Travel Guide Umoljani

Umoljani/Умољани (pronounced "umolyani") has about 40 inhabitants, all of them Bosnians. The hamlet belongs to the municipality of Trnovo, in the canton of Sarajevo. It is located 20 km southwest of the resort town of Bjelašnica and 39 km southwest of Sarajevo airport.The hamlet is completely isolated and offers one of the most beautiful views in the region. Located at 1,353 m above sea level, at the meeting point of the Bjelašnica (to the north), Visočica (to the south) and Treskavica (to the east) mountains, it is dominated to the north by a thick forest of fir trees and overlooks the Rakitnica canyon (3 km to the southwest). Populated by semi-nomadic shepherds who leave for months with their flocks to the katun (summer pastures), it was destroyed in 1993 by Bosnian-Serb forces. However, they took care to spare the mosque (17th century): the legend says that the son of a Serbian officer was "miraculously" cured by the imam of Umoljani shortly before the last war. In the vicinity are many stećci, the medieval stone steles, including a necropolis listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Umoljani is the starting point for many small trails, especially to the forest to the north, but also to Gradina, the summer village of shepherds, on a high plateau where the small river Studeni Potok winds. Umoljani has four small restaurants and two pensions where you can sleep. The best thing is to order food before you leave for your walk so that the meal is ready when you return.