Grad – Travnik Travel

DISCOVER TRAVNIK

The ancient town of Travnik lies in a deep valley surrounded by mountains in the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The town is like an open-air museum because the traces of the turbulent past are visible, and the smell of those times can also be felt everywhere you look.

Travnik and its area

Town

The ancient town of Travnik lies in a deep valley surrounded by mountains in the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town is like an open-air museum because the traces of the turbulent past are visible, and the smell of those times can also be felt everywhere you look.

Mountains

They preserve the stories of the nomads who, for centuries, with their herds of sheep, have been watching the distant expanse from the pastures and mountain heights. Its upright forests, fragrant meadows, vivid rivers, and playful streams exude a special charm and beauty.

Surrounding area

It is painted by old villages and settlements in the mountains, hills, and valleys. One special coloring scenery, as well as the diverse traditions of our region.

Travnik heritage

Cultural and historical heritage

Travnik and its region have had a significant place and role in every historical period from the Neolithic to the modern era. Bosnian fate is completely intertwined with the fate of Travnik and they are reflected in each other like a mirror. All the variety and diversity of Bosnian cultural identity is present and visible in Travnik, enriched with local specificities and originalities. A short walk around Travnik is enough to open the door for the accidental traveler to the wonderful world of famous personalities, architectural gems, gastronomic temptations, and most of all, the unique Travnik spirit and soul that give everything in this town a special touch.

Intangible heritage

Solid stone buildings of material heritage are the foundation of intangible heritage, the one that refines, complements, and completes the cultural and spiritual life of an environment. And it is only in this field that you can see all the splendor and diversity of Travnik and the surrounding area: tornjak dog and short-beaked pigeon, pitica and Vlašić cheese, embroidery and weaving, sevdalinka and folklore, folk sweets, scrambled eggs festival, pottery... The list is continuously updated.

Notable people

Travnik was and remains predestined for renowned people to be born here, live, and create or just visit it. Surprisingly, there are many, considering that Travnik was never a large and heavily populated town. The list is long - Ivo Andrić, Erich von Brandis, Derviš Korkut, Srebrenka Jurinac, Petar Barbarić, Muhamed and Skender Kulenović, Abdulvehab Ilhamija, Miroslav Blažević, Zlata Bartl, Enes Karić, Josip Pejaković, Jakob Gaon, Anto Babić... You will find out more about them and other notable people of Travnik while sightseeing and being introduced to the town.

Tradition of life

The daily intertwining of the craft, trade, and administrative core of the town with farmers from the surrounding villages and nomadic herders from Vlašić has shaped the traditional way of life for centuries. The religious diversity of the local population and the influences of the ruling Ottoman and Austrian elites gave special nuances. The result is an exceptionally nuanced and diverse model of life in Travnik that unites a variety of, sometimes seemingly incompatible, traditional elements of different sources and origins.

National monuments

The importance and significance of Travnik throughout history are also known for the large number of objects declared national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Currently, 18 of them are on the list, including the symbols of Travnik: the Old Town, Plava voda (Blue Water), Šarena (Colourful) and Jeni Mosques, Clock Towers, the Music School... There are also nine monuments on the provisional list, and another 20 are under petition, i.e., in the process of being declared national monuments.

Travnik through time

Paleolithic

In the Suhi Dol Cave next to the village of the same name near Travnik, a new page of the past of our region has recently been opened. Archaeologists say: "Flint tools are characteristic of the Middle Paleolithic, the time when Neanderthals lived in Europe - between 300,000 and 40,000 BC". And they add: "This discovery makes the Suhi Dol Cave the first Paleolithic and oldest archaeological site in central Bosnia!".

Neolithic

The remains of ceramics, jewelry, weapons, castle walls, etc., testify to the settlements in the valleys of the Lašva and Bila Rivers from the Late Stone Age to the Iron Age. Archaeological investigations of the Nebo (Sky, engl.) site in the valley of the Bila River revealed Neolithic dugouts with bone and stone tools and domesticated cattle, indicating the beginning of the herding tradition in the Travnik area.

