Mostar
Credit: www.figurniy.com/Figurniy Sergey
4. It knows its way to the seaside
The east coast of the Adriatic Sea is an international chorus line which runs Italy-Slovenia-Croatia-Montenegro-Albania-Greece, right? Well yes, pretty much. But not quite. Look at the map more closely and you will notice that Bosnia also shares in this waterfront bounty. There it is – all 12 miles of it – interrupting Croatia’s charge to the south-east, around 40 miles north-west of Dubrovnik. This little continuity gap is a quirk of politics and geography – but it is enough for Bosnia to have a resort town of its own. That would be Neum, a typically pretty Balkan enclave of orange rooftops and fine beaches. If you wanted to stay here, you could book yourself into the Grand Hotel Neum (00387 36 880 222; hotel-neum.com) – a spa retreat with double rooms for £57 per night.
5. It is home to a great European river
The river spanned by the delicate arch of Mostar’s Stari Most is the River Neretva. It is one of the main waterways of the Balkans, and much of it – 129 of its 143 miles – is in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the last 14 miles are in Croatia). Twisting its way down through the Dinaric Alps, it is powerful enough to support four hydro-electric power plants. These include the Jablanica Dam at Konjic, which was created in 1953, but not without controversy – the consequent Lake Jablanicko swallowed up swathes of fertile agricultural land. You can play on the river too. Neretva Rafting, also based at Konjic, takes guests dashing along the Neretva’s currents, eddies and rapids (neretvarafting.com).
6. Sarajevo deals in modernity
Sarajevo was severely damaged in the war – you only need to look at the infamous images of the Bosnian Parliamentary Assembly, wrapped in flames in May 1992, to know this. But the capital has been resurrected since those bleak days 25 years ago – and has embraced the 21st century. The Avaz Twist Tower is a case in point. The architectural ingenuity of this 577ft (176m) skyscraper sees it turn on itself as it climbs upwards. Built between 2006 and 2008 in the central Marijin Dvor district of the city, it rises as a bright blue emblem of the new Sarajevo, and has been hailed for its design (avaztwisttower.ba).
The Avaz Twist Tower
Credit: Credit: Vedad Ceric / Alamy Stock Photo/Vedad Ceric / Alamy Stock Photo
7. But it also remembers its struggles
For all this, the Bosnian capital was also the scene of one of European history’s nastiest narratives. At 1425 days, the Siege of Sarajevo (April 5 1992 to February 29 1996) was the longest siege of a city in modern military history – lengthier even than the notorious German Siege of Leningrad (St Petersburg) in the Second World War (September 9 1941 to January 27 1944). This near-half-decade is remembered at the Sarajevo War Tunnel Museum (00387 3377 8672; tunelspasa.ba), which preserves some of the underground passage to the airport through which food and supplies were sneaked to the starving residents. Only 25 of the 800 metres are accessible, but this is enough to give you an idea.
The Sarajevo War Tunnel Museum
Credit: Credit: D Guest Smith / Alamy Stock Photo/D Guest Smith / Alamy Stock Photo
8. You can drink Bosnian wine
Although much of the country’s viticultural output comes from the soil of Herzegovina. Wine lovers should head in particular for the picturesque southerly city of Trebinje, which is surrounded by vineyards and independent wineries. Podrumi Vukoje 1982 (00387 5927 0370; podrumivukoje1982.com) is one of them – open for tours and tastings.
9. It still requires a mildly indirect journey
You cannot currently fly directly from the UK to Bosnia and Herzegovina. But the country is still within long-weekend range. You just need to change planes. Options include Austria Airlines (via Vienna; austrian.com), Croatia Airlines (via Zagreb; croatiaairlines.com) and Lufthansa (via Munich; lufthansa.com). Each flies into Sarajevo.
10. But several tour operators are happy to assist
If you want to see Bosnia and Herzegovina in detail, there is no shortage of tours which can make this possible. The country is an increasingly popular destination for those who want to venture a little away from the obvious without leaving Europe. Regent Holidays (020 3733 5249; regent-holidays.co.uk) offers “Best of Bosnia-Herzegovina” – an eight-day odyssey which ticks off Sarajevo and Mostar, from £1330 per person, including flights. Exodus (020 3733 5249; regent-holidays.co.uk) runs a regular “Cycling Bosnia & Montenegro” group jaunt which takes nine days to meander south from Mostar by pedal power (from £1489 per person, with flights). Explore (01252 883 726; explore.co.uk) sells a 12-day “Journey Through The Balkans” that calls at Sarajevo, Mostar and Trebinje while also visiting Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. From £1469 per person – with flights.
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Source link : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/bosnia-and-herzegovina/articles/facts-about-bosnia-and-herzegovina/
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Publish date : 2017-04-05 07:00:00
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