Krupa on the Vrbas
Description
Krupa na Vrbasu is a gem of the Vrbas valley, some twenty kilometres south of Banja Luka, in a basin between two gorges. This small place charms with its blend of wild water and greenery, perfect for a day out in nature. Its heart is the Krupa waterfalls – a series of cascades spilling over tufa barriers, creating a deafening roar and countless small pools.
Along the river stand old wooden mills, built of oak and still turned by the water, with little wooden bridges linking the banks. A path leads from the falls to the source of the Krupa, through a hole in the rock, woods and meadows. Yet Krupa is not only nature: near the falls stands a monastery with an ancient church, and above it the remains of the medieval town of Greben, overlooking the Vrbas canyon. With local trout, flour from the mills and quiet by the water, Krupa is a place to return to.
Activities
Falls & mills
The Krupa waterfalls are the main draw – water rushes in from all sides and tumbles in cascades over tufa ledges. Around them stand old wooden mills and bridges, built in the same style and still turned by the water today. A well-kept path runs downstream and upstream, all the way to the source of the Krupa.
Monastery & Greben town
Not far from the falls stands the Krupa na Vrbasu monastery with the Church of St Elijah, linked to the 13th century and, by tradition, to Stefan Nemanja. Above the monastery, on a cliff, rise the remains of the medieval town of Greben, reached by a short hike. From Greben a beautiful view opens over the Vrbas canyon and the whole settlement.
Log church & local food
A few kilometres from the falls, in the hamlet of Tovilovići, hides a small log church of split planks, one of the few preserved in this area, surrounded by many legends. To round off the visit there are real local treats: fresh trout, buckwheat fritters with kajmak and flour ground in the mills, which you can buy or try at the nearby restaurant by the falls.