Roman period

Bato's insurgents and Tiberius' legionaries clashed in the Lašva valley during the Great Illyrian Rebellion. Slaves panned for gold in the Lašva, and the settlements along the roads with all the elements of Roman urbanization were set up. Tombs, military fortifications, basilicas, pottery, money, jewelry... the abundance of these artifacts testifies to the dense population and lively economic activity from the 1 st to the 6 th century AD.

Medieval period

The Lašva Parish was in the heart of the medieval Bosnian state with the nobleman Batalo Šantić, an influential figure at court. With the construction of the fortress, the core of today's town was formed. Money from that period found in the vicinity of Travnik is of Dubrovnik, Venetian, Byzantine, Hungarian, and Bosnian origin, which testifies to the developed trade activities.

Ottoman period

Osmanski Period

The 16 th century was a period of rapid development of the town, which acquired a complete oriental form, in architecture and organization of life. The burning of Sarajevo by Eugene of Savoy brought Travnik the status of the vizier's residence, which led to a new Upper Bazaar, another clock tower, the vizier's Konak, more intense spiritual life, and more vibrant diplomatic and trade activities that culminated in the consular times. The town takes on an oriental physiognomy with numerous mosques, madrasas, hammams, inns, bezistans, and public fountains spread along the course of the Lašva River and the surrounding steep slopes.

Austro-Hungarian period

Although only 40 years long, this period permanently changed the life and appearance of the town. European style of life and education, the first industrialization, the railway, the neo-Moorish style in architecture... Travnik and its area experienced a transformation that is still visible today, most notably in the appearance of the main Bosanska Street. The transition from the oriental to European lifestyle was dynamic, difficult, and often with resistance, but it was unstoppable and permanent according to the changes that followed. Istanbul, as a model, was replaced by Vienna

Yugoslav period

Travnik lost its administrative importance during this period, and between the two world wars, it experienced a time of stagnation. Intensive industrialization began in 1945, education and health care were provided for all, cultural and artistic creativity was insisted upon...The beauty of the Vlašić mountain became the basis of the intensive development of tourism and began to attract guests from all over Yugoslavia and beyond. Travnik itself is being positioned as a tourist destination with its sights.

Travnik as the…

Town of Viziers

Being the capital of Bosnia for 150 years during the Ottoman rule is one of the many stories about Travnik. The story is about the turbulent past times and its 77 governors - viziers, who took the fate of Bosnia at the time into their own hands.

Town of Nobel Laureate

Where there is water, there are fragrant and diverse grasses on spacious pastures interspersed with white herds of sheep. It is the sheep's cheese that makes Travnik a place of good food and gastronomic pleasure.

Town of the Consuls

In the whirlwind of the past and viziers’ times, Travnik also became the city of consuls. Napoleon sent his consul first, followed by another one, an Austrian, into the heart of Bosnia.

Town of cheese

Town of Ćiro

He was the "coach of all coaches". He connected the Travnik suburban area, Turbe, and world-class football coaches like Capello and Mourinho. More or less everyone has heard that story, and everyone knows his name. But if, by any chance, someone doesn’t, he is Miroslav Blažević - Ćiro.

Mountain with a soul

The tamed and welcoming Vlašić mountain has given birth to many generations of kind-hearted and hardworking people. They are hearty, broad- minded, and helpful with a huge soul, just like their mountain.

Town of ćevap of pitica

Considering and analyzing everything, pitica (pide, dough) from Travnik has an advantage because it goes well with čimbur (scrambled eggs), cheese, dried meat, suđuk (Bosnian traditional smoked sausage), and many other dishes, especially those sizzling, and eating ćevap in Travnik with anything else other than pitica is unthinkable. But the combination of “ćevap and pitica” is the best in the world.

Town of unique clocks

Travnik has 7 unique clocks, each tells its own story. Some clocks are of new generation, others belong to the oldest one from the distant past. Time was measured in both ways in Travnik: Western and Eastern. It’s not strange that this is the place where East meets West.

