The Old town of Visoki ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Stari grad Visoki, Стари град Високи, ) was a medieval royal
castle town
A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, ...
built during the 14th century on the top of the hill overlooking town of
Visoko
Visoko ( sr-cyrl, Високо, ) is a city located in the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the municipality had a population of 39,938 inhabitants with 11,205 livi ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
. The first mention of the town was on 1 September 1355, in the charter "''in castro nosto Visoka vocatum''" written by
Tvrtko I of Bosnia while he was a young
ban.
The town was presumably abandoned before 1503, as it is not mentioned in the Turkish-Hungarian treaty from the mentioned year.
[ In 1626, Đorđić mentioned Visoki among abandoned towns.][
]
Location and size
The Old Town of Visoki is at the top of Visočica hill, high. Its position provides an excellent view at the plains below. The entry to the castle is on the southwest side, with two lookout towers. Passing through the entry you enter a part that is called ''Podvisoki
Podvisoki ( cyrl, Подвисоки) was a medieval settlement, a castle town (in ), as part of wider area just beneath of the fortress Visoki, located on the Visočica hill above modern-day Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
History
Podvisoki ...
'', which was quite small, measuring and has signs and remains of early medieval houses. The thickness of the castle town walls is about . Its position provides an excellent view at the plains below bordered by the mountains Romanija, Jahorina, Treskavica and Bjelašnica
Bjelašnica ( sr-Cyrl, Бјелашница, ) is a mountain in the Dinaric Alps in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is to the southwest of Sarajevo, bordering Mount Igman. Bjelašnica's tallest peak, by which the mountain group got its name, r ...
in the east and southeast, Bitovnja in the south, the mountain Zec and Vranica in the Southeast, Vlašić in the west, and Tajan and Zvijezda in the north.
Historic importance
The primary function of the old town of Visoki was defense, but it was also a place where a lot of medieval Bosnian rulers issued various documents and charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...
s. The first mention of the town itself was in a charter written by the young Tvrtko I named ''in castro nosto Visoka vocatum'' on 1 September 1355. The final document of importance signed there was by Tvrtko Borovinić in 1436, showing that it was also of high importance to Bosnian nobility.
List of written documents
* 1355 – Tvrtko I Kotromanić writes charter ''in castro nostro Visoka vocatum''.[
* 1398 – Priboje Masnović, duke who was accepted as ]Ragusa Ragusa may refer to:
Places Croatia
* Ragusa, Dalmatia, the historical name of the city of Dubrovnik
* the Republic of Ragusa (or Republic of Dubrovnik), the maritime city-state of Ragusa
* Ragusa Vecchia, historical Italian name of Cavtat, a t ...
citizen.[
* 1402 – Bosnian king Stjepan Ostoja writes charter ''pod gradom Visoki'' (beneath town Visoki).][
* 1404 – Bosnian king Ostoja writes charter ''pod Visokim'' (beneath Visoki).][
* 1404 – Two papers were published which were subject of law dispute in Ragusa.][
* 1420 – Great Bosnian duke Batić Mirković became very ill; he was buried in village of Kopošići.][
* 1429 and 1436 – Duke Tvrtko Borovinić written papers ''na Visokom'' (on Visoki). These papers were last direct sources of old town of Visoki.][
]
See also
* Visoko
Visoko ( sr-cyrl, Високо, ) is a city located in the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the municipality had a population of 39,938 inhabitants with 11,205 livi ...
* Visoko during the Middle Ages
The area of today's Visoko is considered to be a nucleus from where Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian statehood was developed in 10th century. The expanded valley of the Bosna (river), river Bosna around today's Visoko was the biggest agriculture ar ...
* History of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country in Southeast Europe on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. It has had permanent settlement since the Neolithic, Neolithic Age. By the early historical period it was inhabited by Illyrians and Celts. Christianity arr ...
References
External links
Old town of Visoki becomes a national landmark
{{National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina
History of Visoko
Buildings and structures in Visoko
Castles in Bosnia and Herzegovina
National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Archaeological sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina architecture