Pliva Lakes

The Pliva forms two lakes above Jajce, the Great and the Small, separated by a short channel, and across that channel stands the group of watermills that the place is known for: around twenty tiny wooden mills, each barely large enough for one person and a single pair of stones, built side by side on stilts over the water and dating in their present form to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, restored as a protected ensemble. They were built small because water rights and grinding were divided among many households. The lakes themselves are used for swimming, rowing and fishing, with a rowing regatta held on the Great lake, and campsites and restaurants on the shore.

What you actually see

• The watermill group - the twenty small wooden mills over the channel.
• The two lakes - the Great and Small Pliva above Jajce.
• Swimming and rowing - the summer use of the water.
• The shore facilities - the campsites and restaurants along the lakes.

When to go

May to September for swimming and boating; the mills are photogenic year round and best in morning light. The regatta falls in summer. Autumn colours the surrounding hills.

Honest expectations

The mills are very small and the ensemble is compact, taking half an hour to see. The shore is developed with campsites and restaurants. Weekends are busy. The water is cold.

Nearby

Jajce and its waterfall lie east; the Vrbas canyon runs north.