Blidinje plateau

Blidinje Nature Park (Bosnian: Park prirode Blidinje) is a nature park in Bosnia and Herzegovina, established on 30 April 1995. It is situated at the Blidinje plateau, in the heart of Dinaric Alps, between major mountains of the range, Čvrsnica, Čabulja and Vran, with characteristic karstic features such as Dugopolje field, Blidinje Lake, Grabovica and Drežanka valleys, and others.[3] It represents important natural, hydrogeological reserves in Dinaric karst of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with significant cultural and historical heritage.[4]

Blidinje
Valley and the lake
Map showing the location of Blidinje
Map showing the location of Blidinje
Location in Bosnia and Herzegovina
LocationWest Herzegovina Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordinates43.62°N 17.61°E / 43.62; 17.61
Length3–5 km (1.9–3.1 mi)
Area358.00 km2 (138.22 sq mi)[1]
Elevation1,150–1,300 m (3,770–4,270 ft)
Established1995[2]
VisitorsOpen all year (in Open all year)
OperatorBlidinje Nature Park Public Enterprise
WebsiteBlidinje Nature Park

Geography and hydrology

The melting glaciers from Čvrsnica during the two past ice ages created this open and barren valley.[5] A spacious plateau, 3–5 km long, is situated at an elevation of 1.150-1.300 meters a.s.l., between Čvrsnica and Vran mountains with a total area of 364 km2. Although geomorphologically one whole, plateau is divided in two geographically and topographic distinct features, first in lower southern part, areal around the lake Blidinje, and another in northern higher part of the plateau where a flat plain Dugopolje is situated, as well as administratively between four municipalities: Posušje, Tomislavgrad, Mostar and Jablanica.[6]

Going from the north and the Doljanka river, plateau opens with a flat plain of Dugopolje at the higher end and lead toward south longitudinally between Vran at the north-northwestern side, with its highest peak on 2.074 meters a.s.l., and on the south-southeastern Čvrsnica mountain, with its highest peak Pločno at 2.228 meters a.s.l. On the opposite south-southeastern end of the plateau, beyond Blidinje lake, is Čabulja mountain with its highest peak at 1.786 meters a.s.l. further toward east beyond Čvrsnica is Grabovica valley that stretches all the way to the Neretva river and its canyon.[7]

Grabovica valley

Grabovica valley with small Grabovica creek is a special reserve within park, squeezed deep into Čvrsnica, and form a deep canyon between steep and rugged cliffs of the mountain. Within the valley are two small villages Gornja Grabovica (Jablanica) and Donja Grabovica (Jablanica). The legend of Diva Grabovica tells the story about legendary daughter of a local shepherd who, as story goes, was killed by local nobleman whom she rejected, so that she would not marry another.[4]

Blidinje Lake with stećak necropolis ni the front and Čvrsnica slopes in the background.

Blidinje lake
Pinus leucodermis

The most important hydrogeological phenomena in the park is alpine lake, Blidinje Lake, largest of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Blidinje lake is the direct result of a glacial retreat, but according to the Poklečani Parishes office documents, lake is, also, a product of anthropogenic intervention and activities of human inhabitants. According to these documents, the lake is artificial and it was created at the end of the 19th century. In order to keep the water that is lost through the subterranean passage, local residents and cattle breeders sealed sinkholes with branches and clay, so that water could not find its way underground. Therefore, the lake was formed. Its surface area varies between 2,5 and 6 km2, while its average depth is 1,9 m, with altitude of 1.184 m a.s.l.[8][4]

Flora and fauna

Accompanying some of the rocky and seemingly lifeless slopes are thick forests of pine, including the endemic white-bark pine at Masna Luka called Pinus leucodermis (Bosnian pine). Three types of wild thyme and dozens of wild flowers cover the valley and mountain sides in the spring and summer.

History, heritage and culture

All around the valley is dotted with the Bosnia and Herzegovina trademark stećci from medieval ages. It is not clear how long human settlements have existed here but research began when Blidinje recently received Nature park status. Traces of Illyrian graves and Roman roads indicate that Blidinje has been settled for at least 2,500 years. The large necropolis at Dugo Polje indicates that the waves of Slavs that came in the 7th century also made this area their home.

Stećaks necropolis
Dugo Polje stećak necropolis.

Ponor, Donje Bare, Jezero, Risovac, and Dugo Polje are five stećak medieval necropolises, named by their location. They are scattered throughout the Blidinje karst plateau, and the one at Dugo Polje polje is the largest.[9][10][11] Necropolises are all protected by KONS, and one on Dugo Polje is given particular attention by being included into World Heritage by UNESCO.[12][13][14]

The park itself is free of mines with well-marked trails.

Culture and traditional life style

There is also a Franciscan monastery that is located within the park and open to visitors. Houses here are traditional shepherd homes with straw roofs that are mainly used during the spring and summer seasons. Winter is harsh and cold in these parts.

