
Location of Herzegovina in
Europe
Herzegovina (Bosnian, Croatian: Hercegovina,
Serbian:
Херцеговина, English ( or ), ) is the southern region of Bosnia-Herzegovina
, comprising 11,419 sq km or around 22% of the total
area of the present-day country. In other sources it
comprises 12,276 sq km, this constitutes 24% of Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
There is no official border
distinguishing it from the Bosnian
region, though it is generally accepted that the borders of the
region are Croatia
to the west,
Montenegro
to the south, the canton
boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton
in the east and Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje
in the north.
The name Herzegovina means "duke's land", referring to the medieval
duchy of
Herceg
Stjepan. Herceg is derived from the German title
Herzog.
Population
The population of Herzegovina throughout history has been
ethnically mixed, however the
recent war resulted in mass
ethnic cleansing and large-scale
displacement of peoples. The last pre-war
census in 1991, recorded a population of 437,095
inhabitants.
Bosnian
Croats generally populate the areas closest to the Croatian border
focused on Mostar
and Tomislavgrad
. The Bosniak population mainly lives in the
areas along the Neretva
River,
including the cities of Konjic
and Jablanica
. The eastern parts (centered on Trebinje
) are mainly populated by Bosnian
Serbs.
History
In the
early Middle Ages, the territory of
modern Bosnia and
Herzegovina
was divided into many smaller more or less
independent territories. Herzegovina encompasses the regions then
known as the Land of Hum or Zahumlje and
Travunija, through the late Middle Ages
belonging to the Serbian
kings of the
Nemanjić dynasty. The
westernmost parts of Herzegovina belonged to the
Kingdom of Croatia until its union
with Kingdom of Hungary in 1102. Bosnian Ban
Stjepan II Kotromanić and King
Tvrtko I Kotromanić
adjoined these regions to the Bosnian state in the 14th
century.
Following the weakening of the Bosnian crown after the death of
Tvrtko I, powerful noblemen of the Bosnian
Kosača family, Grand Duke
Sandalj Hranić and his nephew, Herzog
Stefan Vukčić, ruled the Hum
region independently, only nominally recognizing the overlordship
of the Bosnian kings. In a document sent to
Frederick III on January
20, 1448, Bosnian duke Stjepan Vukčić Kosača called himself
Herzog (duke) of Saint Sava, lord of
Hum and Primorje, great duke of the Bosnian kingdom and so the
lands he controlled became (much later) known as
Herzog’s
lands or
Herzegovina.
In 1482, the lands of Herzog Stefan's successors were occupied by
Ottoman forces. In the
Ottoman Empire, Herzegovina was organized as
a county (
sanjak) within the
province (
pashaluk) of
Bosnia. From 1833 to 1851, Herzegovina was a
separate
pashaluk ruled by
vizier Ali-paša Rizvanbegović.
After his death, the pashaluks of Bosnia and Herzegovina were
merged.
The new joint entity was after 1853 commonly
referred to as Bosnia and Herzegovina
. Throughout the mid-19th century, Herzegovina
was a target of expansion of the young Montenegrin
state in the name of the liberation of the Serbian
people from
Ottoman rule. Herzegovinian
Serbs and Croats actively participated in the Montenegrin efforts
to liberate them and to that end, they frequently rose in rebellion
against the Ottoman rule. These efforts culminated in 1875 and
1876, during the
Nevesinjska
puška uprising. Montenegro did succeed in liberating and
annexing large parts of Herzegovina before the
Berlin Congress of 1878, including the
Niksic area.
In 1878, Herzegovina, along with Bosnia, was occupied by
Austria-Hungary, only nominally remaining
under Ottoman rule. This caused great resentment among its populace
which resisted the invaders in small flare-ups of rebellious
activity that ended in 1882. The Serbian population of Herzegovina
and Bosnia had hoped that the province would be divided and annexed
to Serbia and Montenegro. The occupation caused a temporary rift in
the Serbo-Austrian relations and threatened to grow into an open
conflict.
In 1908, Austria-Hungary annexed the province, leading to the
Bosnian Crisis, an international
dispute that almost started a world war. The assassination of the
Archduke Francis
Ferdinand came as a result of the resentment of the Serbs of
Bosnia and Herzegovina against Austro-Hungarian rule.
During
World War I, Herzegovina was a
scene of inter-ethnic conflict. During the war, the
Austro-Hungarian government formed
Šuckori, Muslim and Croat militia units.
Šuckori units were especially active in
Herzegovina.
In 1918,
Herzegovina became a part of the newly formed Kingdom of
Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
(later renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia
). In 1941 Herzegovina fell once again under
the rule of a Croatian state, Independent State of Croatia. From
1941 to 1945, Herzegovina was a battle ground for conflicts between
Croatian
Ustaše, Serbian
Chetniks, and the pan-Yugoslav
Partisans.
In 1945, Bosnia and
Herzegovina became one of the republics of SFR
Yugoslavia
. It remained so until the breakup of
Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.
Political status
In the
modern Bosnian-Herzegovinian state, Herzegovina is divided between
two entities, Republika Srpska and
the Federation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina (see Bosnia and Herzegovina
and History of Bosnia and
Herzegovina). Republika
Srpska's part of Herzegovina, commonly referred to as East Herzegovina or, as of late, Trebinje Region is administratively divided
into municipalities of Trebinje
, Bileća
, Gacko
, Nevesinje
, Ljubinje
, Berkovići
, Istočni Mostar
and Foča
.
