The old town of Vidoški

The old town of Križevac is located on a hill above today’s center of Stolac and is a defensive structure that is 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, whose western slope towards Zagrad is called Šetnica, the northern slope towards today’s city center is called Carinska strana, and the eastern slope towards Uzinovići is called Križevac.

The old town of Križevac is located on the left bank of the Bregava, above Stolac, which offers a view of the village, fertile Vidovo field, river Bregava and surrounding hills: Hrgud in the north, Komanje hill in the east, Ošanići in 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 with the Austro-Hungarian period, the access road in the 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 made of hewn blocks of limestone. In addition to the tower, the city has 10 cisterns for water, a flour warehouse and housing facilities.

The names Stolac and Vidoški have been constantly intertwined since their appearance in historical sources. Both remained in use until almost 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, in the part of the hill called Šetnica. Late antique substructures were discovered on the northern side of the city (towers I – IV). On the site of today’s town of Stolac was the ancient municipality Diluntum with finds from the I – IV century BC. Kr. And a fortification from the late antique period. In the Middle Ages, the area of ​​the town of Stolac belonged to the parish of Vidoša. Vidovo polje 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, ie in 1420 “Loco dicto Stolac” in connection with a robbery of merchants, and it reappears a few years later.

Archaeological works in 1976 did not reveal clear remains of the medieval city, but it is assumed that they were covered by the construction of a fortress from the Austro-Hungarian rule. The chair became part of the Ottoman Sultanate, after the conquest on June 13, 1465, but there is no reliable information that a crew was kept in it, until the beginning of the XVIII. 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, the army of Hussein-Captain Gradaščević besieged Stolac in vain. In August 1878, the Austrian administration was established. The military era thoroughly repaired the old town in 1883, and in 1888 he 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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