Hajdučka Republika Mijata Tomića

Hajdučka Republika Mijata Tomića (English: The Hajduk Republic of Mijat Tomić), is the private property of late Vinko Vukoja-Lastvić and his family, in the middle of the Blidinje Nature Park, in the north-western parts of the region of Herzegovina, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Property spreads over seven hectares between the mountains of Vran and Čvrsnica and is a tourist destination as a fictional self-proclaimed micronation. It was born out of protest because of inefficiency of the state in solving a problem with the local electricity supply.[15]

The satirical idea to proclaim a republic was conceived by Vukoja-Lastvić family who built and owns a motel on the location, late Vinko, tourism entrepreneur and a humorist enthusiast as head of the family, his wife Albina, and daughter Marija, who is current "President of the Republic" as of March 2019. The fictional republic was founded on the day of Diva Grabovčeva, 29 June in 2002, and is named after Mijat Tomić, who is unrelated to owners' family, but who was a historical person known as a hajduk (Eng: reble) who had its hiding place in the nearby caves.

When Vinko Vukoja wanted to solve a problem in connection with the main power supply he encountered a years of negligence by three bordering municipalities, Posušje, Tomislavgrad and Jablanica, who couldn't agree under whose jurisdiction the area falls and shifted the responsibility to one another for years whenever the motel owner asked any of the municipalities to solve his electricity problem, they would reject him saying it was not their problem, referring him to one of other two. Finally, Vukoja solved that with his own money.[16] On alleged "no one's land", the Hajdučka Republika was proclaimed as a form of satirical defiance. On the day of the proclamation, SFOR was alarmed by some persons. As SFOR saw the true nature of this project, they left the very same day. The republic has no separatist or hegemonic ambitions.[17]

Thanks to this satirical protest project, its motel became one of the most popular places in western Herzegovina.[18] Every year, there is a manifestation Triba slagat i ostat živ (To lie and stay alive). This project attracted the attention of Bosnian, Croat and Serb media, as well as some media outside the Balkans.[19]

The republic has a consul and portparole. The formation of political parties is strictly forbidden, as well as any dealing with politics, since "it is not good for human wellbeing".[20] Its state flag has a white background, in the upper left corner is the state coat of arms, which is a chessboard, and in the middle is the picture of Mijat Tomić marked in blue.[21] On 16 October 2009, President Vinko Vukoja died in a car accident. His daughter Marija inherited his position and the title "harambaša" (Eng: chieftain).[22] The "kubura" is the purported currency of the Hajdučka Republika Mijata Tomića.[23]

See also

References
  1. Blidinje Protected Planet
  2. Clancy, Tim (2013). Bosnia & Herzegovina: The Bradt Travel Guide. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 978-1-84162-449-5.
  3. Environmental Performance Reviews: Bosnia and Herzegovina. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Committee on Environmental. 2004. ISBN 978-92-1-116915-7. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  4. "Nature Park Blidinje". Archived from the original on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  5. "A history of the occurrence of Blidinje lake (Bosnia and Herzegovina)". hrcak.srce.hr. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018.
  6. Efe, Recep; Ozturk, Munir (26 September 2014). Tourism, Environment and Ecology in the Mediterranean Region. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4438-6800-6.
  7. "Izvještaj sa ornitoloških posmatranja u Bosni i Hercegovini u septembru 2006". wild-herzegovina.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015.
  8. Radoš, Denis (2017). "A history of the occurrence of Blidinje lake (Bosnia and Herzegovina)". Geoadria. 22 (1): 1–40. doi:10.15291/geoadria.1334.
  9. "SREDNJOVJEKOVNE NEKROPOLE STEĆAKA NA PODRUČJU BLIDINJA KAO ARHEOLOŠKO-TURISTIČKA ATRAKCIJA". Blidinje.NET (in Croatian). 2 November 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  10. "Dugo polje | Nekropola". www.nekropola.ba (in English and Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  11. "Necropolis with stećak tombstones of Dugo polje on Blidinje, the historic site". old.kons.gov.ba. Sarajevo: Commision to preserve national monuments. 20 January 2004. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  12. Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  13. "Dugo polje at Blidinje, Jablanica, FBiH". Stećci WH. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  14. "The necropolis with tombstones Dugo polje". trail.viadinarica.com. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  15. "Hajduci na Vranu ljude samo po očima pamte" (in Croatian). Nezavisne. Archived from the original on 5 July 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  16. "ČIJE JE BLIDINJE: Dok hajduci vladaju, tri općine se spore". Tomislavcity.com. 13 August 2007. p. Who Owns Blidinje? While Hajduks Rule, Three Municipalities Argue. Archived from the original on 12 April 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  17. "Hajduci na Vranu ljude samo po očima pamte" [Hajduks from Vran Only Remember People by their Eyes] (in Serbian). Nezavisne novine. 8 December 2007. Archived from the original on 5 July 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2007.
  18. "Država bez kriminala, vojske i policije" [Nation Without Crime, Army or Police] (in Bosnian). Dnevni Avaz. 29 January 2007. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  19. See the links on this page: Slobodna Dalmacija, Tomislavcity, LJportal, Hercinfo (in Croatian), Oslobođenje, Klix.ba, Dnevni avaz (in Bosnian), Nezavisne (in Serbian), Al Jazeera (from Qatar)
  20. "Hajduci na Vranu ljude samo po očima pamte" [Hajduks from Vran Only Remember People by their Eyes] (in Serbian). Nezavisne novine. 8 December 2007. Archived from the original on 5 July 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2007.
  21. "Hajdučka Republika Mijata Tomića". Hajdučke vrleti - Blidinje. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  22. Marija Vukoja profile, 24sata.info; accessed 30 November 2015.(in Croatian)
  23. "Hajdučka republika, glas bunta u BiH". Al Jazeera Balkans (in Bosnian). 2 September 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
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