CENTRAL CANTON

Geographical position

Central Bosnia Canton, with its central position in the country, is a place where Bosnian and European roads meet. The Canton is char- acterized by extremely mountainous and hilly area going from 300m above sea level to 1,922m. The center of Canton government is .

Area: 3,199km2

Population

By the preliminary date provided by 2013 census, 273,149 people are living in Canton, with 57,543 living in the wider urban area of Travnik.

Climate

Central Bosnia Canton is characterized by mountain continental cli- mate with micro-climates influenced by the river valleys and altitude. The average annual temperature in Travnik is 10.2°C with July being the warmest month with average temperature of 20.2°C and January the coldest with average of -0.7°C.

Tourism Association of Central Bosnia Canton: www.tzsbk.com

Travnik

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Accommodation Travnik

Most accommodation in Central Bosnia Canton is not luxury, but there are Travnik, the center of five 3-star hotels in Travnik. , the most important touristic town in the Central Bosnia Canton, Canton, can offer a hotel, a hostel and private accommodation as well as was the capital city of the the accommodation in the auto camp Plivska Lake. If you are looking for governors of Bosnia from the place to rest, Aquareumal in , where spa tourism is practiced 1699 to 1850, and has a for last 2000 years, is the obvious choice. Mountain of Vlašić, being the ski cultural heritage dating resort, offers several accommodation options as well. from that period. It was one of fortified towns in Travnik the region and its fortress Kaštel is today’s old town Getting there sector. Travnik is the birthplace of bh. writer By air nature by the road is and Nobel Prize win- The closest airport is beautiful. ner Ivo Andrić. His home International Because of it’s cen- was reconstructed and Airport, approximate- tral position Central opened as a museum in ly 90km away from Bosnia Canton has a 1974. Travnik. pretty good bus lines connecting it inside By road the Canton and to Central Bosnia Can- the other parts of the Colorful Mosque ton is on the highway Sulejmanija mosque (Colorful mosque) country and Most of M-5 making it one of the stops on the route Sulejmanija is called “Col- the best connected through the Canton orful Mosque” because of parts of the country. are neither first or the unusual art decora- With its mountanous last, so travelers are tion of the interior and ex- topography, driving advised to take good terior walls. It is located can be demanding at care not to miss their in Travnik, in the Lower times, but there are desired location. Čaršija. In the ground lots of places to rest floor of the mosque the on the way and the bezistan (usually covered market for haberdashery and craftsmanship) can Films shot here: THE DEMOLITION be found. Sulejmanija is SQUAD (1967), Hajrudin Krvavac; THE “The Demolition Squad” a unique example of Ot- BATTLE ON RIVER NERETVA (1969), toman architecture as Veljko Bulajić; ALIVE AND THE DEAD the same building is used (2007), Kristijan Milić. both for religious and secular purposes.

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Travnik Fortress Jajce

This city on conflu- ence of rivers Pliva and , was built in 14th century and served as the capital of the independent Bosnian Kingdom. Beside its natural beauty and Travnik Fortress was built in the known at they upgraded and ex- unique architecture first half of the 15th century during panded the fort. It is considered to Jajce is famous for be- the Bosnian kings Ostoja or Tvrtko be one of the best preserved for- ing a place where the II Kotromanić. It is not known how tresses in Bosnia and . 2nd session of the Anti- the Turks conquered it, but it is Fascist Council of the National Liberation of Vlašić Yugoslavia was held on 29 November 1945. Vlašić is a mountain famous for its pastures cattle-breeding and cheese, Resolutions ratified overlooking the town of Travnik. Its highest peak is Paljenik with an eleva- that BiH, as an equal tion of 1,943m and it provides excellent conditions for skiing, snowboard- federal unit, would en- ing and other winter sports. It is also a popular destination for summer and ter Yugoslavia. eco tourism due to many hiking trails and areas of undisturbed wilderness.

Catacombs in Jajce

The catacombs are situated inside the city walls. It is believed that duke Hrvoje Vukčević built it at the end of 14th century to serve as private church and mausoleum for him and his family. In 2003 Catacombs were officially declared a national monu- ment of .

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Pliva Lakes

Only a few kilometers from Jajce, in natural surroundings, Pliva River flows first into larger of two lakes, Ve- liko Plivsko Jezero (Big

Jajce Fortress

Jajce Fortress was built around the 14th century. On the south- Pliva Lake), and then into west is an entrance smaller one Malo Plivsko adorned with the Jezero (Little Pliva Lake). royal coat of arms. Besides amazing beauty The fortress covers these lakes offer oppor- an area of 11,200m2 tunities for fishing, kayak- and the length of the ing, canoeing, diving and walls is 1,300m. and swimming. has been repaired and rebuilt many times.

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Šipovo Vagan cave Church of St. Mary with St. Luke Belfry

In addition to beautiful rivers Pliva and Church of St. Mary was built in the Romanesque Janj, Šipovo is graced by the lush na- style, which is characteristic of 11th to mid-13th ture of the surrounding lakes, brooks century architecture. Until the mid 15th century and pastures. Šipovo is dominated by church was without a belfry, or the former bell mountain Vitorog, which hides Vagan tower was demolished, and a new built when Cave at its foot of Vitorog. Approxi- relics of St. Luke the Evangelist came to Jajce. mately 20km away from the town is The last Bosnian king Stjepan Tomašević was the rain forest Janj, one of the four rain crowned in this church. It has not been opera- forests in Europe. tional since the late 19th century.

Fojnica

Fojnica is a town know for spa tourism. It lies in the valley of the Fojnička River and besides spa it is famous for being the home of Holy Spirit Fran- ciscan Monastery which houses an important part of the nation’s cultural heritage, including a large library of philosophical and theological works from 16th to 19th centuries, with some dating back to 1481.

Prokoško Lake

Prokoško Lake is located 22km away from Fojinica, on the Vranica Moun- tain, at the altitude of 1,636m. This glacial lake is surrounded by mild Bugojno is a town situated by the river Vrbas, slopes and fields ideal for comfort- able hiking and is home to endemic 570m above sea level. To the west of the town Film: “Alive and The Dead” is Koprivica region. This enormous forest was species – blind cave salamander and once one of Marshal Tito’s favorite hunting endemic lizard – triton. Traditional spots. The uninhabited dense forest has created shepherds settlement (known as ka- a sanctuary for wild animals and hunting asso- tun) is being slowly turned into tour- ciations are very active in this region. ist place where anybody can come and enjoy traditional way of living.

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