Within
the Federation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Herzegovina is administratively divided
between the cantons of Herzegovina-Neretva
, West Herzegovina
and includes part of Canton 10
.
Geography

Herzegovina in spring
The
terrain of Herzegovina is mostly hilly karst
with high mountains in the north such as Cvrsnica and Prenj, except
for the central valley of the river Neretva
.
The
largest city is Mostar
, in the
center of the region. Other larger towns include Stolac
, Trebinje
, Široki Brijeg
, Konjic
and Čapljina
. Borders between Bosnia and Herzegovina are
unclear and often disputed.
The upper flow of the river Neretva lies in the northern parts of
Herzegovina, a heavily forested area with fast flowing rivers and
high mountains. Towns like Konjic and Jablanica lie in this area,
considered by many the most beautiful part of Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
River
Neretva
rises on
Lebršnik Mountain, close to the border to Montenegro
, and as the river flows towards west, it enters
Herzegovina. The entire upper catchment of Neretva
constitutes a precious ecoregion with many endemic and endangered
species. Fast flowing emerald river carves its way through the
precipitius karst terrain, providing excellent opportunities for
rafting and kayaking, while the spectacular scenery of the
surrounding mountains and forests is a challenging hiking
terrain.
Neretva's tributaries in the upper flow are mostly short, due to
the mountainous terrain: Notably river Rakitnica has cut a deep
canyon, its mystical waters being one of the least explored areas
in this part of Europe. River Rakitnica flows into Neretva upstream
from Konjic.
Neretva then flows towards northwest, through the town of Konjic.
The river enters the artificial Jablanica Lake ("Jablaničko
jezero"), one of the biggest in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The lake
ends near the town of Jablanica, famous for the
Battle of Neretva, marking a crucial
victory of Yugoslav
Partisans
over the German army and its quisling allies during World War II.
From here
on, Neretva turns southward continuing its course towards the
Adriatic
Sea
.
With
mountains lining its shores gradually receding, Neretva enters a
valley where the city of Mostar
lies.
It flows
under the famous old bridge Stari most
and continues now more widely flowing towards the
town of Čapljina and the Neretva delta in Croatia before emptying
into the Adriatic Sea.
Cities
There are
several famous cities in Herzegovina, Mostar
is the most
famous city and unofficial capital, but also the only city with
over 100,000 citizens. There are no other big cities in
Herzegovina but they are historical and famous
nonetheless.
Stolac
, for example
is maybe the oldest city in Herzegovina. There have been
settlements dating from
paleolithic
period (Badanj cave),
Ilyric tribe lived in
city
Daorson, there have been also several
Roman settlements alongside Bregava river and
medieval habitants have left us largest and most
beautiful stone grave monuments called
stećak in Radimlja.
Trebinje
is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
near the border with Montenegro
, and this beautiful city is a historical city on
the river Trebišnjica. Čapljina
and Ljubuški
are famous for their history and rivers; village of
Međugorje
is famous for its religious importance for many
Croats and Catholics. Konjic
and Jablanica become famous during World War II, and
other cities in Herzegovina are: Prozor,
Široki
Brijeg
, Posušje
, Čitluk
, Grude
, Nevesinje
, Ulog, Gacko
, Bileća
, Ljubinje
, Ravno
and the
coastal town of Neum
.
Tourism
In Herzegovina there are many beautiful and famous natural
landmarks,such as the falls of Kravica. These consist of several
waterfalls near the city of Ljubuški and a popular spot for the
local people, to take a bath in the hot Herzegovinian weather, or
just to enjoy the view.
The
Hutovo
Blato
is a bird reserve, one of the most important in
Europe and a gathering place for many international
ornithologists.
Vjetrenica
cave is a cave system near the border with Croatia,
in the Ravno municipality. The cave has not been explored
totally yet but it is open for visitors. More and more species are
being discovered there and it is a unique ecosystem with cave
animals and other interesting things.
The mouth
of Blagaj is also famous as the origin of the river Buna
, inside a cave system.
Neum
at the
Adriatic Sea, Bosnia and Herzegovina's only coastal town, is also a
popular tourist attraction.
Gallery
Image:Mostarbridge2004.jpg|The "Old Bridge"
("Stari most") in Mostar
, rebuilt in
2004.Image:NeumCoastBH.jpg|Neum
and the
Herzegovinian coast.Image:Pocitelj.PNG|Počitelj
, Old
townImage:IMG_0899.jpg|Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, near the
mountain Ivan
Image:Trebinjeview.jpg|Trebinje
Image:Neretva in Mostar.JPG|River Neretva
in Mostar
,
2004
See also
References
- http://www.yourdictionary.com/bosnia-and-herzegovina
- Administrativno uređenje Hercegovine od 1945. do 1952.
godine by Adnan Velagić, published in Most - časopis za
obrazovanje, nauku i kulturu, No. 191, Year 2005 (october),
pp. 82-84. ISSN 0350-6517
- http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/Hercegovina
- Ekonomska regija Hercegovina, Regionalna
razvojna agencija za Hercegovinu (REDAH) in conjunction with the EU
RED Project, Bosnia and Herzegovina, November, 2004, pp
24-26
- http://books.google.com/books?id=KCGbWCouJ6AC&pg=PA51
- http://books.google.com/books?id=-WIEYZ-SMHEC&pg=PA3
External links