Stolac

Stolac lies where the Bregava runs green through a narrow valley, and the town is built along it: Ottoman stone houses with walled gardens, mosques, bridges over the river, mills and the Begovina residential complex on the slope, with the walls of the Vidoski fortress on the ridge above. A great deal was destroyed in the 1990s and rebuilding has been long and incomplete, so restored and ruined stand side by side. Just outside the town at Radimlja is the best-known necropolis of stecci, the medieval carved tombstones inscribed as World Heritage across the region, with over a hundred and thirty stones carrying reliefs of figures, weapons and symbols.

History

The area has been lived in for at least 15,000 years, as the markings in Badanj Cave, dated to 12,000-16,000 BC, show, and it was later home to Illyrians, Romans and Slavs. Three kilometres west of the town is the Radimlja necropolis of stecci from the 15th and 16th centuries, tombstones carved with epitaphs, portraits of the dead, grapevines, hunting scenes and animals, five of them thought to mark graves of the Hrabren Miloradović family (Wikipedia, Stolac).

Highlights

• Radimlja necropolis - the carved stecci tombstones outside the town.
• The Bregava - the green river running through the town with its bridges.
• Ottoman houses - the stone buildings and walled gardens along the river.
• Vidoski fortress - the walls on the ridge above.

When to go

April to October for the river and the walking; Herzegovina is very hot in July and August. Mornings are cooler. The Radimlja site is open at any time with a visitor point in season.

Practical notes

Reconstruction after the 1990s is incomplete and parts of the town remain ruined. Interpretation is limited. The fortress path is rough and unmanaged. There is little shade at Radimlja.

Nearby

Daorson lies above the town; Pocitelj is northwest.

Key facts