Cultural Corridors of South East Europe

Heritage by Country / Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Historic Town of Pocitelj

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The Historic Town of Pocitelj

About the site


Corridor: Via Adriatica
Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pocitelj
Type: Vernacular Architecture
Epoch: Modern Times, Middle Ages
Theme: Vernacular Architecture
World Heritage:
Modern TimesMiddle AgesVernacular ArchitectureVernacular Architecture

In written documents the town was first mentioned in 1444, in the Charters of King Alfonso V and Friedrich III.
The residential zone is amphitheatrically laid out on the slopes. The medieval town walls surround the entire town complex of Pocitelj. Two vertical axes of the Mosque minaret and the Clock-tower accentuate the surrounding area. The upper and lower fields represent the gardens of Pocitelj. The concentration of structures: medieval Fortress, the Mosque of Sisman Ibrahim-pasha (built in 1562-63; presents one of the most successful examples of classical Islamic single-room domed mosques in Bosnia and Herzegovina), his Madrassa (founded before 1664), Hamam (Turkish bath built prior to 1664), Han (built around 1665), Clock-tower and residential ensembles; together with natural surrounding of the Herzegovina area presents the exceptional example of unity of all its elements. The spatial organisation of Pocitelj reflects a zone-division of the area according to purpose and use. The largest and most developed example of Pocitelj residential architecture presents the Gavrankapetanovich House built between the 16th and 17th centuries.

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