Počitelj
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Počitelj Почитељ |
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| Basic data | |||
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| State : | Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||
| Entity : | Federation of BiH | ||
| Canton : | Herzegovina-Neretva | ||
| Municipality : | Čapljina | ||
| Coordinates : | 43 ° 8 ' N , 17 ° 44' E | ||
| Height : | |||
| Residents : | 869 (2013) | ||
| Telephone code : | +387 (0) 36 | ||
Počitelj is a place in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina . It belongs to the Čapljina community and is located on the lower reaches of the Neretva in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina .
The origin of the place name is not clear. The component čitelj could come from the Italian cittadela ("citadel"). Počitelj would then designate the “place at the citadel”, which fits the geographical situation.
geography
The place is located on the left (eastern) bank of the Neretva in the historical area of Herzegovina , about 30 km south of Mostar and 3 km northeast of the Čapljina community center . The narrow river valley widens south of Počitelj until it finally merges into the Neretva Delta at Metković . Since the Neretva valley is the only one to break through the Dinaric mountain range in a north-south direction, Počitelj was a key strategic point, especially at the time of the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 15th century.
history
The castle and settlement Počitelj was first mentioned in 1444 as Posichell . At that time it belonged to the Dubrava parish. Presumably, the fortified settlement but was already in 1383 on behalf of the first Bosnian king I. Tvrtko created. Further mentions can be found in 1448 as Beczitel and 1454 as Pozitell . In the second half of the 15th century , the fortress was systematically expanded by the then ruling Hungarians under Matthias Corvinus in order to be able to fend off the Ottoman campaigns aimed at central Bosnia and Central Dalmatia . The construction was financially and logistically supported by the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik). The temporary builder of the fortress was Paskoje Miličević from Ragusa.
After several unsuccessful attempts, the Ottomans succeeded in taking control of the castle on September 19, 1471. This removed the main obstacle to the conquest of Bosnia and western Herzegovina. Under Ottoman rule Počitelj was developed as a bulwark against Dalmatia , which was still ruled by the Republic of Venice . The settlement was expanded significantly as early as the 16th century; after 1600 the construction of typical oriental city buildings followed. A hamam (bath), a medrese (Koran school), a Han (inn) and a Sahat kula (clock tower) were built. The water for the hammam was brought from the Neretva to the town on the mountain. Soon Počitelj was one of the most modern cities in the region.
At the end of the 17th century - in a period of relative weakness in the Ottoman Empire - the city walls were expanded and reinforced again. Nevertheless, the conquest by the Venetians in 1693 - during the Great Turkish War - could not be prevented. Only after 25 years did Počitelj fall back into Ottoman hands in 1718. The importance of the place can be seen in the appointment to the parish seat in 1782; at that time the two larger towns Blagaj (near Mostar ) and Stolac belonged to the Počitelj municipality. The Ottoman rule in Herzegovina ended in 1878 when the country came under the protectorate of Austria-Hungary . Počitelj also lost its strategic importance, as the coastal areas and the hinterland were now ruled for the first time in 400 years.
Bosnian War
In the war between 1992 and 1995 Počitelj was first attacked and devastated by Serbian troops, then by the HVO . The troops of the self-proclaimed Republic of Herceg-Bosna captured many predominantly Muslim residents in 1993, deported them to prison camps, the largest of which was the Dretelj camp , and destroyed the mosque, the hammam, the Han and numerous Ottoman houses from the 18th century. The reconstruction of most of the historic buildings was completed in 2002.
population
At the 1991 census, Počitelj had 905 inhabitants. Of these, 660 (72.9%) described themselves as Bosniaks , 172 (19%) as Croats , 36 (4%) as Yugoslavs and 37 (4%) as members of other ethnic groups.
At the 2013 census, there were 869 people in Počitelj.
Culture and sights
fortress
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The Počitelj Castle, first mentioned in 1444 and expanded several times in the following centuries, is still well preserved today and dominates this section of the Neretva Valley at least visually. Its highest point is the characteristically shaped fortress tower. During the Bosnian War, Croatian troops put a cross on its tip.
mosque
The mosque of Šišman Ibrahim-Paša was built in 1562/63 and was a special building in several respects. On the one hand, it had an unusually high and richly decorated minaret , which overlooked this section of the Neretva valley. On the other hand, the three-domed vestibule of the church is remarkable. This construction method was rather unusual in this region of the world and shows the importance of Počitelj at the time of construction. During the Bosnian War , the mosque was badly damaged by Serbian and Croatian attacks and the minaret was destroyed, but then restored.
Sahat kula
The Počitelj clock tower was commissioned in 1664. It has an almost square base area of 3.22 by 3.26 m, a height of 16 m and thus a rather unusual slim shape for clock towers. The tower's bell rang until 1917 when it was melted down by the Austrians for ammunition production.
Artist colony
In the so-called Gavrenkapetanović House - the largest ensemble of buildings in the Ottoman style in town - an international artists' colony settled here from 1961, which had accommodation as well as studios and workshops. In 1993 the complex was devastated by the HVO troops and repaired after the war.
Economy and Infrastructure
Počitelj is located in the main transport corridor in the country. The so-called Neretva-Bosna furrow was the only north-south connection in the region for centuries. It was also used for the course of the railway line from the Adriatic coast to Sarajevo built in 1885 under Austrian rule and for Magistral Road 17 (today also E 73 ) used. Počitelj still has a train station on the Sarajevo – Ploče railway line .
Sources and literature
- Lazar Trifunović: Art Monuments in Yugoslavia. Volume 2 (P – Z), Edition Leipzig 1981
Web links
- Homepage of Haverford College in Počitelj in the Bosnian War (English)
- UNESCO page on Počitelj (English)