Jajce & Travnik – Royal Castles and Waterfalls
Jajce and Travnik, what do these little known cities have in common? Well, for one, they were both royal cities of Bosnia at one point or another. Jajce was the capital of the Slavic Bosnian kingdom and Travnik the Ottoman providence of the West Balkans. Today, both cities are long past their glory days, only shadows of their former splendor. When my dad and I set off for a day trip from Sarajevo, I knew Jajce would be stunning, I had heard of the beautiful waterfall at the base of the town. What I didn’t realize is how gorgeous Travnik would be. We had set out to make it to Banja Luka that day but never did. These two towns are well worth the trouble and, in my mind, cemented central Bosnia as a land of great beauty.
Table of Contents
A Brief History:
Travnik:
Possibly named after a governor who administered travarina, a grass tax, Travnik was an important administrative center during the Ottoman Era. Although the region has been occupied since the Bronze Age, the city did not gain prominence until the 15th century with the arrival of the Ottomans. In 1699, when Sarajevo was burned to the ground by Eugene of Savoy, it became the capital of the region and for 150 years it would remain. During this period, the city would come house consulates and the viziers, rulers of these lands.
During the Austrian occupation the city stagnated while other nearby cities like Zenica thrived. During the Bosnian war in 1993 it was flooded with refugees from Jajce. Today the city is a quiet mountain town with an economy based on tourism. Skiing happens in the mountains during the winter season and Mt. Vlašić the tallest mountain in Bosnia is not far away. There are also a few factories employing locals, but wages are low and the region suffered greatly from the Bosnian War in 1993.
Jajce:
Jajce is the most famous of the two cities, occupied since antiquity, the people here at this time worshiped Mithra a Zoroastrian sun god from Persia. The religion was likely introduced by roman soldiers having served in the East. Evidence of these practices can be found at the Jajce Mithraeum, a temple to the sun god. The city as seen today was built in the 14th century, serving as the capital of an independent Slavic Bosnian Kingdom.
The last Bosnian king Stjepan Tomašević was slain here by the Ottomans in 1463. The city was shortly recaptured by the Hungarians who would hold it in a futile attempt to stop the Ottoman advance though the Balkans. In 1527 it was recaptured by the Ottomans, the last Bosnian town to capitulate. The town then fall into relative unimportance, almost nothing happened here during the Austro-Hungarian years.
During the time of the Second World War Jajce, then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, regained its importance. Yugoslavia joined the war on the allied side and was quickly crushed by Germany. Throughout the occupation of the kingdom Jajce was part of a small swath of territory still free from Axis rule. It is here that the Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia met in 1943 and decided that Bosnia and Herzegovina would be a core republic of the new socialist state of Yugoslavia, one amongst a nation of equals. Although Yugoslavia is gone it was a momentous event.
During the Bosnian war, the town which had previously enjoyed a multi-ethnic background due to its border between Croat, Serb and Bosniak (Muslim) areas became a war zone. In 1992 it was taken by Serb forces and Croat and Bosniaks evacuated the premises. The Serbs demolished all religious structures in retribution for the destruction of their Orthodox cathedral. Later in 1995, Serbs where evacuated when Croat and Bosniak forces entered the town.
Today the economy is in tatters and relies on tourism. The old town is in a state of renovation and the per-war population numbers have not returned.
What to do in Travnik:
Renting a car in Sarajevo for a paltry sum of 20 euro, my dad and I made our way north to Travnik by way of the A1 motorway, the only segregated highway in the country. My dad at the wheel and I navigating, we drove though the heavily inclined roads of Sarajevo to the highway. The urban driving was stressful but as soon as we left the city things calmed down. The A1 split off into the M5 a two-lane road and we were left with a gorgeous view of the green Bosnian hills. As we pulled into town we could see the castle dominating the landscape.
Entering Travnik we found parking on the south side of the Lašva a stream running though the town. We parked on a side street by a handsome old blue and yellow school building dating from the Austro-Hungarian period.
Walking though the town, we picked up a snack and we made a beeline towards the castle. To get there we cut though a cemetery offering a great view of the old ottoman clocktower. Travnik is the only town in Bosnia with two clocktowers.
From the cemetery, continuing upward, we connected with the narrow and steep medieval streets. There is plenty of medieval architecture on display to see including mosques and old stone homes.
From there we continued to the fortress, there is an admission fee but it is negligible. To access the complex, you have to walk across a long stone bridge arching over a small ravine. In one of the yards we spotted a large puppy mill. Although not known for dog breeding Travnik is home to the unique breed the Bosnian Tornjak. This is a Croatian Shepard dog that almost became extinct until it was revived in the 1970’s.
