Croatia , Bosnia, Montenegro-05/11-5/19/2019

Pocitelj, Bosnia -5/16/2019

From The Dervish house we drove to Pocitelj, a quaint small mediaeval town situated in the valley of the Neretva River.  The distance is about 17 miles and it took us bout 40 minutes to get there,

What we did not know is that Pocitelj is situated on the main road of Mostar-Metković and with only one tiny entrance.  We missed the entrance and Google took us to a back road, we keep driving up a fairly steep mountain in 1 single narrow lane that barely fit our car.  We kept going up and up and there is absolutely nothing up there but wild vegetation, and we were the only car so it was pretty scary. What we should have done is to stop the car and take a picture of Pocitelj from above but we go so scare and so happy when reach the bottom of road leading to tiny village of Pocitelj.

 

Dating to as far back as 1383, and first mentioned in writing in 1444 in charters by King Alfonso V of Aragon, the village developed mostly during the period from the 16th to the 18th centuries under Ottoman rule. Indeed, with the conquest of Gabela on the other side of the River Neretva by the Venetians in 1694, Počitelj became a strategically important frontier town between Ottoman Herzegovina and Venetian Dalmatia over the course of the next century.

 

On top of the hill is Kula Fort of Pocitelj

 

With the arrival of Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1878, Počitelj was no longer of strategic importance and deteriorated over the next several decades. A little over a century later it was destroyed and ransacked before and even after the Bosnian War of the early 1990s.  As a result of this destruction, in 1996 World Monuments Watch named Počitelj as one of the world’s 100 most endangered cultural heritage sites. 

 

Since 2000, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Government has placed the village under a Program of Permanent Protection, which has dramatically transformed it to what is seen today.

This is the only road in the village.

 

Parking is free is you are a customer of the restaurant.

Above the store is Sahat-kula (clock tower).

 

Hajji Alija's mosque

Wild poppy growing in the surrounding.

 

Ancient wall probably dating from the 16th century.

 

 

Hoa saw this car antique car and had to take a picture.. Looks like a Fiat.

 

Since we Park our car in the parking lot, the owner told us we had to at least drink coffee which we gladly complied.

 


I went with an Americo just to be on the safe side.

Kevin ordered Turkish coffee which was recommended by the owner of the coffee shop.

 

Turkish coffee refers to a method of brewing very finely ground coffee.  Sugar is already added in the brew so they usually will ask you how the level of sweetness desired before brewing the coffee.

 

Tasting Turkish coffee for the first time-very strong!

 

Driving back to Dubrovnik afterwards.

 

Next... Dinner at Konoba Dubrava in Dubrovnik

 

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