Počitelj

• Počitelj je tiny town of Oriental style on the left bank of Neretva River located about half an hour's drive from Mostar on your way to the Adriatic coast or to Hutovo blato reserve. From Počitelj to the Adriatic Sea you get in less than 30 minutes of drive along the M-17 road to the south. Počitelj Fortress was rebuilt in 1383 by the Bosnian King Stjepan Tvrtko I as the main stronghold agains Turkish conquest in Neretva River Valley. The first document dating from 1444 mentions the Town of Neretvian Pocitelj that belongs to the Herzeg Stjepan. After the Ottoman conquest, during the 15th and the 16th century, the settlement gained features of the Oriental-Mediterranean styles, with numerous very significant architectural structures. Pocitelj was part of the Ottoman Empire until 1878. Počitelj lost its strategic importance when Austria-Hungary took over Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878, that led to its decline, but enabled preservation of the authentic historical core of the settlement until the present time.

  The unique settlement of Počitelj is listed as a UNESCO heritage site. Recent reconstruction has returned the town of Počitelj to its original form. Besides its stunning oriental architecture that encompasses all kinds of buildings built during the period of 400 years, Pocitelj hosts the longest operating art colony in southeast Europe. Artists from around the world gather here to paint, among other things but importantly, the shiny red pomegranates and figs that grow in abundance on the hills of Pocitelj. The Hadzi-Alija Mosque has been reconstructed as well as the Sisman-Ibrahim-pasina medresa and the Gavran Kapetanovic house, all of which are open to visitors. The most striking object in Pocitelj is the Sahat-kula, a silo-shaped fort that towers from the top of the hill above the town. Sahat Kula - Clock Tower housed watchmen and military to guard against possible invasion from the Neretva Valley and makes Pocitelj regarded as the town-museum.

• Enchanting Balkan Tour

• West Herzegovina and the Central Bosnia