The Bregava ( sr-cyrl, Брегава) is a

sinking river A losing stream, disappearing stream, influent stream or sinking river is a stream or river that loses water as it flows downstream. The water infiltrates into the ground recharging the local groundwater, because the water table is below the bo ...

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 ...

that passes through the town of Stolac. It is a left tributary of the

Neretva The Neretva ( sr-cyrl, Неретва, ), also known as Narenta, is one of the largest rivers of the eastern part of the Adriatic basin. Four HE power-plants with large dams (higher than 150,5 metres) provide flood protection, power and water s ...

river. The river Bregava and its buildings - bridges, mills and stamping mills over the river - constitutes the backbone of the urban layout of Stolac. It passes through two waterfalls in Stolac, one which is natural and the other artificial, and continue its way through the Bregava canyon leading to Badanj Cave. It is famous for its pure blue colour, like the

river which passes through

Mostar , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Mostar (collage image).jpg , image_caption = From top, left to right: A panoramic view of the heritage town site and the Neretva river from Lučki Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha ...

. Many natural beaches are spread along the river. Bregava river also gathers a rich flora biodiversity, wild peppermint, sage, thyme, almond trees and numerous fruit trees (pomegranates, kiwis, plums, grapes...), and fauna living around, butterflies, trout, ducks, numerous diverse birds and water snakes.

Bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...

s: the most important surviving bridges on the Bregava are Ćuprija (Inat ćuprija), the oldest surviving bridge on the Bregava, assumed from the style of building to date from the medieval period; Podgradska ćuprija, the second oldest bridge in Stolac municipality, believed to have been built in the early 18th century; the bridge in Begovina, most recent of the three stone bridges in Stolac; the Sara Kašiković bridge, built according to its inscription in 1896. This was a privately owned bridge, and had gates to close it off; it is the largest privately owned bridge; the bridge leading to Ada; the small bridge by the Šarić summer residence; and the bridge by the Ali Pasha mosque. Mills: these are of fairly uniform character, without major differences in the way they were built. In 1664 Evliya Çelebi wrote in his travelogue that there were ten watermills in Dol on the Bregava. In the 18th century Memibegović recounts that the river Bregava runs through Stolac with 180 waterwheels. The oldest known Vakufnama (deed of perpetual endowment) with details of mills was issued for a maintenance endowment dating from 1815, as a result of which the mills can be assumed to date from the early 19th century. They are built of rough-cut stone and are plain and unadorned. Their size is determined by their length, which in turn depends on the number of arches by which the building spans the two banks of the river. The most important of the existing mills are the mill above the Sara Kašiković bridge, the Behmen mill, the Turković mill, and the mills with stamping mills. Stamp mills: these feature mainly in combination with watermills. As a rule, they constitute a small group of buildings, one of which is invariably the stamping mill office where deals were struck. Another is the stamping mill itself, with the upper floor used for drying laundry in winter and used for other purposes in summer. These plain, unadorned buildings are purely of a utilitarian nature.

References

External links

{{Hydrography of Bosnia and Herzegovina Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sinking rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Upper Horizons Hydroelectric Power Stations System

See also

References

External links