KUPRES city guide — John W Bills

There is something about any ‘highest town’ that always makes me double-take, but that is because of my immaturity. Kupres is the highest town in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a little darling sat 1,200 metres above the sea. It is best known for its grass-mowing festival and a world record for most people with the same name in one place, both of which are super cool reasons to be known. It is also home to some of the best skiing in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Kupres Plain (Kupreško Polje) surrounds the town, and you don’t need to be a military strategist to look at a map and see its importance.

TRANSPORT

Kupres doesn’t have a bus station per se, which breaks my heart, but the world does not revolve around this four-eyed Welshman. Buses stop in the square in the town centre (Trg Hrvatskih Vitezova), with direct connections to Bugojno, Sarajevo, Livno and others. The bus might arrive early and leave before the scheduled time, so don’t expect to just rock up on time. A morning bus from Zadar snakes down the Croatian coast and stops in Kupres, but that stops on the side of the road by the Konzum just outside of town.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO

Adria Ski Resort

As you might expect in the highest town in the country, Kupres has more than decent skiing available to anyone looking to hit the pistes. Adria Ski Resort was actually developed in the build-up to the 1984 Olympics, ostensibly as a backup option in case something went wrong at the resorts around Sarajevo, but it proved such a success that it became one of the country’s most popular ski resorts. There are around 13km of slopes to attack (ranging from easy to intermediate), with a modern recreational centre and hotel for those after something decidedly more laidback. Day tickets cost €20, and the resort is open between 9am and 4pm throughout the season. Čajuša bb, +387 34 275 100

© Arnela Paraganjila-Petak // Shutterstock.com

Kukavičko Lake

Less than 5 miles southeast of Kupres is Kukavičko Lake, a gorgeous glacial body of water created from the tears of a distraught fairy. Well, sort of. It all depends on which legend you prefer, but all the myths surrounding Kukavičko bring us to the stunner we enjoy today. Unsurprisingly, the beauty is a popular picnic and swimming spot in the summer, and the abundant trout and crayfish keep anglers interested when the weather is onside. Kukavice

Japage

Almost certainly not of this world, these immense sinkholes are some of the most incredible natural phenomena in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I’m not entirely sure of the etymology of Japage, but the name is used for the five humongous holes in the ground located on the road between Kupres and Šipovo. The most imposing is 97 metres deep, which is slightly nightmare-inducing, but the area is too beautiful for worrying thoughts to linger too long. Rastičevsko Lake (also called Blagaj Lake) is nearby, making this area of karst charm (7 miles from Kupres) a brilliant spot to embrace nature in these parts. How there came to be massive holes in the ground is another question for another day, but I’m going with aliens.

Ravanjska Vrata Stećci

While modern technology and the magic of the combustion engine make things look easy, this part of the world has long been a challenging place for folks to squeeze out an existence. It can be barren, and only the hardiest souls can survive. Many did, of course, and the many stećci necropolises found in these parts suggest as much, although the whole tombstone thing sort of negates the “survived” part. The most notable is arguably the Ravanjska Vrata necropolis, divided into Upper and Lower parts and home to almost 70 stećci of different shapes and sizes. Many have been damaged by the ravages of time and nature, but a little imagination goes a long way to illuminating this spot. There are over 40 necropolises and more than 1,000 individual stećak in and around Kupres, so tombstone enthusiasts are in luck. Ravanjska Vrata is 15 miles or so south of town. Mušić

Trg Hrvatskih Vitezova

The Square of Croatian Knights (something like that) is the centre of activity in Kupres, with cafes and betting shops on one side and the city’s park on the other. The park is more attractive than the betting shops, with a monument in the heart and the architecturally impressive Croatian Cultural Centre behind that. This is where the events of Kupres are generally held, and it makes for a peaceful place for an evening stroll.

Ahmed Fadil Pasha Mosque

Kupres likes white buildings, that’s for sure. The town’s rebuilt mosque is white as white, with a towering minaret and the usual sense of calm that comes from such buildings. That’s pretty much all there is to say. The mosque was destroyed during the war and has been rebuilt since. Kralja Tomislava

Church of the Holy Family

The main Catholic Church in Kupres is a big ol’ boy, a monolithic structure with two steeples that make it visible from miles away. It is much more graceful than that suggests. There is a statue of Christ on the cross out in front, which makes for a rather arresting visual. That isn’t the point of churches, but I’m not complaining. Put Kraljice Katarine 1, +387 34 274 240

BREWS, BOOZE AND BITES

There isn’t a huge range of eating options in Kupres, but that is pretty normal for a town of this size. Restoran Kupres (Trg Hrvatskih Vitezova 17, +387 34 274 755) ticks the usual grilled meat boxes, while the food at Hotel Kupres (Hercegovačka bb, +387 34 276 115) is more than decent. Gradska Kafana (Vukovarska) is an excellent place for a beer as the sun goes down, while Cafe Tuki (Trg Hrvatskih Vitezova 6, +387 63 118 619) has a taxidermied fox on top of the drinks fridge. If that isn’t a great reason to visit, maybe this isn’t the page for you.

SLEEPING

Hotel Kupres (Hercegovačka bb, +387 34 276 115) is a little retro and somewhat basic, but those are both good things. The staff are friendly, the beds are comfortable, the keys are big, and the food is decent. I don’t know what else you could need. Hotel Maestral (Splitska, +387 34 274 665) and Hotel Knez (Kupreške Bojne 19, +387 34 276 070) are other options, but I didn’t stay at either, so you visit and let me know.

KUPRES