a small tributary of the Neretva River, runs 9 km westward and probably twice as far underground. The source here is an “exsurgence”, the water coming from an underground hydrogeological network in the heart of the karstic massif of the Velež mountain. The place where the Buna river flows into the Neretva, 9 km away and near the village of Buna, is another sight to see: the meeting of the two rivers forms a natural channel(bunski kanal) particularly beautiful in summer.
Residential complex of the Velagić family
The residential complex of Velagićevina was built in 1776, 200 meters from the source of the Buna, is a unique complex of residential architecture of the Ottoman era, which has a large number of functionally necessary facilities for living. Velagićevina belongs to an old Herzegovinian noble family that contributed a lot to the development of Blagaja.
The Velagici owned a large cultivated land, a large mill and a water laundry. Sensitive to science and culture, the Velagić family had a large library, as well as numerous calligraphies that adorned the inner walls of the dwellings. For centuries, their passion for beekeeping and agriculture enabled them to export honey to the court of Austria and to receive the recognition of King Alexander II from Yugoslavia.
Blagaj is a place where you need to indulge your instincts and listen to your sixth sense.
