Tesanj

Tesanj is built around a rock carrying a fortress that covers some six thousand square metres, among the largest medieval fortifications in Bosnia and Herzegovina, recorded from the fifteenth century on older foundations and extended under Ottoman rule with towers, a cistern and gates. The walls are substantial and the enclosure is walked, with a view over the town and the surrounding hills. Below the fortress the old quarter keeps the Cars mosque, a clock tower, a hamam and the line of the bazaar, and the town has a working commercial centre around it. Tesanj is also known nationally for its brewery and for a mineral water spring.

History

The town's present name first appears in 1461, in a charter by which King Stephen Tomašević granted his uncle Radivoj, among other lands, the city of Tešanj in Usora, and between 1463 and 1476 it was the residence of Radivoj Kotromanić. From 1512, or by other accounts 1520-21, it was under Ottoman rule, and the sanjak-bey Gazi Ferhad built the Ferhadija Mosque in 1563 and was buried in its yard in 1568; the Eminagić House of the late 17th century is the oldest house in town, and the clock tower, 18.5 metres tall and built in the 17th century, is one of four of the country's 21 clock towers still keeping time (Wikipedia, Tešanj).

What's there

• The fortress - the large walled enclosure on the rock.
• The old quarter - the mosque, clock tower and bazaar line below.
• The hamam - the Ottoman bath building in the town.
• The town view - the outlook from the fortress walls.

When to go

May to October for the fortress and the walking; access is charged and staffed in season and open but unstaffed at other times. The town is a working centre year round.

What to expect

The fortress is a consolidated ruin with limited interpretation. Parts of the enclosure are overgrown. The old quarter is small and mixed with modern building. Facilities are those of a working town.

Nearby

Doboj lies northeast; Maglaj is east.

Key facts