The Pliva (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet ( sr, / , ) is a variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language, updated in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two alphabets used to write standard modern Serbian, th ...

: Плива) is a relatively small

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

in central parts of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

, however one of the most significant in terms of natural, cultural and historical heritage and value as a natural rarity. For hundreds of years this region was the ultimate stronghold of the

Bosnian Kingdom The Kingdom of Bosnia ( sh, Kraljevina Bosna / Краљевина Босна), or Bosnian Kingdom (''Bosansko kraljevstvo'' / Босанско краљевство), was a medieval kingdom that lasted for nearly a century, from 1377 to 1463, and ...

, with the town of

Jajce Jajce (Јајце) is a town and municipality located in the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 2013 census, the town has a population of 7,172 inhabitants, with ...

as permanent seat of the last kings of the Bosnian Kingdom. The entire region of Jajce is rich in natural heritage that cannot be viewed in isolation from the built heritage. In Jajce, these two components are closely intermingled.

Geography and hydrography

The Pliva valley is located in the northern part of central Bosnia and Herzegovina and known for its tranquil mountains rich in forests and abundance of nature, wildlife and especially bodies of water. The valley is dominated by two unique rivers, the Pliva and the Janj and two natural lakes on the Pliva river.

Hydrography and sectioning

The Pliva river flows from West to East, is 26.8 kilometers long, and has an average discharge artificially set for a biological minimum of 3.0 m³ near town of

at the

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

site. Total watershed area of the Pliva is 1,326 km². Its

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...

is some 8 kilometers upstream of the town of

Šipovo Šipovo ( sr-cyrl, Шипово) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the southern part of the Bosanska Krajina region. As of 2013, it has a population of 10,293 inhabitants ...

near Pljeva at the foot of the mountain of Smiljevac- Jastrebnjak, where the Pliva springs out from two very strong

karstic Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

springwells at 483 meters above sea level. The main tributary of the Pliva is the Janj, that flows into the Pliva from the right, in the center of the town of

. At the confluence, both the Janj and the Pliva are approximately the same size, and both rivers have the same amount of water. Some 12 kilometers downstream, at the village of Jezero, the Pliva flows into the largest of three lakes,

Veliko Plivsko Lake Veliko Plivsko Lake is a part artificial, part natural lake of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country ...

, then into two smaller lakes: Malo Plivsko Lake and Okruglo Lake. After the Pliva river passed through the towns of

and Jezero, and through both Plivska lakes, it reaches the town of

where it meets with the

Vrbas river The Vrbas ( sr-cyrl, Врбас, ) is a major river with a length of , in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a right tributary of the Sava river. The city of Banja Luka is located on the river banks. Etymology The word ''vrba'' means 'willow' i ...

. The Pliva river is a left tributary of the Vrbas that, on its way north, flows into the

Sava The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally th ...

river, therefore the Pliva is part of the Sava river basin.

Geo-hydrology

The river Pliva is characterized by the specific

geological Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Eart ...

nature of the

terrain Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin word ...

and distinctive morphological and

hydrological Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

features, very similar as nearby Una River. The river bed of the Pliva, from the village of Jezero to its confluence with the Vrbas, consists of

tufa Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of water in unheated rivers or lakes. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits, which are known as travertine. ...

also known as

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...

which forms

barriers. In this area the Pliva river has created three natural lakes,

, Malo Plivsko Lake and Okruglo Lake, with countless low cascades and travertine barriers (

barriers), which causing these lakes to form, slowing the river and deepening it.

Pliva lakes

At the village of Jezero the Pliva flows into the larger of two lakes,

(''veliko'' meaning large), then into two smaller Malo Plivsko Lake (''malo'' meaning small) and Okruglo Lake (''okruglo'' meaning round). Both of the Pliva lakes lie in a basin of

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

ic rock, mainly

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, which has given rise to their most distinctive feature, same as nearby Una River in Bosnia and Herzegovina and

Plitvice Lakes Plitvice or Plitvička jezera can refer to: * Plitvice Lakes National Park, the largest and oldest national park in Croatia * Plitvička Jezera, a municipality of Lika-Senj County, Croatia See also * Plitvica (disambiguation) {{geodis ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. The lakes are separated by natural dams of travertine, which is deposited by the action of moss, algae and bacteria. The encrusted plants and bacteria accumulate on top of each other, forming travertine barriers which grow at the rate of about 1 cm per year.

Pliva and Janj waters utilization

Hydroelectricity

The very first

hydroelectric power station Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

in Bosnia and Herzegovina was built on the Pliva river in 1899. It was also the very first of its kind in the Balkans. This facility was constructed and exploited by Austrian industrialist Dr. Josef Kranz and his ''"Bosnische-Elektrizitäts AG"'' company, whose successor later became " Elektro-Bosna". The power station had an installed capacity of 8 MW, and supplied electricity for "Elektro-Bosna" situated in Jajce, the largest chemical factory for production of

calcium carbide Calcium carbide, also known as calcium acetylide, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula of Ca C2. Its main use industrially is in the production of acetylene and calcium cyanamide. The pure material is colorless, while pieces of tec ...

in Europe at the time. The first hydroelectrical power station in Southeast Europe became operational on 24 March 1899. Today plans of construction of numerous small hydro power stations on the rivers Pliva and Janj are already undergo, although local population started expressing deep resentment and disapproval, and in some cases organized protests stopping ongoing works, at least for the time being.

Janj's "otoke"

The Janj is also considered for construction of several small hydro, but location is highly controversial as a place of great natural and environmental value.

Pliva watermills

There is a cluster of small wooden hut-like watermills on the Pliva, on steep ford where the water spills between two lakes, from upper Veliko Plivsko into lower Malo Plivsko lake. These mills are out of their primary function today, but are preserved and maintained as a

national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina The National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina include: * sites, places, immovable and movable heritage of historical and cultural importance, as designated by the Commission to preserve national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the basis ...

. Local farmers used the mills to grind wheat into flour until the Second World War and some afterward, with a heyday of production being during the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Pliva Waterfall

At the confluence with the Vrbas, the Pliva forms the magnificent 22 meters high

Pliva Waterfall The Pliva Waterfall ( sr-cyrl, Пливски водопад) is located by the town of Jajce, in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the river Pliva meets the river Vrbas. The waterfall is a large tufa, also known as travertine barrier, making ...

for which the town of

is famous and along with numerous historic, cultural, architectural and natural monuments represent towns robust and valuable heritage and tourist attraction.

Flyfishing

The Pliva river is famous for its clean water, particularly near the source in the mountains and its richness in fish which makes the river so attractive for

flyfishing Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly diffe ...

, not just in

but also in the region. A part of the 16th FIPS-Mouche European Fly Fishing Championship was held on the lake. The fishing societies ''Zlatovčica'' from

and Jezero are managing the

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

from the lake to the confluence with Vrbas.

References

External links

The historic urban area of Jajce

National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina The National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina include: * sites, places, immovable and movable heritage of historical and cultural importance, as designated by the Commission to preserve national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the basis ...

- KONS
The natural and architectural ensemble of Jajce, BiH – UNESCO WHC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pliva (River) Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Waterfalls of Bosnia and Herzegovina Lakes of Bosnia and Herzegovina Tourist attractions in Bosnia and Herzegovina Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina Nature conservation in Bosnia and Herzegovina Protected areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina