Elsewhere: Jajce, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jajce, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Spectacular waterfalls rush beneath this charming walled town in the wooded countryside of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

When I was planning out my time in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I wasn’t sure where else to visit other than Sarajevo and Mostar. I don’t recall where I first came across photos of Jajce, but the view of its wondrous waterfalls right by the town certainly grabbed my attention. I knew I had to visit it for myself.

After several hours on a small bus from Sarajevo, working our way through wooded hills and small villages, we crossed a rusting bridge and pulled in at the bus station on the edge of town. A short walk and across a little pedestrian bridge and I was faced with a medieval stone gate, the entrance to the walled town. Wandering through town, it became immediately apparent how small a place Jajce was and aside from a school group or two, how few tourists there were there.

Jajce actually has quite a distinguished pedigree. It was once the capital of the Kingdom of Bosnia during the Middle Ages before falling to the Ottoman’s in the 16th century. This goes to explain the town’s hilltop fortress and the quaint stone walls that surround the town. Another remnant of this time is St Mary’s Church and the classic-looking St Luke’s Bell Tower. The crumbled remains of the church are noteworthy because you don’t tend to find many churches in Bosnia Herzegovina, mostly mosques. One sight that I couldn’t bring myself to explore was the catacombs beneath the castle due to my unfortunate claustrophobia. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).