Advanced search

The natural monument Vjetrenica cave with architectural ensamble of village Zavala

Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (Europe and North America)
Date of Submission: 11/12/2007
Criteria: (vii)(x)
Category: Natural
Submitted by: National Commission for UNESCO of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Commission to Preserve National Monumen
Coordinates: N42 50 47 E17 58 42
Ref.: 5283

Description

The willage Zavala is in the south-western part of Popovo polje, on the easiest natural route linking the interior of Hum with the coastal region. Unlike other places in Popovo, it abounds in fresh drinking water. Zavala was in the mediaeval župa (district) of Popovo, referred to in the Chronicles of the priest Dukljanin and in a deed of gift of prince Miroslav issued to the Church of St Peter in Lim at the end of the twelfth century. In the late middle ages the Popovo župa was governed alternately by the Nikolić and the Sanković families, when Sandalj Hranić finally established his authority over it. Throughout the fifteenth century, until it fell to the Ottomans, the Kosače family were in possession of this župa. In the first half of the fifteenth century a fort was built on Klisura on the hills above Zavala. This fort is referred to in a source dating from 1444 by the name of Popovo fort. It was the only mediaeval fortress in Popovo, and belonged to the Kosače family. The first documented reference to the village of Zavala is in 1372, then in 1436 and, with Vjetrenica cave, in 1461. The first explicit information on the church of St Peter is given by Ranjina in the Dubrovnik Chronicle, relating to the year 1525.  His reference confirms that the church of St Peter was a Catholic church. Two fermans dating from 1591 and 1599 and a charge dating from 1652 are evidence that the church of St Peter still existed and that it had property in Orahov do.It is not known when the church was pulled down, but since it is not included in a survey by the Trebinje Mrkanj bishop dating from 1684 in which all the Catholic churchs in Popovo are listed, the assumption is that it had already been demolished by then.  It is known that its estates were given into the possession of the Orthodox church some time after 1751. Perhaps the church of St Petka was built at that time Until 1867 Roman Catholics too were buried in Crkvina. That year the authorities ruled that the land with the Orthodox church of St Petka belonged to the Orthodox, and since then only Orthodox have been buried there (Mihajlović 1890, p. 273). Many documents refer to the fact that by tradition St Peter's day is celebrated here, regardless of whom the land belonged to.To the west of the site is the plot known as Petrov dol.  About 250-300 m west of Crkvina is Miholje, the name of which derives from a tradition about the existence of a church of St Michael, perhaps even older that the church of St Peter. There is now a small Orthodox burial ground there.  The local tradition is that stone from the church in Miholje was used to build the Kadijević tower in Zavala, named after a family known from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries

The Orthodox monastery of Vavedenje, first referred to in historical documents in 1514, is on a slope beneath the nearby Ostrog hill, about 400 m from Crkvina. The architectural ensemble of the monastery in consists of the church with its bell tower, the retaining wall with access tunnel and terrace, the new konak (lodgings, hostel), the well, the old school, and the cave (anchorite's cell).The monastery church belongs to the group of vaulted churches of Herzegovina with lateral buttresses.It is a single-naved church of rectangular ground plan, oriented lengthwise east-west and with a semicircular apse at the east end.  A particular feature of this building is that the entire north side abuts onto a rock, so that the ground plan of the structure as conceived has suffered a degree of distortion.The frescoes of the church of the Holy Presentation in Zavala monastery are regarded as some of the finest artistic creations in Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Ottoman period.  They were painted in 1619by Georgije Mitrofanović, a painter whose greatness is best evidenced by the fact that he was engaged to paint the Patriarchy refectory and the church of St Demetrius in Peć, and that some years after painting the Zavala frescoes he painted the refectory of Hilandar monastery. These murals are Mitrofanović's finest work after the Hilander frescoes. With the frescoes of the monastery church in Zavala, Mitrofanović instituted the basic content of the layout of frescoes for smaller churches in Herzegovina, which were later used by younger master-craftsmen.

NATURAL HERITAGE

Vjeternica (which means 'wind cave') is the largest cave in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the warmer parts of the year a cold air blows from its entrance. The cave has been explored and described to a total of about 6.1 thousand meters in length; of this the main channel is about 2.47 thousand metres long (from the edge of Popovo polje to the south). There are several permanent and occasional streams, and lakes, which the largest is about 180 m long. There are many stalactites, flowstone, draperies, cascades and others forms. In terms of its biological diversity it is one of the richest caves in the world. It is officially in second place, with 85 troglobionates.The remains of eight fossilised animals have bee found in it, the largest being the cave bear (Carnivoria, Ursus spelacus) and one comlete skeleton of leopard (Carnivoria, Panthera pardus).On the rocks at the entrance to the cave there are two carved stones, typical for Medieval tombstones in the region.In a scientific sense, Vjetrenica has been the site of many different forms of research, which may be traced back to the 16th century. Pliny the Elder in his work 'Historia naturalis' mentions a nameless cave from which a strong whirlwind blows, and he was actully referring to Vjeternica.Vjeternica has been visited by thousands of tourists until 1991, when in the fighting tourist equipement was destroyed.

Justification for Outstanding Universal Value

Satements of authenticity and/or integrity

This area is an example of the immense geological processes that took place during the orogenesis of the Dinarides, the largest recent area of holokarst in the world. Vjetrenica cave in terms of its biological diversity it is one of the richest caves in the world. It is officially in second place, with 85 types of stygobites and troglobites, making it one of the most diverse caves in the world. There are numerous scientific works about the cave. The most famous troglobiont (cave animal) in this cave is the olm (Proteus anguinus).

Comparison with other similar properties

The size and density of the area, with its unbroken karst biodiversity and unusually rich flora and fauna, is of major interest for further scientific study.  The Dinarides themselves are an endemic centre of Europe. The central Dinarides area is among the richest in the 700 km long mountain range.