Vrelo Lištice – Borak
Description
Vrelo rijeke Lištice, located in the picturesque Borak canyon near Široki Brijeg, is one of the most beautiful and most visited natural excursion spots in Herzegovina. It is a place where nature shows all its power and freshness, creating an oasis that offers perfect shelter even during the hottest summer days.
The special feature of Vrelo Lištice is its incredible temperature. The water here is extremely cold throughout the year, which, combined with dense vegetation and high rocks, creates a unique microclimate. A walk along the landscaped paths by the riverbank, accompanied by the constant sound of water and birdsong, is the best form of natural therapy.
A Canyon That Hides History
Borak is not just a spring — it is a canyon with several thousand years of history etched into the rocks. The Roman road that passed through this gorge in the upper course of the Una is still recognizable, and retaining walls and sections of the path are preserved to this day. Above the canyon stand the remains of a medieval hillfort, locally known as Kruševac.
A row of mills — Lončareve mlinice — stretches two kilometers down the Lištica canyon, and although they no longer operate today, the stone buildings fit perfectly into the surroundings. In addition, the canyon also contains prehistoric traces of the Illyrian civilization, and geologist Goran Glamuzina described the discovery of a large pre-Illyrian stone city with a pyramidal fortress up to 20 meters high above the canyon itself.
The Legend of Teuta and Leda Water
According to a legend preserved among the residents of Široki Brijeg, the Illyrian queen Teuta once visited Borak and was so enchanted that her husband, the Illyrian king Argon, had a summer residence built there for her. The legend also says that Teuta cast a curse on anyone who comes to Borak with the intention of disturbing the peace of the place.
Whatever the legend says, one thing is certain: the water gushing from the Borak spring at a constant 8 °C is unmatched in the region. In 2007, Leda water was created at this spring — the first recognized natural spring water in BiH, today the best-selling water in the country and winner of the Grand Gold Quality Award at the prestigious Monde Selection competition in Brussels. The water is bottled directly from the spring, without any treatment.
