The old town of Vidoški

The old town of Križevac is located on a hill above the present-day center of Stolac and is a defensive building of one of the largest cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the XVII. century, the city had 13 towers and was the best fortified city in Herzegovina. The old town is located on a conical limestone hill, the western slope of which towards Zagrad is called Šetnica, the northern slope towards today's city center is Carinska strana, and the eastern slope towards the Uzinovići is called Križevac.

The old town of Križevac is located on the left bank of the Bregava, above Stolac, from where there is a view of the village, the fertile Vidovo polje, the river Bregava and the surrounding hills: Hrgud in the north, Komanje hill in the east, Ošaniće on the hill. to the west and Bašnik hill in the south. Field of view. The national monument consists of the Lower Town, the Upper Town, the central plateau from the Austro-Hungarian period, the access road with a total length of 1200 m from the Lower Gate to the Upper Gate, as well as part of the hill below the ramparts.

The old town covers an area of 20,503 m2. It is protected by a chain of stone towers and ramparts, which are about 2 m thick and are built of hewn limestone blocks. In addition to the tower, the city has 10 water tanks, a flour warehouse and residential buildings.

The names Stolac and Vidoški are constantly intertwined since they appear in historical sources. Both remained in use almost until the end of the 19th century. century. It is assumed that in prehistoric times life took place in the northwestern part of the fortress towards Podgrad, on the part of the hill called Šetnica. Late antique substructures (towers I – IV) were discovered on the northern side of the city. On the site of today's town of Stolac was the ancient municipality Diluntum with findings from the 1st - 4th centuries BC. Kr. And a fort from the late antique period. In the Middle Ages, the area of the town of Stolac belonged to the parish of Vidoša. Vid's field appears in 1417 in the Latin translation "Planum Sancti Viti. The first reliable information about Stolac in the Middle Ages is from the 15th century, i.e. in 1420 "Loco dicto Stolac" in connection with the robbery of merchants, and it appears again a few years later.

Archaeological work in 1976 did not reveal clear remains of the medieval town, but it is assumed that they were buried by the construction of the fortress from the time of Austria-Hungary. The chair became a part of the Ottoman Sultanate after the conquest on June 13, 1465, but there is no reliable information that it was manned until the beginning of the XVIII century. century. After the Peace of Karlovac in 1699, the city was repaired and expanded, and an administration headed by Dizdar was appointed. Around 1706, the Stolac Captaincy was founded. In 1832, Husein-Captain Gradaščević's army besieged Stolac in vain. In August 1878, the Austrian administration was established. The military era thoroughly renovated the old town in 1883, and in 1888 it built a modern fortress, located above the one that existed during the Ottoman rule.

The historic site of the Old Town of Stolac was declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2003.

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