What to See in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Top Sights and Attractions

Cultural exhibits in a historic building. The National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina is located in central Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It was established in 1888, having originally been conceived around 1850. In 1913, the museum building was expanded by the Czech architect Karel Pařík who designed a structure of four symmetric pavilions with a facade in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. The four pavilions contain the departments of archaeology, ethnology, natural history, and a library. After being closed for several years due to heavy damage in the recent war, the museum has re-opened and is in the process of mounting new and pre-existing exhibits.

The museum is a cultural and scientific institution covering a wide range of areas including archaeology, art history, ethnology, geography, history and natural history. The Sarajevo Haggadah, an illuminated manuscript and the oldest Sephardic Jewish document in the world issued in Barcelona around 1350, containing the traditional Jewish Haggadah, is held at the museum.

It has a library with 162,000 volumes.

Having remained open for its entire history including during the Bosnian War in the early 1990s, the Museum was closed between 2012-15 due to disagreements about funding.^[1]

Landmark arched bridge built in 1566. Stari Most, also known as Mostar Bridge, is a rebuilt 16th-century Ottoman bridge in the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina that crosses the river Neretva and connects the two parts of the city. The Old Bridge stood for 427 years, until it was destroyed on 9 November 1993 by Croatian Defence Council during the Croat–Bosniak War. Subsequently, a project was set in motion to reconstruct it; the rebuilt bridge opened on 23 July 2004.

The bridge is considered an exemplary piece of Balkan Islamic architecture and was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557. It was designed by Mimar Hayruddin, a student and apprentice of architect Mimar Sinan who built many of the Sultan's key buildings in Istanbul and around the empire.^[4]

Theatre in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Croatian National Theatre in Mostar is a theatre located in Mostar, home to the largest population of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

HNK Mostar was established on September 22, 1994 and the foundations of its building were laid on January 30, 1996. In July 2011 the building was still undergoing construction and was incomplete. Croatian and local dramas are performed on the small stage in the basement (which is completed) and it is also the venue of the Croatian Puppet Theatre. Some of its goals include the promotion of Croatian culture in Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad, as well as hosting international theatre troupes. All of its plays and performances are held on the small stage located in the building's basement. Half of its funding comes from the budget of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (50%), while the other half comes from sponsors and donors. It currently has 25 employees and its theatre director (as of September 3, 2014) is Ivan Vukoja.^[6]

Waterfall in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Pliva Waterfall is located by the town of Jajce, in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the river Pliva meets the river Vrbas. The waterfall is a large tufa, also known as travertine barrier, making over 22 meters cascade on the Pliva river, in a narrow karstic zone, which follows the Pliva course, retracted into a flysh and limestone contact zone. It was 30 meters high, but after an earthquake during the Bosnian war and attacks on the power plant further up the river, the area was flooded and now the waterfall is 22 meters high.

The old Jajce walled city core, including the waterfall, and other individual sites outside the walled city perimeter, such as the Jajce Mithraeum, is designated as The natural and architectural ensemble of Jajce and proposed for inscription into the UNESCO's World Heritage Site list. The bid for inscription is currently placed on the UNESCO Tentative list.^[7]

Orthodox church in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is a Serbian Orthodox church located in Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A Holy Trinity Church was built during interwar Yugoslavia in the center of Banja Luka. The construction of the temple lasted from 1925 to 1929, and was solemnly consecrated on the Day of Salvation in 1939. During the German bombing on April 12, 1941, the temple was hit and the altar section (apse) was significantly damaged. In May of the same year, the Ustashas declared the temple a "mound of the city" and ordered the Serbs, Jews and Roma to completely demolish it, brick by brick.

During socialist Yugoslavia, while many buildings were rebuilt, the demolished Cathedral was not allowed to be reconstructed. During the Bosnian war, Eparchy of Banja Luka was granted permission for the destroyed temple to be rebuilt, and the monument to fallen soldiers was moved to a nearby site, also owned by the church. The erection of the new temple began in 1993 when the foundations were sanctified. This solemn act was performed by Serbian Patriarch Pavle with the bishops and clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The temple was rebuilt under the name of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, because, in the meantime, a temple was named after the Holy Trinity in Banja Luka (1963-1969), as a memorial to the demolished one, which the Orthodox Serbs thought would never be able construct again.

