Herzegovina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Herzegovina (natively Hercegovina/Херцеговина) is a historical and geographical region in the Dinaric Alps that comprises the southern part of present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. The area of Herzegovina is 9,948 km² (or 10,190 km² according to other sources). There is no clear border between Herzegovina and the Bosnia region. There are many opinions on where Herzegovina ends and Bosnia begins.
The name Herzegovina means "Herzog's estate", which refers to a medieval ruler of the area, Stefan Vukčić Kosača, Herzog of Saint Sava, the first Serbian archbishop. As part of preparations for the annexation of Bosnia by Austria-Hungary the "divide and rule" policy was imposed by the European powers upon the gravely weakened Ottoman administration. The name of Herzegovina (Southern Bosnia) region of Bosnia was to be incorporated into the name of the country, which then changed her name from "Bosnia" to "Bosnia and Herzegovina" in 1853.
In the 1991 census, Herzegovina was recorded as having a population of 437,095 inhabitants. The ethnic composition of the population was the following: 206,457 were Croats (47.2%), 112,948 Bosniaks (25.8%), 93,047 Serbs (21.3%), 18,494 Yugoslavs (4.2%), and 6,149 were registered as 'others' (1.4%).
The Herzegovina terrain is mostly hilly, karst except for the central valley of the river Neretva. The largest city is Mostar, in the center of the region. Other larger towns include Stolac, Trebinje, Siroki Brijeg, Konjic and Čapljina. Borders between Bosnia and Herzegovina are unclear and often disputed.
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[edit] History
In the early Middle Ages, the territory of modern Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided into many smaller more or less independent territories. Herzegovina encompasses the regions then known as the Land of Hum or Zahumlje and Travunija. The westernmost parts of Herzegovina belonged to the Kingdom of Croatia.
After the 1320s, all of these lands became a part of the Bosnian kingdom. In a document sent to Friedrich III on January 20, 1448, Bosnian duke Stjepan Vukčić Kosača called himself Herzog (duke) of Saint Sava, lord of Hum and Primorje, great duke of the Bosnian kingdom (Herzog means duke in German) and so the lands he controlled became (much later) known as Herzog's lands or Herzegovina.
In 1482 Herzog was overpowered by Ottoman forces led by his own son, Ahmed Hercegovic, who accepted Islam. In the Ottoman Empire Herzegovina was organized as a province (sanjak) within the state (pashaluk) of Bosnia. The name of the country was changed to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1853, as a result of preparations by European powers for annexation of Bosnia (by Austria-Hungary). By the end of this period, there happened a major uprising known as the Herzegovinian rebellion. Bosnia proper was part of the Ottoman Empire for a bit less than four centuries, and was known under only that name (Bosnia) since 1000 years ago - or as long as its recorded history.
In 1878, Herzegovina was occupied by Austria-Hungary. This caused great resentment among its Bosniak and Serb populace which together resisted the invaders in smaller flare-ups that ended in 1882.
[edit] Today's Herzegovina
In the modern Bosnian-Herzegovinian state, Herzegovina is divided between two entities (see Bosnia and Herzegovina and History of Bosnia and Herzegovina). Republika Srpska doesn't have any official administrative units within Herzegovina (though the term Trebinje Region is often used informally). In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Herzegovina is administratively divided between the cantons of Herzegovina-Neretva, West Herzegovina and partially Canton 10.
Its western parts are inhabited mostly by Croats, the eastern parts mostly by Serbs, and there is a significant Bosniak population along the flow of the Neretva, including the cities of Mostar, Konjic and Stolac. The population of Herzegovina was mixed prior to the Yugoslav wars as well as the Second World War, both of which saw ethnic cleansing on a large scale.
The geography of Herzegovina is mostly mountainous karst with high mountains in north Herzegovina such as Cvrsnica and Prenj. The upper flow of the river Neretva lies in the northern parts of Herzegovina, a heavily forested area with fast flowing rivers and high mountains. Cities like Konjic and Jablanica lies in this area which is by many classified as the most beautiful part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The origin of the river Neretva, in the mountain is not in the Herzegovina region but as it flow towards west, then it also flows trough the Herzegovina region. The opportunities for rafting and kayaking are very good at the upper flow of Neretva with crystal clear blue water, with cold water throughout the whole year, with fast flowing canyon and amazing nature with high mountains in the background and forest around the river.
Rakitnica is a deep canyon that is situated in the northern Herzegovina region. It is cut by the river Rakitnica, a river that confluences Neretva upstream from Konjic.
The river flows towards northwest, trough the city of Konjic who is famous for the battle during the World War II. Then the river is entering the lake Jablanica "Jablanicko jezero", a man made lake who is one of the biggest in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The lake ends near the city Jablanica where the river Neretva is continuing on its way to the Adriatic Sea.
This time the river turn south towards the famous city Mostar. The river flows through the city of Mostar, under the famous old bridge "stari most" and continues its way to the south. The river flows through the city of Capljina and in to the Neretva delta in Croatia before it flows into the Adriatic Sea.
There are several famous cities in Herzegovina, Mostar is the most famous city and unofficial capital, but also the only city with over 100 000 citizen. There are no big cities in Herzegovina like in other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but they are historical and famous nonetheless.
Trebinje, for example is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, near the border with Montenegro, and this beautiful city is a historical city on the river Trebisnjica. Capljina and Medjugorje are also famous city, Medjugorje is famous for its religious importance for many Croatian and Catholic. Konjic and Jablanica are both famous during World War II and other cities in Herzegovina are Ljubuski, Siroki Brijeg, Posusje, Stolac and the coastal town of Neum.
In Herzegovina there are many beautiful and famous natural landmarks like the falls of Kravica. It is several waterfalls near the city of Ljubuski and a popular spot for the local people, to take a bath in the hot Herzegovinan weather, or just to enjoy the view.
The Hutovo Blato is a bird reserve, one of the most important in the Europe and many international ornithologists have been there.
Vjetrenica cave is a cave system near the border to Croatia, in the Ravno municipality. The cave has not been explored totally yet but it is open for visitors. More and more species are being discovered there and it is a unique ecosystem with cave animals and other interesting things.
The mouth of Blagaj is also famous where the river Buna origin, inside a cave system.
And the sea is of course popular tourist attraction, but sadly Bosnia and Herzegovina has only one city at the sea and because of that, Bosnia and Herzegovina doesn't earn so much money on coastal tourism.
[edit] Gallery
 The "Old Bridge" ("Stari most") in Mostar, rebuilt in 2004. |
 Neum and the Herzegovinian coast. |
 Počitelj, Old town |
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 Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, near the mountain Ivan |