Town of sevdah, singing and acting

„Sinoć gledam sjajnu mjesečinu” (engl: “Last night I was looking at the bright moonlight") performed by doyen of sevdah Zaim Imamović is one of a series of sevdah songs that describe Travnik. Travnik, a town of singing and songwriting, or just a place that inspired many to make hits that are still regionally known today. And singers and songwriters? Actors? That is another story to be explored.

Travnik and seasons

Spring

The foaming waters of Hendek below the Old Town are a sign of melting snow from Vlašić and the first harbinger of spring in Travnik. Soon, the slopes of Vilenica and Vlašić will be blossom-white, and perhaps the most beautiful time of the year for meeting Travnik and its surroundings will begin. Walking around the streets of Travnik, its meadows, forests, and pastures, all dressed in spring colors, accompanied by the tweets of birds and the gurgling of water at every step, also attracts your senses.

Summer

The luxurious greenery of lush vegetation around the town and in the surrounding area interwoven with the scent of linden trees from Aleja konzula (the Consul Alley Street), blown by the breeze in all directions, brings us long summer days, perfect for meeting the traditions and people of our region. Summer also brings plenty of cultural, artistic, and sports events in attractive locations from the Old Town to the town’s squares. An escape from the summer heat is best sought near Blue Water or on Vlašić Mt., where fields and hills allow you to walk and hike and engage in more demanding and exciting activities.

Autumn

Painted with a splendid palette of the warmest autumn colors, Travnik is miraculous. That's the most pleasant moment for walking around its mahalas, going to scenic viewpoints, and letting all your senses simply enjoy. The golden autumn also brings special Travnik’s stories of the culture and art mixture.

Winter

The snow-covered and sunlit Vlašić mountain offers the perfect place to escape from the often fog-covered river valleys, resembling the sea when viewed from above. But when the winds blow away the fog and the sun breaks through, the sentence written by Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić about the belief of the people living in Travnik can be understood: "... while shining, the sun shines nowhere as it does over their town".

Travnik, a place for…..

Students

Spring and autumn are the best seasons for school excursions and are a great time to learn "outside" about the rich heritage in the bosom of the heart of Bosnia. Summer will be left for vacation and a school break, but winter is again for studying. Skiing skills will be taught on the Mountain with a soul.

The young

What do young people need more than a lot of experience through adventure and fun? For those who are eager to explore and have more restless spirits, there are many activities to enjoy along with the beauty of nature throughout the seasons, and summer and winter are especially dedicated to good fun. In winter, on the mountain, and in summer, with many concerts and interesting programs in the town.

Families

Spending a vacation or a short break in Travnik with children in a family atmosphere means having a great time together, sightseeing, tasting, feeling, hearing, and having a lot of fun together, whether in the mountains, along the rivers, waterfalls, pastures or in the heart of the "Open-Air Museum".

Seniors

Travnik also has flat areas for easier walking, it's not all uphill and downhill, as the locals say. Maybe this will attract those little older to take up the challenge of the mountains, where there is small uphill, or some of our other higher areas of rich heritage with a stick and gritted teeth. After all, there are beautiful places for gastronomic pleasure, especially on warm days. You stop, sit down, and rest. You are not in a hurry anywhere because Travnik is not a place where you need to do it.

Vlašić mountain

Vlašić and it's location

From the Ugar canyon and the Vlašić villages of Vitovlje and Mudrike, over Gostilj to Galica, Devečani, and Paljenik, and further to the eastern slopes, from Vlaška Gromila to Ljuta Greda and Krna, and back through Kraljica and Šantić to the center of mountain tourism Babanovac and the village of Šišava... It is a part of the beautiful locations on Vlašić Mt., each of which charms you in its own special way.

Vlašić and its area

Vlašić is a huge mountain with vast forests and pastures. A mountain in the central parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina where the peaks reach up to 2,000 m above sea level. A mountain with many rivers, streams, waterfalls, and cascades that exude rich flora and fauna. Vlašić is as tame as it is wild, and it is one of the most accessible mountains in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Vlašić through time

Vlašić through sports and recreation

The view of the slopes and heights of the mountains from the Travnik Valley leaves few people indifferent. Even in the past, Vlašić was a challenge that motivated many nature lovers to visit their mountain from the basin. That's how it started with recreational mountaineering, and today there are generations and generations of skiers, alpinists, cyclists, and paragliders..., but also football players, basketball players, handball players, volleyball players, and many other athletes who happily return to the Mountain with a soul. Recreationally, Vlašić is a favorite area for hunters and fishermen, observers of night star fields, mushroom and medicinal herb pickers, and all those who love the mountain environment and nature.

