Počitelj is a town in the Čapljina municipality, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is knowen mainly as the mainstay in the defence against the Ottomans. It is believed that the fortified town were built by Bosnia’s King Stjepan Tvrtko I in 1383. The walled town of Počitelj evolved in the period from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Its significant strategic role from the 13th to 17th century gave its inhabitants the power to build one of the most important, and best preserved ensembles within the city walls in the region. Recent reconstruction has returned the town of Počitelj to its original form. Artists from around the world gather here to paint, among other things but importantly, the shiny red pomegranates and figs that grow in abundance on the hills of Pocitelj.
The fortress in Počitelj was built by King Tvrtko in 1383 and it had a strategic role in controlling the passage to the sea through the Neretva valley, as the main stronghold agains Turkish conquest in Neretva River Valley. After the Ottoman conquest, during the 15th and the 16th century, the settlement gained features of the Oriental-Mediterranean styles, with numerous very significant architectural structures. Today, the historical town of Počitelj, built under the fortress, has an oriental style and as such is completely in the function of tourism and cultural events.
Počitelj can be compared with some of the world heritage sites as: Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina), City of Safranbolu (Turkey), Museum-City of Gjirokastra (Albania), Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region (the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), etc.
Check out our Mostar private tour which includes a visit to this pittoresque town.