Walled town of Počitelj

The Walled town is nested in a natural karst amphitheater along the left bank of the Neretva river, on the main road Mostar-Metković.

The earliest mention of Počitelj dates back to 1444 and 1448, in charters issued by king Alfonso V and Fridrich III, Holy Roman Emperor.

However, although the exact date can't be pinpointed but it is likely that fortified town along with its complementary settlements was built by Bosnian king Tvrtko I sometime in 1383.

The Walled town is nested in a natural karst amphitheater along the left bank of the Neretva river, facing west, on the main road Mostar-Metković.

[1] Počitelj represents one of the few urban ensembles in Bosnia and Herzegovina that were preserved in their integrity to the present times.

[1] Its significant strategic role from the 13th to 17th century gave its inhabitants the power to build one of the most important, and best preserved ensembles within the city walls in the region.

The exact date can't be pinpointed but it is likely that fortified town along with its complementary settlements was built by Bosnian king Tvrtko I sometime in 1383.

The fortress and its podgrađe during this time was under control of Kosača noble family, whose chiftain Stjepan Vukčić and his hair Vlatko Hercegović During the years following Ottoman conquest of Bosnian realm, between 1464 and 1471, the town was fortified by Vladislav Herzegović with a support of Dubrovnik, king Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and the Pope.

Architecturally, the stone-constructed parts of the town are a fortified complex, in which two stages of evolution are evident: medieval, and Ottoman.

[1] The entire historic urban site of Počitelj and surrounding area suffered extensive collateral damage during the 1992–1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

[1][5][6][7] Following the bombing, Počitelj's sixteenth-century master works of Islamic art and architecture were destroyed and a large part of the town's population was displaced.

[2] As of 2008, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) expressed concern over the proposed construction of a nearby highway, Corridor Vc.

Base plan for the citadel
Počitelj Clock Tower
Citadel, built and extended over time
Pocitelj, photo from Austro-Hungarian period