Did you know about the….?

First hydropower plant

In the autumn of 1906, the first light bulbs lit up in Travnik houses, powered by the newly commissioned hydropower plant in Šumeće, whose generator was powered by water from the dammed springs of Plava Voda. The work was carried out by Czech engineers, technicians, and craftsmen. Thus, Travnik entered the world of modern technology among the first cities and towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Šumeće and Plava Voda were transformed into the image that visitors to this location, one of Travnik's most recognizable attractions, can still see today.

Second gymnasium in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Archdiocese of Vrhbosna founded the Gymnasium (High School) in Travnik in 1882 after the one in Sarajevo. In 1888, classes began in a newly built, huge building on the right bank of the Lašva River, which became a cathedral of knowledge and science. The excellent education provided by this institution also attracted numerous foreign students who were not Catholics but embraced the opportunity to study here. By the efforts of certain teachers, especially Erich von Brandis, the Gymnasium has collected extremely valuable and numerous exhibits from various fields as well as a rich library. Blessed Petar Barbarić, after whom the Catholic School Center is named today, was also a student and seminarian of the Archbishop's Gymnasium. Systems and states changed, but Travnik Gymnasium remained an educational institution with the highest standards.

Vegeta

The five-minute series called "Little secrets of great kitchen master chefs" hosted by Stevo Karapandža and Oliver Mlakar gathered viewers all over Yugoslavia for years, who watched how this duo presented the preparation of dishes in a relaxed and fun way, which were given the final taste by the spice called "Vegeta". But few knew that the lady chemist Zlata Bartl was the person who created the recipe for the most popular dish additive. She was born in Dolac on the Lašva near Travnik on February 20, 1920. Despite numerous copies in Yugoslavia and around the world, none of them even came close to the recognizable, unique, and unrepeatable taste of Zlata’s "Vegeta", the taste of a childhood dish still for many.

Rosa brandis

Rosa Brandis

A Jesuit monk Erich von Brandis, a teacher at the Archbishop's Gymnasium in Travnik, tirelessly and enthusiastically researched the flora and fauna of Vlašić, discovering plants unknown to science until then, and as many as nine of them were named after him. The most beautiful among them is the wild rose Rosa Brandis, which has no thorns. As if nature, by creating a beautiful rose without thorns to be an endemic plant on the largest Bosnian mountain, wanted to show that beauty is a force that can cope with the often harsh Vlašić climate.

Sena Jurinac

When the cry of a newborn baby was heard in Travnik on October 24, 1921, no one could have guessed that it was the first appearance of one of the most beautiful soprano voices of the 20th century. For 40 years, Srebrenka Sena Jurinac will enchant the most demanding and pampered audiences and critics of the Vienna State Opera, Teatro alla Scala of Milan, London's Covent Garden, the Salzburg Festival, Glyndebourne, and Edinburgh festivals... The residents of Travnik like to say that the silvery sound of the numerous springs and waters of Travnik remained forever woven into the magical voice of the magnificent opera artist.

Kulenović family

Three brothers: Muhamed - a painter, Skender - a poet, and Muzafer - a football player. Open-minded, anti-fascists, descendants of the impoverished bey family, by mother and part of life from Travnik. Muhamed is the first Bosniak academic painter educated in Krakow. Skender is a masterful poet of the most subtle human feelings and the only one of the brothers who survived the Second World War. Muzafer was killed when he was 25 and did not get to show his talents.

First “HOTEL VLAŠIĆ” 1897.

When the elegant, white, neoclassical building of the Hotel Vlašić was built in 1897, Travnik got a real architectural pearl in its center. The building later changed its function and owners, and the people of Travnik will call it the "White House", and it will remain an ornament of the upper side of the town.

