Stari Grad

Surrounded by 1,300 m of ramparts, the "old town" (Stari Grad) stretches over 11 ha of hillside, from the Pliva Falls to a fortress 150 m higher up. The city was founded by the Croatian ban Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić in 1391. It became the capital of the Bosnian kings in 1421 and was the last city in the country to be captured by the Ottomans in 1527. At the summit, the fortress was remodeled many times. Its entrance still bears the coat of arms of the Kotromanić royal family. But the interior is almost empty: all that remains is an ^18th-century Ottoman ammunition store and an Austro-Hungarian reservoir. The walkway is partially accessible. It offers remarkable views over the entire Jajce valley. Below, in the walled city, you'll find recently rebuilt mosques, the carcass of St. Mary's Church, catacombs, beautiful Ottoman houses, the Regional Museum, Austro-Hungarian buildings with colorful facades, cafés, restaurants, banks, hotels... Although this is the most touristic part of Jajce, the walled city remains a place of life for over a thousand inhabitants. That's what makes it so charming. Nothing is quite perfect. There are cars on the road and it's a bit of a traffic jam, but it's still very practical for getting groceries upstairs. Then there are the ruined houses, shelled by Bosnian Serb artillery in 1992 or abandoned since the end of the war. All this, too, is now part of Jajce's history.