(PHOTO) Počitelj Left to Weeds and Decay: A Slap in the Face to Bosnia and Herzegovina's Cultural Heritage!

(Patria) - While authorities at all levels are racing with promises of "tourism development" and "protection of cultural heritage," the reality of Počitelj testifies to the contrary. The town that could be a symbol of identity, art, and history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is today left to decay.



Today, visitors could see for themselves the devastating images of this place. Instead of a living monument of culture, Počitelj increasingly resembles an abandoned village: weeds cover the paths, walls are crumbling, and numerous buildings are on the verge of collapse. The Clock Tower, which once ticked the rhythm of life and could be heard all the way to Gabela, is now silent – symbolically like the authorities who have allowed this jewel of Herzegovinian architecture to be overgrown and forgotten.

Počitelj today experiences completely inverted values and a lack of institutional protection of its own identity.



While cultural and historical monuments of national importance are decaying, markings that do not belong to its original context are appearing on the walls and stones of Počitelj, often without any approval or supervision from the competent commission.

The fact that such plaques are erected in the heart of a protected historical complex, while the Hamam, Madrasa, and Han are falling into disrepair, is truly a slap in the face to Počitelj, its tradition, and everything that place represents: multi-ethnicity, art, and common heritage.



Although Počitelj holds the status of a national monument of BiH and is on the UNESCO list, visitors still face basic deficiencies: there is no lighting, public toilets, or adequate accommodation.



Tourists who visit leave disappointed because behind the beauty of the stone and the Neretva River, they see neglect and indifference.

Počitelj, a town that could be an open-air museum, is becoming a monument to political negligence and a lack of vision. In a country that prides itself on its cultural diversity, Počitelj today testifies how little that diversity means to those who should be preserving it.