CinX's Travels 2014

[CinX]

Mostar by cinxxx, on Flickr

Mostar by cinxxx, on Flickr

Mostar by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Mostar by cinxxx, on Flickr

Mostar by cinxxx, on Flickr

Mostar by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Mostar by cinxxx, on Flickr

Mostar by cinxxx, on Flickr

Mostar by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

May 2014 - Blagaj, Bosnia-Hercegovina

Blagaj is a village-town (kasaba) in the south-eastern region of the Mostar basin, in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It stands at the edge of Bišće plain and is one of the most valuable mixed urban and rural structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina, distinguished from other similar structures in its urban layout. Blagaj was most likely named for its mild weather patterns since "blaga" in Bosnian means "mild". Blagaj is situated at the spring of the Buna river and a historical tekke (tekija or Dervish monastery). The Blagaj Tekija was built around 1520, with elements of Ottoman architecture and Mediterranean style and is considered a national monument.

Blagaj by cinxxx, on Flickr

Blagaj by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Blagaj by cinxxx, on Flickr

Blagaj by cinxxx, on Flickr

Blagaj by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Blagaj by cinxxx, on Flickr

Blagaj by cinxxx, on Flickr

Blagaj by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Blagaj by cinxxx, on Flickr

Blagaj by cinxxx, on Flickr

Blagaj by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Blagaj by cinxxx, on Flickr

Blagaj by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

May 2014

Stolac (Serbian Cyrillic: Столац), (About this sound pronunciation (help·info)) is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in Herzegovina. Administratively, it is part of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Stolac is situated in the area known as Herzegovina Humina, on the tourist route crossing Herzegovina and linking the Bosnian mountainous hinterland with the coastal regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dubrovnik and Montenegro.

In July 1993, Croatian extremists burned the Begovina neighbourhood to the ground. The Bosnian government plans to rebuild the whole neighborhood.

Containing, in one small area, unique cultural and aesthetic values, Stolac's historic core is an example of a complex cultural-historical and natural environmental ensemble. It is an example of the organic connection between human and natural architectures, which also testifies to the fact that the beauty of the location was crucial in its building and planning - the guiding principle often present in the development of mediaeval towns. Nine historical layers compose Stolac's architectural ensemble: pre-history, Illyrian-Roman period, the early Middle Ages, advanced and late Middle Ages, Ottoman period, Austro-Hungarian period, and the time of the first and second Yugoslavia. A multitude of various influences on the architecture of town, in which contrasts and similarities are frequently evident as well as planning and full spontaneity, lend this town a complex image. Despite its unusual history and inclusion into four empires (Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian), three kingdoms (Bosnian, Hungarian and Yugoslav), three world's monotheistic religions - Christianity (Orthodox Christianity and Catholicism), Islam, and Judaism, the historical core of Stolac is still a coherent and harmonious cultural-historical monument with individual properties grown together into one ensemble.

......

[CinX]

Stolac by cinxxx, on Flickr

Stolac by cinxxx, on Flickr

Stolac by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Church

Stolac by cinxxx, on Flickr

Mosque

Stolac by cinxxx, on Flickr

Stolac by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

We leave Stolac and head back to Croatia...

Entering Republika Srpska
BiH_M6 by cinxxx, on Flickr

The road is scenic

BiH_M6 by cinxxx, on Flickr

BiH_428 by cinxxx, on Flickr

BiH_428 by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

May 2014

Walls of Ston, Ston and Mali Ston

The Walls of Ston are a series of defensive stone walls, originally more than 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long, that surrounded and protected the city of Ston, in Dalmatia, part of the Republic of Ragusa, in what is now southern Croatia.

The Walls of Ston were known as the "European wall of China".

Despite being well protected by massive city walls, the Republic of Ragusa used Pelješac to build another line of defence. At its narrowest point, just before it joins the mainland, a wall was built from Ston to Mali Ston. Throughout the era of the Republic, the walls were maintained and renovated once they meant to protect the precious salt pans that contributed to Dubrovnik's wealth, which are still being worked today.

Demolition work began on the walls following the fall of the Republic. Later the Austrian authorities took materials away from the wall to build schools and community buildings, and also for a triumphal arch on the occasion of the visit by the Austrian Emperor in 1884. The wall around Mali Ston was demolished with the excuse that it was damaging the health of the people. The demolition was halted after World War II.

The wall, today 5.5 kilometre long wall links Ston to Mali Ston, and is in the shape of an irregular pentangle. It was completed in the 15th century, along with its 40 towers (20 of which have survived) and 5 fortresses. Within, three streets were laid from north to south and three others from east to west. Thus, fifteen equal blocks were formed with 10 houses in each. Residential buildings around the edges. The Gothic Republic Chancellery and the Bishop's Palace are outstanding among the public buildings.

Mali Ston (which means Little Ston) is a village in Croatia on the Pelješac peninsula approximately one kilometer northeast of its larger sister village, Ston. It's linked to Ston by the Walls of Ston and is less than an hour northwest of Dubrovnik via the D414 highway. With its location on the Bay of Mali Ston, the village is well known for oyster production.

Ston (pronounced [stɔ̂n]; Italian: Stagno) is a village and municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula. The town of Ston is the center of the Ston municipality.

[CinX]

Ston & Mali Ston by cinxxx, on Flickr

Ston & Mali Ston by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Ston & Mali Ston by cinxxx, on Flickr

Ston & Mali Ston by cinxxx, on Flickr