Medieval mills on the Pliva River to employ over 20 people from Jajce

Four grain mills on the Pliva River in Jajce have been renovated and will soon be put back into operation, reports the BH News Agency Patria.

As part of the regional restoration camp organized in Jajce by the Swedish organization (Cultural Heritage without Borders – CHwB), four medieval mills that were damaged in a fire in 2011 have been restored. Construction work was carried out with the great help of students of archaeology, architecture, and art history from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, and Croatia.

As many as 40 students, in the practical part of the restoration camp, also built paths for easier access to the mills in addition to the mills themselves.

And, the remaining 16 mills will soon be renovated and leased to citizens. Twenty mills on the Pliva River will mean new jobs for citizens.

The mills, along with the Pliva Lakes, have been declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There were once thousands of mills on the Pliva River that ground grain and represented an important income for the local population. Today, only 20 mills remain, which have not been in operation for about fifteen years.

However, the "Agency for Cultural-Historical and Natural Heritage and Development of Tourist Potentials of the City of Jajce" notes that the mills will soon be returned to operation. They will be leased to interested citizens who will be able to grind grain in them for a minimal fee, thus creating sources of income for themselves.

- We will enable citizens to lease one of the mills for management for a minimal fee and thus restore the old glory to the mills. There are already certain funds for the purchase of winches and putting several mills into operation, but we are working hard to collect more funds and we would be happiest if all 20 mills had their function – said the "Agency for Cultural-Historical and Natural Heritage and Development of Tourist Potentials of the City of Jajce".

- Our goal is to enable people to earn income through grinding grain or selling souvenirs – added this agency, writes Patria.