BiH Statehood Day on Bobovac: Join the Hiking Trip to the Medieval Royal City

(Patria) - On BiH Statehood Day, November 25, the Mountaineering Association of FBiH organizes a hiking tour to the royal city of Bobovac, a national monument of BiH since 2002.

The Mountaineering Association of FBiH invites all hikers and nature lovers to join the celebration of BiH Statehood Day.

The gathering is scheduled for Monday in Kraljeva Sutjeska at 9:00 AM.

The central event marking BiH Statehood Day will be held at the Bobovac fortress starting at 11:30 AM.

Medieval Royal City of Bobovac

This topographically prominent location was used for defensive purposes as early as the Bronze Age and the older Iron Age (2nd millennium BC to 400 BC, site Gradina near the eastern tower on Vis). From the ancient period, roof tiles have been found throughout the site, and the remains of the earliest architecture (4th-6th century) at Bobovac are visible on the northern wall of the main tower of the royal court.

Data from written sources during the Bosnian medieval state cover the period from 1350 to 1463. For the Ottoman period, documents extend to 1626, when it was definitively abandoned, as the Ottoman advance northward and the expansion of occupied territory caused it to lose strategic importance.

As the seat of Bosnian Ban Stjepan II Kotromanić, who undertook the first steps in its construction shortly before the mid-14th century, and later of Bosnian kings from Tvrtko I to Tomaš, i.e., until 1461, Bobovac was the key to the Bosnian kingdom. Therefore, in attempts to seize the Bosnian throne or topple the Bosnian state, attacks were directed at Bobovac. As the royal seat, the city was the administrative and military center of the Bosnian state, and the Bosnian royal crown was kept there. Bosnian kings Ostoja, Tvrtko II, and Stjepan Tomaš are buried there.

The last Bosnian king, Stjepan Tomašević (1461-1463), due to the immediate threat from the Ottomans, moved the royal court to Jajce. After its capture, the city of Bobovac was destroyed in 1463 for justified strategic reasons, as confirmed by archaeological research, and then the Ottomans erected necessary structures on the ruins of the royal court for their stay in the city (1463-1626).

Bobovac is the only medieval fortified city in BiH whose royal court has been fully excavated and represents a characteristic example of a medieval architectural and urban complex, perfectly integrated into the natural environment. Numerous archaeological remains testify to the life of the highest Bosnian nobility, integrated into the contemporary European culture. Its educational value is very high, as through adequate presentation at the completely excavated site, one can learn about the material culture and political history of the medieval independent Bosnian state, as stated in the decision declaring Bobovac a national monument of BiH.