The castle, once home to the Viziers (Governors) of Bosnia was built in the early 1400’s or late 1300’s but the exact date has been lost to time. We do know that the castle predates the arrival of the Turks but we have no record of how the town fell to them. Today, the castle’s stewardship belongs to the museum of Travnik. The work done to restore the castle in 1999 looks sublime. Today the most impressive part of the castle is the massive tower at its south end.
After exploring the grounds of the fortress we made our way down the hill to karst spring called the Plava Voda Fed by groundwater, this blue watered beauty empties out to the Lašva. On the sides of the spring is a part of the old town with old stone buildings and many restaurants. If you are so inclined the local specialty is Travnik cheese, it is made of sheep milk and ripened for 60 days in a wood vat.
If you have a chance the Viziers tombs can be found in the west end of town as well as the home of Ivo Andrić, the immortal Bosnian writer. One of his works the “Travnik Chronicle” deals with life in the town during the Napoleonic wars. Another famous resident of Travnik is Miroslav Ćiro Blažević coach of the 1998 Croat national football team that placed third.
What to do in Jajce:
We arrived in Jajce via the M-16 motorway, the roadway offering steep climbs and a breathtaking view of the green mountains of central Bosnia. When approaching the town this road junctions into the M-16 and the E-761. Take the E-761 and get off at the first exit, if you go though a tunnel you have gone too far. The exit leads to a parking lot with a small one room museum with light brown cladding. This is the AVNOJ or Antifascist Museum where in 1943 142 representatives from all throughout the Yugoslav republics renounced sovereignty and embraced equality to combat the axis. The structure is interesting due to the fact that it is a relic, an ode to a state that no longer exists, one confined the the dusty annals of history.
Crossing the bridge across the Pliva river you reach a winding road that ends at a guard tower, this is the base of the town. Here there are many restaurants and cafes to stop at, the area is usually filled with domestic tourist but not so many foreigners. A winding road will take you up the mountain towards the castle with good signage in both Bosnian and in English of the monuments you will encounter along the way. These include the Ethnographic museum, the ruins of St. Mary’s church, the Bear tower and the catacombs.
The church dates from the 12th century and the iconic Romanesque bell tower added in 1459 was added to house the relics of St Luke. These relics were brought over by king Thomas of Serbia after the fall of his kingdom to the Turks, his son king Stephen would be crowned here, he was the last king of Bosnia. After his execution by the Turks, the relics were sold to Venice and the church turned into a mosque. The building burned down several times and fell out of use in 1832. The bear tower is an ancient military fortification with thick walls. Legend has it prisoners were fed to bears in this tower.
Finally, just north of the bear tower is the entrance to the catacombs. You must pay for this attraction, it is quite small, but it is a small fee. Carved into the rock is a small chapel with a cross dug into the rock wall as well as the tombs. The Bosnian duke, Hrvoje Vukcic Hrvatinic, founder of medieval Jajce built this as a resting place for himself and is family in the 14th century. His remains are still interned here.
At the top of the hill is the medieval fort, built in the 14th century by the king of Jajce, Hrvoje Vukcic Hrvatinic. As you approach the gate his sigil can still be found adorning the tower. Having survived many sieges, the walls give a good view of the medieval town bellow. Today it is a national monument of Bosnia.
Back down by the parking area it is possible to access the famous waterfall. A modern stone viewing platform has been built and it is beautiful. I was here in spring and the discharge of water is enormous, the whole platform was soaked.
Before you leave you should make sure to hit the Mithradium (temple of Mithra) mentioned in the history section. Although to the west and outside the immediate area of the old town, it is best preserved in Europe and one of the more unique structures of its kind in Bosnia.
Bribery and the Return to Sarajevo:
Realizing we had burned most the daylight hours we returned to Sarajevo. There is a law in Bosnia concerning the operation of a motor vehicle during daylight that is a little tricky. You must remember to have your headlights on at all times, since there are many tunnels in the country this makes sense. My dad forgot about this and we were caught on a rural road by police officers with our headlights off. A quick bribe later (this was heavily hinted at by the officer) this issue disappeared, the amount was small but I do not advise this in regular circumstances, who knows when the country will crack down on corruption.
Conclusion:
If you can spare the time for a day trip from Sarajevo, I would strongly recommend hitting these two towns. Although they could not be more different they will help flesh out your understanding of the country before the arrival of the Austrians.
Additional Picture Gallery
If you would like to see a few more pictures from the Roadtrip, you can find them here.
Keep writing Des. Love how detailed each of your descriptions are, makes one feel as if they are there or seeing it first hand. Safe travels !!