Fojnica

Fojnica lies in a valley in central Bosnia and has two things: thermal water, used at a rehabilitation spa in the town that has operated since the nineteenth century, and the Franciscan monastery of the Holy Spirit above it. The monastery, founded in the fourteenth century and rebuilt after fires, holds one of the more significant monastic libraries in the country with incunabula and manuscripts, a collection of paintings and liturgical objects, and the Ahdname attributed to Mehmed II, the charter granting protection to the Bosnian Franciscans issued in 1463 and one of the documents most often cited in the country's history. The monastery museum is open to visitors.

What you'll find

• The Franciscan monastery - the house above the town and its church.
• The library - the manuscripts and early printed books in the collection.
• The Ahdname - the 1463 charter held at the monastery.
• The thermal spa - the treatment establishment in the town.

When to go

May to October for the walking and the valley; the monastery museum keeps daytime hours and is best confirmed in advance. The spa operates year round on treatment programmes.

Good to know

The monastery museum keeps limited hours and access to the library is restricted. The Ahdname on display may be a facsimile depending on conditions. The spa is a medical establishment rather than a leisure hotel. The town is small.

Nearby

Prokosko lake lies northwest; Kiseljak is east.

Key facts