Stolac Old Town
Description
Vidoški Old Town, also known as Križevac, sits on a conical limestone hill above Stolac, on the left bank of the Bregava River. It is one of the largest medieval fortresses in Bosnia and Herzegovina – in the 17th century it had as many as 13 towers and was considered the best-fortified town in Herzegovina. Protected by thick walls of dressed limestone, the town covers more than 20,000 m² and conceals ten cisterns, a storehouse and residential buildings.
From the plateau at the top there is a striking view over Stolac, the fertile Vidovo Field, the Bregava River and the surrounding hills of Hrgud, Ošaniće and Komanje brdo. The site combines traces of the Roman municipium of Diluntum with medieval, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian construction, and in 2003 it was declared a national monument of BiH. The plateau is reached by a pleasant walk of about twenty minutes.
Cultural Heritage
Practical Information
History
In the 17th century, the Old Town of Stolac — Vidoški — had as many as 13 towers and was the best-fortified town in all of Herzegovina. Inside its 2-metre-thick walls, there are still 10 water cisterns today — proof of how strategically important this fortress was, dominating Vidovo Polje.
