Bobovac

Bobovac stands on a rock spur above the Bukovica valley near Vares and was the principal royal seat of the Bosnian kingdom through the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, holding the crown and the royal chapel where several kings were buried; it fell in 1463 as the kingdom ended. Excavation has exposed the palace, the chapel with its royal tombs, the walls, towers and cisterns, consolidated and marked, with a small display of finds. The site is reached by forest road from Vares and then a walk up, and the position on the spur with valleys on three sides shows why it was chosen. Interpretation panels stand along the route.

History

The fortified town was built during the reign of Stephen II, Ban of Bosnia, and is first mentioned in a document of 1349; it shared the role of royal seat with the court at Sutjeska, today's Kraljeva Sutjeska, but was far better fortified. King Stephen Tomašević moved the royal seat to Jajce, and the Ottomans took Bobovac in 1463, a fall that hastened their conquest of Bosnia (Wikipedia, Bobovac).

Highlights

• The royal chapel - the excavated church with its tombs.
• The palace remains - the foundations of the royal residence.
• Walls and towers - the fortification along the spur.
• The valley position - the defensive setting above the Bukovica.

When to go

May to October for the forest road and the walk up; snow closes access in winter and the track is muddy in spring. Autumn colours the surrounding beech.

Things to know

Everything is at foundation level and takes reading. The forest road is rough and the final approach is on foot. There are no facilities on site. Signage is limited and mainly in Bosnian.

Nearby

Vares lies north; Visoko is southwest.

Key facts