Old Town Ostrovica
Description
Stari grad Ostrovica is a large fortification on a steep hill above the left bank of the Una River near the settlement of Ostrovica, close to Kulen Vakuf in the municipality of Bihać. Located within Una National Park, the fortress contains at least three historical layers: a prehistoric hillfort, a medieval town from the 15th century, and an expanded Ottoman fortification.
In the Middle Ages, it was owned by the Kurjakovići (Karlovići), Frankopani, Juraj Mikulčić, and Ivan Keglević. It fell under Ottoman rule in December 1523, and until 1878 a military garrison was permanently stationed there. The Ottomans expanded and strengthened it — especially during the reign of Sultan Ahmed I in the early 17th century — so the walls reached dimensions of 117 × 83 meters, with a height of up to 10 m, four towers, and two bastions. It was the seat of the Stara Ostrovica Captaincy, whose captains came from the Bosnian bey family Kulenović. It has been declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Three layers of history
Ostrovica is not one fortress — it is three fortresses one on top of another. On the prehistoric hillfort, whose embankments 282 m long and 211 m wide can still be recognized today, the medieval town of Kurjakovići was built in the 15th century. That town became the most heavily fortified in the upper course of the Una.
On that foundation, after the conquest in 1523, the Ottomans built, strengthened, and expanded the fortification over the course of two centuries — especially under Sultan Ahmed I in the early 17th century — until it reached the final form of the walls seen today. Each of those layers preserved its own traces: from the remains of the "Greek church" on the western side to the Ottoman gate and towers.
Kulenović and the Captaincy
Old Ostrovica was not only a military fortress but also an administrative center: the seat of the Captaincy of Stara Ostrovica, founded at the beginning of the 18th century. Its territory also included the smaller fortifications of Orašac, Havala, Džisr-i-kebir (today's Kulen Vakuf), the palanka of Čovka, and Donji Lapac.
The captaincy was headed by captains from the Bosnian beg family Kulenović — a hereditary duty that lasted for more than a century. The first known captain was Salih-aga Kulenović, and the last was Mehmed-beg (1821–1835). In front of the fortress's main gate stood their odžak — a noble residence that bears witness to the civilian life that accompanied the military stronghold.
Military Power Through the Centuries
The military importance of Ostrovica is shown by the numbers: in the 16th century, it housed a garrison of 60 cavalrymen and 150 infantrymen. In 1577, a total of 210 soldiers guarded this one point on the upper Una. The Austrian army attacked Ostrovica several times — in 1560, 1698, 1737, 1789, and 1834 — never taking it permanently.
Its position on a steep hill above a river crossing that a rider could ford was strategically ideal: whoever holds Ostrovica controls the passage through the Una valley between Bosnia and Lika. This position was the reason for its construction and the reason for its survival through more than three centuries of Ottoman rule.
Today and Una National Park
After the Austro-Hungarian occupation in 1878, the fortress no longer had a military function and slowly fell into ruin. However, with its inclusion in Una National Park in 2008, Ostrovica got a new chance. Restoration work on the entrance gate and the northern tower has already been carried out, and the fortress is open to visitors during the summer season (May 1 – September 30, 09:00–20:00).
Located right by the Una River and its clear waters, Ostrovica is part of one of the most beautiful national parks in BiH and an ideal starting point for combining historical and nature tourism.
