Travel Guide Počitelj

Počitelj/Почитељ (pronounced "potchiteille") has around 750 inhabitants, of whom 58% are Bosnian and 40% Bosnian-Croat. The village is part of the municipality of Čapljina. It lies 4 km northeast of Čapljina, 23 km west of Stolac and 30 km south of Mostar. Bus connections: approx. 10/day with Čapljina and Mostar, 2/day with Stolac.This is quite simply the most beautiful village in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Elegantly set on a hillside along a wide meander of the Neretva, Počitelj is made up like a painting: old Ottoman stone houses drowned in greenery, the ruins of ramparts and bastions, a labyrinth of steep cobbled streets, lauze roofs, a magnificent domed mosque and a mighty fortress set atop it. In 2007, this ensemble was included on Unesco's Tentative List with a view to eventual World Heritage status. But Počitelj has come a long way: as the Bosnian inhabitants (73% of the population in 1991) were deported, almost everything was destroyed or ransacked by the forces of the Croatian Defense Council (HVO) in the summer of 1993. Empty and in ruins for ten years, the village was reborn in 2003 thanks to international aid. However, the overly polished restoration has lost some of its patina and authenticity. Most of the inhabitants now live in the newer part of the village, 200 m to the north, compared with just twenty or so in the historic part.