TREBINJE REGION

Geographical position

Trebinje lies in the Trebišnjica river valley, at the foot of Leotar, in southeastern , some 30km from (). The city’s old town quarter dates to the 18th-century Ottoman period, and Trebišnjica flows through it.

Area: 3,926.5km2

Population

By the 2013 census 25,589 people are living in the town and 68,434 in the whole Region.

Climate

Trebinje is characterized by Mediterranean climate with hot summers (260 sunny days) and short warm winters. The average annual tempera- ture in the city is 16.6°C, average January temperature is 8.3°C, while av- erage July and August temperature is 26.5°C. Humidity and cloudiness are relatively low. It is interesting that Trebinje has warmer autumn than spring.

Tourism Association of Trebinje: www.trebinjeturizam.com

155 Trebinje Region Trebinje Region

Accommodation Orthodox Church of St. Transfiguration

There are different options for finding accommodation in Trebinje. Beside The Orthodox Church of 13 hotels and motels and 2 hostels, it is pretty easy to find private ac- St. Transfiguration has comodation. Eco Camp Ušće, located on the main road from Trebinje to been built between 1888 Nikšić (Montenegro), 12km from the city, provides space for tent camping and 1908. The Church, and ten wooden cottages where guests can stay. located in the center of Trebinje, is surrounded by neatly kept lawns and Getting there gardens. Interior of the By air By road Church is ornamented with paintings of the or- Although there is no airport close The best way to explore this region thodox church saints and to Trebinje in and Herze- is by car. Narrow roads with lots of many personalities from govina, there is one in Croatia, twists and turns are pretty scenic, the past including Nikola Čilipi (Dubrovnik), only 40km away but can be deceiving so drivers Tesla. and one in Tivat (Montenegro) only should be careful. 55km from Trebinje. There are buses connecting Trebinje to other parts of Bosnia and Herze- govina and to and Montene- Hercegovačka Gračanica gro on the daily basis, but connec- Hercegovačka Gračanica tions to other parts of Herzegovina (Gračanica of Herze- are almost non existent and there is govina) was built in 2000 no bus line to Dubrovnik. on hill of Crkvina as an endowment of Branko and Radmila Tupanjac. It got its name because it is a replica of Monastary Gračanica in . To- day it houses the remains of the famous poet from “Circles” Trebinje Jovan Dučić.

Films shot here: ZDUHAČ MEANS ADVENTURE (2011), Milorad Milinković; CIRCLES (2013), Srdan Golubović; ON THE MILKY ROAD (2016), Emir Kusturica. “Zduhač Means Adventure”

156 157 Trebinje Region Trebinje Region

Tvrdoš Monastery Church of St. Vasilije Tvrdoški and Ostroški Tvrdoš Monastery, located 4.5km away St. Vasilije Tvrdoški and Ostroški, sites in the Balkans. The Church of from Trebinje on the a Serbian Orthodox bishop and St. Vasilije Tvrdoški and Ostroški road to , has saint venerated in the Eastern Or- has been built on the foundations been built on the thodox Church, was born in the of his native house on the right side foundations of an old village Mrkonjići, on the east side of the road from Trebinje. At the left church. It was prob- of Polje, in 1610. The Mon- side of the road, there is St. Niko- ably built in 4th cen- astery of Ostrog, where he is buried laj’s temple in which St. Vaslije has is now one of the major pilgrimage been baptized.

Old Town Trebinje

What is currently known as the Old of Roman, medieval and Turkish Town Trebinje was centre of trade town, an Austrian military camp tury by the order of painter Vicko Lovrov and craft in the town that emerged was built at the end of the 19th cen- Tsar Konstantin, but and monk Marko Ste- on the coast of the Trebišnjica River tury. Today it houses the museum it was destroyed and fanov. The Monastery at the beginning of 18th century. In of Herzegovina. reconstructed several is famous for Tvrdoš the Old Town, on the foundations times. At the begin- wine that has been ning of the 16th cen- produced here since tury the monastery 15th century. was painted by icon

The Osman-paša’s

Osman paša’s Mosque, located in the Old Town near the main (west) gate and town’s walls was built in 1726 by or- ders of Osman-paša Resulbegović. As builders came from Dubrovnik elements of Mediterranean ar- be the most spacious ished during the last chitecture in it are vis- mosque in Herze- war and restorated in ible. It is believed to govina. It was demol- 2005.

158 159 Trebinje Region Trebinje Region

Emperor’s Mosque The Church of St. Barbara with the

This small square- Cemetery and Stećci (tombstones) shaped mosque lo- The Church of St. Barbara was re- cated in the Old Town, built in 1883 on the site of an older near the banks of temple, first mentioned in docu- Trebišnjica, is the old- ments from 1664. From the writ- est mosque in Trebin- ings, position of the church, and je. It was built in 1719 the fact that it was built in the mid- as an endowment of dle of a medieval cemetery, it can the Ottoman Sultan be concluded that the building can Ahmed III. The Mosque easily be older than the 17th cen- tury. A necropolis of tombstones (stećci) probably dates from the early 15th century. was built of cut stone, as well as it’s 12m high octagonal minaret. It Trebišnjica was demolished dur- Trebišnjica is one of ing the 1992-1995 war the longest sinking riv- and restored and re- ers in the world with a opened in 2014. total length of 187km above and under the ground. It’s source is The Arslanagića Bridge at 398m above see The Arslanagića level and it flows into Bridge was built river Ombla before it by Mehmed-paša flows into the sea near Sokolović in 1574. Dubrovnik. It has been moved from its original loca- tion, near the medi- eval town Mičevac, in 1966 because it was endangered by building of the damn on Trebišnjica River. Since 1993, the bridge has also been called the Perovića Bridge.

160 161