Travel Guide Kulen Vakuf

Kulen Vakuf is the most important village in the national park. The place is pleasant and enjoys beautiful landscapes with two small islands and the ruins of medieval and Ottoman periods installed on hills on either side of the river: the ancient town of Ostrovica (Stari grad Ostrovica) dominates the valley at 500 m altitude on the left bank (in the south-west), while on the right bank remains the imposing walls of Havala (Stari grad Havala), at 400 m altitude. Both are accessible by way of the picnic areas and offer beautiful panoramic views. In the center of the village (left bank), the new Sultan Ahmet mosque (Sultan Ahmedova džamija) marks the memory of Kulen Vakuf's tumultuous past. Erigée circa 1610, when the village was created, was named in honor of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmet Ier (1590-1617), but was destroyed and rebuilt three times during the twentieth century. Nearby are the charming cafe of the central square, two grocery stores, a currency exchange (in the only position of the park), restaurants (on the banks of the UNA), a hotel (see below), several dwellings in the resident like Galijašević (++387 37 36 51 11) and two campsites in the vicinity.History and population - The village today has just under 500 inhabitants, mainly Bosnian. But, before the last war, its population was more than 2,000, including 70% Bosnians and 25% of Bosno-Serbs. Bosnian inhabitants fled to the village by the Bosnian Serb army in 1992. The Bosno-Serb inhabitants in turn left the scene when the Bosnian troops took over the region in 1995. Only part of the Bosnian population has returned since then. A major port of river commerce during the Ottoman period, the small town was first known as Kebir (deformation of Arabic Jisr el-Kebir, "grand bridge") and Palanka. It took its current name in the nineteenth century when constructing new buildings erected by a donation (vakuf) from an Ottoman officer from the region, Mahmut Pasha Kulenović (1776-1806). The village was practically struck off the map in December 1941 in a series of massacres committed by the Croatian outpours, the Serbian Czetniks and the supporters.Rafting and Kayaking - A number of agencies offer trips from Kulen Vakuf to the waterfalls of Štrbački Buk. in addition to the rental price of the equipment or guided excursion, a right of passage is required in the national park of 6 to 12 KM per person depending on the destination.