Vrijeka River (Vrioka)
Description
The Vrijeka River, also known as Vrioka, is a karst sinking river located in Dabarsko Polje in eastern Herzegovina, on the border of the municipalities of Berkovići and Bileća. It is only about 2.5 km long, and its course ends by disappearing into the Ponikva sinkhole. Through underground waterways, the water most often ends up in the Trebišnjica River basin. The spring of Vrijeka is about 30 km from Bileća, along the Bileća–Berkovići main road, and is one of the most beautiful excursion spots in the Bileća municipality.
The water is crystal clear and drinkable along its entire course. The river is home to endemic species of gaovica — science has recorded only six species of gaovica in the world, and three are from eastern Herzegovina: the Gacko, Popovo and Trebinje species. Brown trout, rainbow trout and crayfish are also present. The fishing zone is managed by SRD Bileća. The area around the spring is rich in greenery and shade, and is also suitable for camping. In summer, it is a favourite oasis of peace.
The gaovica that reached the sultan
The gaovica from Vrijeka is no ordinary fish — it is a legend. According to an old story, Turkish travellers and military commanders who passed through Herzegovina tasted this small fish and were so impressed by its flavour and its supposed aphrodisiac and medicinal properties that they sent it all the way to Istanbul, even to the sultan himself. Fresh fish would be wrapped in ash and fig leaves to keep it fresh on the long journey.
Science has, however, confirmed something that cannot be made up: of the six known species of gaovica in the world, as many as three live exclusively in eastern Herzegovina — the Gacko, Popovo and Trebinje species. Vrijeka is one of their habitats.
The spring as an oasis
The spring of Vrijeka, located along the Bileća–Berkovići main road, is a picnic spot that is harder to forget than to find. The water is crystal clear and drinkable along its entire course — which means you do not need to carry bottles at any point on the way to the Ponikva sinkhole.
Greenery, deep shade from willows and deciduous trees, two wooden footbridges installed by SRD Bileća, and the silence of Dabarsko Polje make the area around the spring perfect for an impromptu break, a picnic, or camping, with no infrastructure to disturb it. And it is precisely this untouched natural feel that is the greatest value of Vrijeka.
