Travel Guide Veliko Rujište

This mountain of the Velež massif rises to 1,703 m above sea level. It straddles the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (on the west) and the Serbian Republic of Bosnia (on the east). At its feet, on the eastern side, are the village of Zijemlje (Зијемље), 200 inhabitants, seat of the municipality of Istočni Mostar (the part of Mostar territory attached to the Bosnian Serb Republic) and the small ski resort of Rujište (Рујиште). Zijemlje is located 2 km south of the ski resort of Rujište, 37 km northeast of Mostar (R435a and local road). No bus connection from Mostar.In appearance the place is beautiful. Veliko Rujište offers a magnificent panorama of a succession of peaks between 1,800 m and 2,100 m altitude belonging to the Prenj (north) and Velež (south) massifs. Its tiny ski resort is said to be one of the most oxygen-rich in Europe. We find the atmosphere here completely unbreathable. This area was the site of abominable massacres committed by Bosnian-Serb forces in 1992 (torture, rape and murder of Bosnian civilians in the elementary school of Zijemlje, among others). There is no evidence of these horrors, which have led to the conviction of some of the inhabitants of the region by the International Criminal Court. The only tangible trace of the war here are the signs warning of the presence of mines. If you want to come here, it is totally excluded to leave the roads.