BiH Roadtrip Mostar to Stolac Bosnia via Radimlja Necropolis

Updated January 2018. After following the surprising Neretva River to Mostar in Bosnia as part of our BiH road trip and Ten Weeks in Europe, we’re back-tracking from Mostar to the Buna River junction and then heading south toward Stolac, Bosnia – a town that was destroyed by war in the summer of 1993.

Mostar on the Neretva River.

Images of Mostar.

including Mostar old town, war damaged buildings and magnificent Gymnasium.

Map of Bosnia

This map of Bosnia shows the route we took from Metković on the Bosnian/Croatia border along the Neretva River to Mostar, then Radimlja Necropolis (3km west of Stolac) and finally the rebuilt town of Stolac.

Radimlja Necropolis.

I’m often nervous that we won’t actually find the sights I’ve bookmarked, because well… it has been known to happen. In this case however, incredibly, the road goes right through the middle of the Necropolis!

Obviously the road makers of the Austro-Hungarian period didn’t consider the site worthy of a diversion and 20 or so of the tombs from the 15th and 16th centuries were lost. Numbering 133 in 1967 there are 110 today, with a few of them north and the rest south of the road.

Tombs by the road, Radimlja Necropolis, Bosnia.

Some are tall plain chests while others are grave markers with epitaphs and bas reliefs.  They were very white and after comparing them with other images, it is easy to see they had recently been cleaned.

Tombs south of the road.

There was a large lone picnic table in the shade of a tall tree on the site. The offending road can be seen on the left and you can just make out a tomb on the other side.

Stolac Bosnia.

Stolac was incredibly and eerily quiet on the Sunday we were there. We parked near the Čaršijska Mosque (1519), which together with other important structures were blown to bits in the war and then the rubble trucked to and dumped in the Bregava and Radimlja riverbeds.

On August 22nd 2001 a reconstruction of Čaršijska Mosque commenced.

The old mosque looks new and it is – but it is made from the original materials recovered from the river beds where it was dumped.  The attractive scenes on the walls overlooking the courtyard and cleansing station are unusual. I wonder if they are copies of the original paintings or a modern interpretation.

There was no-one around to ask, so we wandered toward the river and tried some ripe mulberries from a tree across the street. Needless to say they tasted exactly the same as those back home – delicious. Had the tree survived the war or been planted since?

War is incomprehensibe.

Walking upstream 900m from the Čaršijska Mosque, we came upon another, the Cuprija Mosque and Inat Cuprija (bridge) surrounded by shady plane trees.

Reminders of War stand side by side with restored and new buildings in Stolac. These visual reminders made me contemplate how people move forward afterward the fighting.

Buildings are rebuilt but what of trust and forgiveness.

Budget Travel Talk

Radimlja Necropolis – Entrance 2 Euro

Čaršijska Mosque, Stolac Bosnia – Free Entry to the complex but check Mosque opening times on arrival.

Buses run Mostar to Stolac Bosnia hourly.

This post is linked to Nancie’s Travel Photo Thursday over at Budget Travelers Sandbox.

Have you visited Bosnia (BiH) or experienced war?