Necropolis on the Vlašić heights

Stećak necropolises can be found in many areas of Travnik, but one is specific because it is located almost on the highest peaks of the Vlašić mountain at 1,780 m above sea level. It is the necropolis of Ormanj (Vlašićka gromila). The necropolis indicates that our ancestors lived for centuries in the highest areas of our mountain's beauty.

Highest spring in Vlašić

Travnik is known for its waters and many springs. One is located on Vlašić at an altitude of over 1,700 m above sea level, near the Devečani mountain lodge. The Devečani spring is used by shepherds, in addition to travelers, to feed their flocks of sheep when they are grazing in the wilderness of Vlašić mountain pastures in the summer.

Only one in the Balkans

Yes, it is our Match Factory in Dolac on the Lašva, built during the period of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Founded in 1901, this factory is a kind of museum that still produces old wooden matches, using water from the Lašva River and wood from Bosnian forests. There are also old machines from the earliest period.

400-year-old White Poplar

Next to the Old Mosque at the entrance to Turbe from the eastern side, there is an old white poplar about 400 years old. Being almost 20 m high and nearly 8 m in circumference, it is one of the peculiarities of our region.

Silver flake

"Silver flake" is a prestigious award for the Vlašić mountain from 1979. In close competition with the Slovenian Planica, our mountain was declared the most promising winter center in the former Yugoslavia.

Jala, Hazna and dokuzi phenomenon

Near the Old Town fortress, there are permanent springs: Jala, Hazna, and Dokuzi. They are almost next to each other. The water of those springs is different from the waters of Vlašić because it is "soft" and, according to old stories, also medicinal. Those soft waters of Travnik rose quite high to the Vlašić side below the Lašva from the Vilenica side and became an intruder to the Vlašić waters. A real natural phenomenon when water emerges high up the hill.

Travnik linden tree

Travnik linden tree, Tilia travnicensis Maly, a species discovered in 1905 by the famous botanist Karlo Maly, who named it "Travnik linden tree" as its scientific name.

In the western part of the town, in 1893, an alley of linden trees with specimens of this species was formed, more precisely in Consul Alley Street.

Mystery of the Old Town of Vrbenac

The winding river Jasenica from Mehurić and the river Bila lead you to the unknown and poorly explored Old Town of Vrbenac.
It is especially decorated with stone-carved stairs and its dominant location near the village of Zagrađe.

It is still a great mystery.

Gold-bearing river

The densely populated areas around the Lašva River in the Roman period take us to the time when the Lašva River was washed in search of gold. The Lašva River is one of the rare gold-bearing rivers in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Vlašić cup

At that time, it was the southernmost and most natural ski jumping hill in Europe. On Babanovac, in the heart of Vlašić. The famous "Vlašić Cup" has been gathering top European ski jumpers since 1976. Vlašić also had its own jumpers - the "Vlašić Eaglets". In the 1980s, due to the lack of snow, one winter in Slovenia, Vlašić was the organizer of the Slovenian republican ski jumping competition, and in 1984, for the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, the Vlašić ski jumping hill was an additional polygon in case of a lack of snow on the Olympic Igman.

The first firefighters

The First Fire Department in Bosnia and Herzegovina was founded in Travnik in 1879, during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Since then, the noble firefighters have been taking care of fire protection.

Market day

The green market in the center of Travnik is especially "colorful" and visited on Thursdays. It is a market day when many merchants and farmers from the Travnik region sell their products. The green market is not just a market, it is a cult place to meet, shop, bargain...

Historical Events

First mention of Travnik

In the report written on June 3, 1463, the Duke of Trogir informs his superiors in Venice that the Ottomans conquered the towns of Bobovac and Travnik. The fortress and the town, of course, existed earlier, but this essential spy document written in Latin represents the mention of Travnik under that name in a written source preserved to this day, a kind of Travnik Birth Certificate. The Regional Museum was the first to start celebrating this date, followed by the Municipality of Travnik, which organizes the "Days of the Consuls" event on this day.

