Kraljeva Sutjeska
 Kraljeva Sutjeska, a small
Central BiH settlement, is located in the Trstionica basin, approximately 12 km
from Kakanj. It can only be seen upon arrival since it is situated in an ellipse
shaped valley surrounded by hills.
The Franciscan monastery is located at the outskirts of the settlement, at the
foot of the Teševo hill. For almost 650 years it has been the spiritual and
cultural centre of this area. The monastery was probably built in the first half
of the 14th century. First reference to the monastery dates back to 1385/1390
annuals of a Franciscan writer Bartil Pizanski. The monastery possesses valuable
cultural-historic and artistic objects: numerous archive documents, invaluable
old books, paintings collection as well as products of metal and textile
handcrafts.
Located approximately 5 km from Kraljeva Sutjeska is Bobovac, a medieval town
which used to be the place of residence of Bosnian rulers, specifically of the
two kings Tomaš and Tvrtko from the Kotromanić dynasty. During their rules the
Bosnian kingdom experienced relatively strong political and cultural
development. Its centre was in Bobovac and Kraljeva Sutjeska which was already a
small settlement and in a sense a suburb of Bobovac.
According to the traditional belief, upon the arrival of the Turks and fall of
Bobovac in 1463, the then sultan Mehmet II el-Fatih, the conqueror of Bobovac,
erected the mosque at the entrance to Kraljeva Sutjeska, so it is probably one
of the oldest mosques in BiH.
In close vicinity of the mosque, in the old part of Kraljeva Sutjeska known as
Varoš, there is an old Bosnian house, known as the hose of Dusper and
significant for its original 18th century architecture.
The medieval Kraljeva Sutjeska is also often brought into connection with the
last Bosnian queen Katarina, who spent 17 years living in Bobovac and Kraljeva
Sutjeska. Women here still cover their heads with black shawls in memory of her
sad fate. According to a legend, it was Katarina who taught the women of
Kraljeva Sutjeska how to embroider such shawls.
If you are interested to visit Bobovac, we recommend taking a trail which was
walked by the kings of that period. The trail follows the Bukovica River, it as
shadowed by rich deciduous forest and spliced by huge limestone rocks. At
certain parts there are the so called „ljestvače“ (ladders), which were used as
observation posts. The experience is made complete with several well arranged
resting places, such as the Bukovica excursion site located at the foot of
Bobovac.
If you opt for overnight stay in Kraljeva Sutjeska, accommodation is available
in private households. The accommodation offer can be viewed
here.
Sight in Kraljeva Sutjeska that are worth to be visited:
· Bobovac – the capital of the medieval Bosnian kingdom; there is the
Royal mausoleum and the remains of the Kotromanic dynasty’s castle;
read more...
· The Mosque – dates back to 15th century and is thought to be one of the
oldest mosques in BiH; it was built by sultan Mehmed El Fatih;
read more...
· The Franciscan monastery – national cultural monument dating back to
the year 1340;
read more...
· Within the monastery there is a library, one of the most interesting
and most valuable libraries in BiH regarding its collection of old books,
especially 31 inkunabula; total number of books goes over 11000;
read more...
· The Monastery’s archive – annual records of the born since 1641,
numerous scripts, chronicles, written documents from 15th to 19th century –
about 3500 documents; read more...
· Remains of the Royal Castle – it is believed the castle was initially
built by Stjepan II Kotromanic in the first half of the 14th century; read more...
Old Bosnian house – cultural monument in Kraljeva Sutjeska with the
original architecture dating back to the 18th century;
read more... ZGOŠĆANSKI STEĆAK
(ZGOSCA'S TOMBSTONE)
Zgošćanski stećak – tombstone. read more
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