CAVE OF VJETRENICA

Since 2024, this cave (Špilja Vjetrenica) has been a Unesco World Heritage Site for its biodiversity. Located 6.5 km south-east of Ravno, shortly after the Zavala monastery, it is also the largest cave in Bosnia-Herzegovina, stretching 7,014 m in length, with a small section reserved for visitors. It owes its name "windmill" (vjetrenica) to the cold air currents that blow through the entrance during the warmer months of the year. This natural phenomenon has the effect of regulating the interior temperature, which remains at an average of 11.6°C. In summer, it's advisable to wrap up warm, as thermal shock can be violent. Thanks to its complex karst topography, Vjetrenica is considered the second richest cave in the world in terms of subterranean biodiversity: some 200 plant and animal species have been recorded here, half of them living only in troglodyte environments. Described in the ^1st century by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia, the Vjetrenica has provided shelter for animals and people since ancient times. Eight fossilized animal skeletons have been discovered, including those of a bear and a leopard, while the entrance is adorned with late medieval engravings.

Fish-man. First explored between 1912 and 1914 by Czech prehistorian and speleologist Karel Absolon, the cave continues to host scientific missions. It is thought to have once extended all the way to the Adriatic Sea, but was blocked by a landslide. Opened to tourists in 1964, Vjetrenica was 1,700 m long. But the installations and stalactites were destroyed by Bosnian Serb forces during the last war. After demining and clearance work, the cave was reopened to visitors in 2010. The 600 m-long cave is now equipped with protection, staircases and lighting. Visitors can discover the impressive "Golden Chamber" (Zlatna Dvorana), or the stalagmites of Tursko Groblje ("Turkish Cemetery"), which evoke nişans (Ottoman tombs). The tour ends in Hajdučki Stol ("robbers' table"), where the limestone formations are shaped like tables and chairs. In the water, look out for Proteus anguinus, a salamander nicknamed "the fish man" because of its depigmented skin. If the visit is a little disappointing on the outward journey, on the return, the volumes and shapes appear far more impressive.