Rudolf's cafe

The only son of Elizabeth of Bavaria and Franz Joseph I of Austria, the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne, Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria drank coffee in "Lutvo's Café” on June 18, 1887. It is not known whether the given gold coin was an expression of satisfaction with the coffee itself, the service, and the ambiance or just a gesture of politeness. But we know that the iconic gathering place, painted in “kaisergelbe” (royal yellow) to welcome a high-ranking guest, would change its name for a while to “Rudolf’s Café”, and the unfortunate prince would die a year and a half after his visit to Travnik in the mysterious Mayerling incident.

Lady Diana

Princess Diana’s last official activity before her tragic death in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997, was a humanitarian visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which had just emerged from the war, to help victims of mines and highlight the danger of remaining minefields. Lady Diana arrived in Travnik on August 9, where she spent the night, and she is remembered as a warm and compassionate person even today.

Eugene of Savoy

As the youngest of five brothers and the physically weakest, Eugene was destined for a career in the priesthood. However, he would grow into the greatest military commander of his time in Europe, and the penetration into Bosnia and the burning of Sarajevo in the fall of 1697 by the army he led would result in deep and lasting consequences for both Travnik and the whole of Bosnia. The Ottoman government moved the seat of the Bosnian Eyalet from the ruined and plague-ravaged Sarajevo to Travnik, where the "Days of the Viziers" began. The new administrative function of the town gives it a tailwind, and Travnik grows, develops, expands, and settles.

The dragon of Bosnia - Husein Gradaščević

Educated, wise, and tolerant, Husein intended to win for Bosnia the autonomy that Serbia got in those years. He would try the impossible, to unite all Bosnians and be elected Bosnian Vizier by the leaders of the Bosnian Uprising. During his short reign, Travnik was the de facto seat of rebellious Bosnia, where Husein-kapetan founded the "Divan" - the Bosnian government. Brave, determined, and strong, Husein-kapetan could not resist the combined attack of the powerful Sultan's army and the Bosnian-Herzegovinian enemies. The struggle for Bosnian autonomy, although short- lived, permanently connected Travnik and the Dragon of Bosnia.

Consuls in Travnik

The dragon of Bosnia - Husein Gradaščević

The storms of the Napoleonic Wars and the tectonic disturbances of the European borders and politics would be reflected in Travnik throughout the days of the consuls - the establishment and operation of consulates: first of the French and then of the Austrian Empire. Pierre David arrived in Travnik at the very beginning of 1807 and remained the only French consul until the Consulate was closed down in 1814. The first Austrian consul, Josef von Mitteser, came soon after his French colleague, but Austria would maintain the consulate in Travnik until 1821, and after Von Mitteser, Jakob von Paulich and Josef von Simbschen would perform consular duties. The personalities of the European consuls and their family members, their stay and work, thoughts and feelings... all of this interwoven with the locals and their experience of Europe embodied through the members of the consular households is the framework of the novel "Travnička hronika" by Ivo Andrić.

Ilhami

A poet, mystic, dervish, and imam - Abdulvehab Ilhamija Žepčak lived the modest life of a spiritualist and Sufi in his native Žepče, writing poetry and prose in Bosnian, Arabic, Turkish, and Persian languages. Times, as always in Bosnia, were difficult and dangerous, and Ilhamija could not remain silent about injustice and violence. He speaks in verse - his qasida "Čudan zeman nastade" remains a permanent record of the times and situations that are repeated in Bosnia. Ilhamija's sophisticated rebellion could not be tolerated, so he was summoned to Travnik and executed in 1821. He was buried in Travnik. As a Sufi name, he chose the Arabic adjective ILHAMI – inspired - and remained an inspiration to all fighters for justice and good.

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DISCOVER TRAVNIK

Travnik and its area

Town

Travnik heritage

Intangible heritage

Notable people

Tradition of life

Travnik through time

Medieval period

Austro-Hungarian period

Travnik as the…

Town of sevdah, singing and acting

Travnik and seasons

Travnik, a place for…..

Vlašić mountain

Vlašić through sports and recreation

Did you know about the….?

First hydropower plant

Kulenović family

Historical Events

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