VITEZ
Travellers coming to Lašva valley, particularly from the South, really had to
exclaim vita est (it is alive). Vita est was the sign of their
delight by the beauty of the scenery, while the common people gradually
transformed vita est into Vitez. This is only one of many legends concerning the
name Vitez and the one that speaks best about the beauty of this area.
Vitez is located at the banks of Lašva River, 14 km southeast of Travnik. The
17th century records mention Vitez as kasaba (small town). The mountain top of
Zabrđe with renovated mountain house and Kruščica Mountain are favourite
excursion sites and hunting grounds. Regarding monuments from the Middle Age in
Vitez, there are only remnants of a town called Škaf or Bosnić with some
basement walls and located above an ex-Roman road close to Prala stream near
Gornja Večeriska.
It is a great site to go to excursion. From Bila railway station, beneath
Kalvarija, over Veliki Mošunj to Gornja Večeriska or from Vitez railway station
to the town’s church and then to south to the village Gaćice and its large
stećak (tombstone) called “Starac kamen” (old stone) and then through a valley
to the school in Gornja Večeriska. It takes approximately 10 minutes to reach
town from the school. The mentioned town’s remnants have not been explored at
all and are covered with thick vegetation. The most interesting tombstone from
the Middle Age is the so called “Starac kamen” below Gaćice village. Judging by
its name, it was probably raised for a priest of the medieval Bosnian Church.
Before the war, specialized chemical industry was well developed, while Vitez
of today is famous for entrepreneurship of its people. In the post war period
Vitez has come to be a trade centre of the Central Bosnia, particularly due to
the construction of the Business Centre PC-96 located along the regional road
Banja Luka – Travnik – Sarajevo. This is why there is a strong entrepreneur
spirit in Vitez and why its economy is in much better shape than in many other
parts of BiH. Wood-processing and food production industry are also well
developed. Thanks to strong trade companies which are able to offer a wide
assortment of stocks to their customers, a special form of tourism, so called
“shopping tourism” is getting more and more developed, thus making Vitez ever
more famous throughout the region.
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