Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Guys, i know many of you have traveled in these parts and there is a pearl of a small town, just in 30 km from Dubrovnik -  Trebinje, which i recommend visiting wholeheartedly 

City's history dates back to ancient times, for example, Tvrdosh monastery (pic included ) dates back to 4th century.

As always, wiki comes to our rescue: Trebinje (Serbian Cyrillic: Требиње) is the southernmost municipality and city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Located in East Herzegovina, it is part of the Republika Srpska entity, and its population numbers 31,433 (2013). The Trebišnjica river flows through the heart of the city. The city's old town quarter dates to the 18th-century Ottoman period, and includes the Arslanagić Bridge.

De Administrando Imperio by Constantine VII (913–959) mentioned Travunija (Τερβουνια), a "land of the Serbs". Serbian Prince Vlastimir (r. 830–51) married his daughter to Krajina, the son of Beloje, and that family became hereditary rulers of Travunija...
The town commanded the road from Ragusa to Constantinople, which was traversed in 1096 by Raymond IV of Toulouse and his crusaders. It belonged to the Serbian Empire until 1355. Trebinje became a part of the expanded medieval Bosnian state under Tvrtko I in 1373. There is a medieval tower in Gornje Police whose construction is often attributed to Vuk Branković. The old Tvrdoš Monastery dates back to the 15th century." (Incorrect, as they have artifacts from 4th century in the monastery, but regardless )
In 1482, together with the rest of Herzegovina (see: Herzog Stjepan Vukčić Kosača), the town was captured by the Ottoman Empire. The Old Town-Kastel was built by Turks on the location of the medieval fortress of Ban Vir, on the western bank of the Trebišnjica River. The city walls, the Old Town square, and two mosques were built in the beginning of the 18th century by the Resulbegović family. The 16th-century Arslanagić bridge (or Perovica bridge[citation needed]) was originally built at the village of Arslanagić, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of the town, by Mehmed-Paša Sokolović, and was run by Arslanagić family for centuries. The Arslanagić Bridge is one of the most attractive Ottoman-era bridges in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has two large and two small semicircular arches.
Among noble families in the Trebinje region mentioned in Ragusan documents were Ljubibratić, Starčić, Popović, Krasomirić, Preljubović, Poznanović, Dragančić, Kobiljačić, Paštrović, Zemljić and Stanjević. *

During the period of Austro-Hungarian administration (1878–1918), several fortifications were built on the surrounding hills, and there was a garrison based in the town. The imperial administrators also modernized the town, expanding it westwards, building the present main street, as well as several squares, parks, schools, tobacco plantations, etc.
Trebinje grew rapidly in the era of Josip Broz Tito's Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia between 1945 and 1990. It especially developed its hydroelectric potential with dams, artificial lakes, tunnels, and hydroelectric plants. This industrial development brought a large increase in the urban population of Trebinje.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebinje

I've just returned last night from there and am still deeply impressed, so i'll share bits and parts of the story, as we go through pictures, not in chronological order (hope you don't mind )

What impressed me the most is that monastery, Tvrdosh.




Dress code is very strict:



If you don't happen to be dressed according to the protocol, there is a solution...

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It's males only monastery and a winery, the biggest in the country. Dejan Bodiroga, legendary basketball player (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dejan_Bodiroga ) is from these parts and he donated the equipment for wine making to the monks.

Monastery is exceptionally beautiful and peaceful, despite being crowded with travelers from all over.









A bit sad story, but unusual, so i thought it worth sharing, the колокльня



Big bell rings when the master of the house passes away, the smaller one signs the passing away of the mistress, and the small one on the top, if (G-d forbid), a child dies.

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Away, in the city's center, on Sundays it's a market day. Friend of mine with whom we stayed there told me it was a custom that ladies would wear their best clothes to shop for groceries, and then, afterwards, they'd sip on their coffee (more on that later ) at the hotel in the main square.

The market itself is full of delicacies, like this one (white cheese dried in sheep's skin)

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This region is known for its' supreme tobacco, here is how it's dried (it's a decoration from a restorant, but you get an idea )

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Near the central market, you can see these vehicles parked ( fire-extinguishers? What's the English word? ) :

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*
Here's why i bolded this in the opening post ( among noble families in the Trebinje region mentioned in Ragusan documents were Ljubibratić, Starčić, Popović, Krasomirić, Preljubović, Poznanović, Dragančić, Kobiljačić, Paštrović, Zemljić and Stanjević ) : my friend is friends with descendants of one of those families and we were invited to their home for lunch... Dear Lord...  I've been to several residences of impoverished aristocracy in Florence and elsewhere, and i've been to many  new rich homes in Russia and here, in Monte, but a family that kept fortune and kept getting educated through centuries... That's really something! Maybe it's something you get to see more often in UK (i've been to one castle - it's opened as a museum, near Oxford, which belongs to its original owners, but i haven't met them  ), alas with revolutions and wars in Eastern Europe, those families are exceptions here. (They either lose their everything during the times of changes, or they emigrate, or something.)
I was truly, deeply impressed. Let alone the pictures, pianos, rugs, silver etc., which for itself is a heritage of a great value, but the lady i met and her daughter... Precious. I am usually not impressed by titles and stuff, but this two women were so poised, so cultured, so gracious, that i'll cherish the memory of the encounter for a long while  (And, of course, i didn't feel comfortable snapping pics/ or would feel it's ok to share them.)

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Wounded Eagle/ Ranjeni Orao, the famous movie, and series too (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjeni_orao_(TV_series) ), were filmed here:




you can see the door at the trailer/ movie soundtrack @ 0:28

and with English subtitles on vimeo: Not a valid vimeo URL
The author of the novel, Mir Jam, was dubbed Eastern European Jane Austen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mir-Jam

As a teenager i read her novels so many times, that even now i know some parts by heart! 

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And some pics of the landscape, albeit this is already passed the border, in Montenegro


(Had to, it's just too beautiful, so not to share  )

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more pics of tobacco

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Artifacts of the times long gone...




(this vvv is a plow, i had to ask because i haven't seen one before, i've only read about it)




This one was used to carry water from the well (it was carried on one's back - usually female's ) :




I am not sure about this one, but i think it's "kaca", where cheese used to be stored:

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And this is where i took the above pics, restaurant Studenac, it's awesome. I checked on tripadvisor, travelers write that its' trout and home baked bread are worth making a road trip from Dubrovnik (and it's true!)

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And, not to forget the crown of all Balkan experiences, over which you conduct the reconstruction of all ventures & exchange experiences, one & only, unforgettable and irresistible, her majesty cooked Turkish coffee (we had ours at that hotel at the central square - Hotel Platani 2 )