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An inspiring tourist paradise

Herzegovina is a historical/historical and geographical/geographical region in the southern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina which was formerly called Humska zemlja, Zahumlje or Hum. Its total area is close to 10,000 km2. According to the 1991 census, Herzegovina has 437,000 inhabitants.

As a natural region, it consists of two micro-regions: low (coastal or Adriatic) and high (upper or mountainous) Herzegovina. High Herzegovina includes the basin of the upper and middle reaches of the Neretva, a significant part of the Dinaric region, the mountains Velež, Volujak, Prenj, Čvrsnica and Crvanj, and the famous Nevesinjska and Gatačka karst fields. Low or Adriatic Herzegovina extends around the lower reaches of the Neretva River and in the basins of the Bregava and Trebižat rivers. It includes the large Popovo polje, the Mostar polje and the basin, and the Trebinje polje.

With its sub-Mediterranean and Mediterranean climate, Herzegovina belongs to the regions where Mediterranean fruits and vegetables thrive. Many call it the "California" of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vines, figs, peaches, tangerines, apples, pomegranates, olives and other varieties thrive here, as well as medicinal herbs such as sage, yarrow, immortelle, etc. 

Precisely because of this mild climate, Herzegovina is the largest and only producer of grapes and wine in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Two autochthonous varieties, Žilavka i Blatina, they have settled in here a long time ago and give a harvest and quality like nowhere else. Herzegovina is the land of sun and stone, and its glades and valleys are covered with low and high vegetation such as bramble, oak, ash, chub, spruce and pine. To every passer-by, this environment offers unforgettable views and atmosphere for the eye and soul.
As a historical region, Herzegovina offers many historical sites such as the Old Town in Mostar, Počitelj, Blagaj, Mogorjelo, Radimlja, Ljubuška tvrđava, manastir Tvrdoš etc. Finds and excavations from distant history have been preserved in the museums of Herzegovina. Precisely because of this, Herzegovina offers every guest a "walk" through time.

Mostar is its capital and together with Međugorje - the pilgrimage center, Neuma - the center of summer - spa tourism and other attractions, represents one of the most desirable regions in Southeastern Europe.

Herzegovina is famous according to the rich gastronomic offer of the locals. indigenous products. The goal is for Herzegovina's gastronomic offer to become one of the well-known brands, because of which tourists will be happy to visit Herzegovina.

History of Herzegovina

The area of ​​Herzegovina has been inhabited since prehistoric times. This is evidenced by the remains of stone and metal objects. In the 13th century BC, a group of Illyrian tribes (Daorsi, Ardijejci,...) settled. The Romans will defeat them and organize their country into the Roman province of Illyricum. After the division of the Roman Empire in 395 into western and eastern parts, Herzegovina belonged to the western part of the empire. In the middle of the 10th century, the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenet mentions Bosnia and Hum - Zahumlje (today's Herzegovina) as two small areas. Since the middle of the 12th century, Herzegovina and Bosnia have had their rulers with the title of ban. In 1377, Bosnia and Herzegovina became a kingdom, and ban Tvrtko became its first king. After his death in 1391, Bosnia and Herzegovina was affected by the process of independence of the most prominent nobles (separation of Herzegovina from Bosnia). Thus, Bosnia is ruled by Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić, and Herzegovina is ruled by his nephew Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, who takes the title of Duke and calls his property Herzegovina in 1448, with headquarters in Blagaj. This division made it easier for the Ottoman Turks to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Turks finally occupied Bosnia in 1463, and Herzegovina in 1482.  

Among the cultural monuments from the Middle Ages, the most important are stećci - gravestone monuments. Out of hundreds of localities, the most important is the one on Radimlja near Stolac. Of the scripts, Glagolitic and Bosnian were the most used. The oldest monument written in Bosnian is the Humačka ploča, which is kept in the museum of the Franciscan monastery in Humac near Ljubuški, and dates from the 12th century. With the weakening of the Ottoman Empire during the 17th and 18th centuries, Herzegovina was shaken by riots followed by riots and uprisings of the Christian kingdom to free itself from Turkish rule. At the Berlin Congress in 1878, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy received a mandate to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in 1908 annexed it. Under the Austro-Hungarian administration, Herzegovina is being modernized and connected with Western Europe. It was completely dependent on the Viennese court until the fall of the Monarchy in 1918. After the end of World War I, Herzegovina became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia under the Karađorđević dynasty. From 1939 to 1941, it was part of the Banovina of Croatia, and from 1941 to 1945, it was under the rule of the independent state of Croatia. On November 29, 1943, Communists led by Josip Broz Tito created the SFRY (second Yugoslavia) in Jajce, and Bosnia and Herzegovina was under its rule until 1990, when it disintegrated. With the breakup of Yugoslavia, the former republics became independent and sovereign states.

In the 1990s, Herzegovina went through a difficult war period that left a deep mark on the people and the economic situation. Due to its location and Mediterranean climate, today Herzegovina is a tourist destination and its development is based on tourism. Mostar is the administrative, political, cultural and economic center of the region. Tourism and agriculture, especially winemaking and viticulture, are the branches of the economy on which Herzegovina will largely base its economic development in the future. Due to its long and turbulent history, the cultural and historical heritage of Herzegovina is large and imbued with various cultures, which makes Herzegovina unique and interesting.