The cathedral is built of red and yellow travertine stone, originating from Mesopotamia, whose quality (excavation and processing) is guaranteed by prof. Dr. Bilbija, an expert from the Belgrade Institute for Material Testing. It is built with a three-layer wall: stone, reinforced concrete, brick. The domes are covered with golden stainless steel, brought from Siberia. Exterior construction work on the temple was completed on September 26, 2004, when the first liturgy was also served. The liturgy was served by 8 bishops with the clergy and deacons of the Diocese of Banja Luka, with the presence of tens of thousands of believers.

The present temple is architecturally identical to the previous one and is the tallest religious building in Banja Luka, with a bell tower 47 meters high and a 22.5 meter dome. The Bishop's Temple was consecrated by Bishop Ephrem on Salvation Day in 2009.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the founding and celebration of the Day of Republika Srpska, Patriarch Irinej served the Holy Blessed Liturgy in the temple on January 9, 2012.^[9]

Monastery in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Tvrdoš Monastery is a 15th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery near the city of Trebinje, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 4th-century foundations of the first Roman church on the site are still visible.

The monastery, which is dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, was established during the 15th century, with a cathedral constructed around 1508 and painted with murals by Vicko Lavrov from Dubrovnik in 1517. The monastery remained a seat of the Metropolitans of Herzegovina until the Venetian Empire destroyed it in 1694. The current monastery building was constructed in 1924. Today, the monastery is renowned for its wine production (in particular from the local Vranac and Žilavka grape varieties) and its wine cellars, one of which dates to the 15th century, which are a popular tourist attraction.

As of late 2016, the monastery remains on the Provisional List for status as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On 6 March 2021, the retired Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina (1992–1999), Atanasije was buried in the Chapel of the Resurrection of the Lord in the cemetery of the monastery.^[13]

Waterfall. Skakavac is a waterfall formed on the Perućica, a mountain creek, in the Perućica, which is regulated as a Strict Nature Reserve as part of Sutjeska National Park in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is one of the highest waterfalls in the country, at about 75 metres in height.

The Perućica primeval forest of beech and spruce is situated beneath Maglić (2,386 m), the highest peak in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and separated from Zelengora mountain by the canyon of the Sutjeska river. Perućica creek cuts through the Perućica forest and descends between two steep Maglić slopes. Near the middle of its course, the stream cascades from the upper hanging valley to the lower valley, falling 75 meters from a karstic limestone precipice to reach its confluence with the Sutjeska river in the valley of Tjentište.^[19]

Mountain in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Čvrsnica is a mountain in the Dinarides of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in northern Herzegovina. Most of the mountain is located in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton municipalities of Mostar and Jablanica, while the smaller part of the mountain, around 10% is located in the municipality of Posušje. The highest peak is 2228 metres.

Čvrsnica is surrounded by the river Neretva from the east (20 km), its tributaries Doljanka (18 km) from the north and Drežanka (19.8 km) from the south, the Dugo Polje field (12 km) and Vran mountain from west. The mountain consists of several plateaus — Plasa and Muharnica on north, Mala Čvrsnica on south. There are more than ten summits above 2000 m (Pločno 2228 m, Veliki Jelinak 2179 m, Veliki Vilinac 2118 m, etc.), vertical cliffs (Pesti brdo, Mezica stijene, Strmenica...). It also includes lakes of Blidinje, Crepulja and Crvenjak. The Diva Grabovica canyon (6.2 km) goes into the mountain.

Bio-life is characteristic of its three climate areas: conifers above 1200 m, plateau with grass and junipers; numerous endemic species (like Munika Pine). Čvrsnica is well known as a home of chamois.^[25]