Travnik city guide — John W Bills

As an unbiased broadcast journalist (RIP, Bobby ‘The Brain’), I don’t have favourites. If I did, I would say that Travnik is my favourite town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The architecture is delightful, the history is endlessly fascinating, and the ćevapi is the best in the country. Yes, I am putting my flag firmly in the Travnički corner. People have lived in Travnik forever, but it wasn’t until the Austrians burned Sarajevo to the ground that the town became politically vital. Travnik was established as the capital of the Ottoman Empire’s Bosnian province, and the City of Viziers was born. Well, not born, but you know what I mean. Travnik was the capital from 1699 until 1850, and that period still defines it today.

Travnik is a delightful place. If you have even the most cursory of interests in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this charming city in the country’s centre should be at the top of your to-do list. Gorgeous mosques, excellent museums, incredible food, winsome architecture and the imposing Mount Vlašić looking over it all. Travnik, you are marvellous.

TRANSPORT

I had a soft spot for Travnik’s old bus station, primarily because of the old-fashioned-looking timetable board. The new one is objectively more comfortable, but it is still in the process of, you know, being built. Still, I won’t rag on it too much. The new bus station (Stanična, +387 30 511 889) in Travnik is centrally located and has a simple ticket desk and an electronic board for departures that may or may not work. There is also a toilet and a few cafes and shops nearby. Travnik is well-connected throughout the country, with plenty of daily buses to Sarajevo and direct runs to Banja Luka, Tuzla, Zenica, Mostar, Bihać and practically everywhere else.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO

Sulejmanija Mosque

Travnik’s central mosque is also known as the Šarena Džamija (Colourful or Ornamental Mosque), which isn’t a coincidence. The decorative exterior of this stunner makes it arguably Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most beautiful mosque, which is saying something. It is all cypress trees and lilies, intricate patterns and whimsical additions, a delightful structure befitting its importance and location. Travnik was once the most important city in Bosnia, a place of viziers and administrative power, so it isn’t a shock to find such a memorable mosque at its heart. The minaret is on the left side (also unique), and the design allows for a columned market underneath. The interior might be even more beautiful, with deep green dominating a chessboard design surrounded by tulips, dandelions, lilies, and more. The patient words of the Qur’an are an extra flourish. The most beautiful mosque in Bosnia and Herzegovina? Travnik, you win. Donja Čaršija, +387 30 518 298

Travnik Fortress

Nobody is entirely sure when Travnik’s fortress was initially built, but the form we find today suggests somewhere between the 14th and 15th centuries when Tvrtko II was in charge. We shouldn’t get bogged down with dates, as the fortress is a place of real beauty and intrigue. The walls of the fortress remain intact, and there is also a small museum telling the story of the castle and the town below. Nice views of Travnik’s heritage architecture, too.

Ivo Andrić Museum

Ivo Andrić is a divisive figure in Bosnia and Herzegovina, beloved for his storytelling and international respect but also disliked for his depiction of Bosnia’s Muslims. The Nobel Prize winner (Literature 1961) was born in Travnik, and the house in which he was born is now a small museum dedicated to his life. There isn’t a whole lot to sink your teeth into, but it is definitely worth checking out, especially if you are a big literature of Yugoslavia person. The restaurant behind it is one of the best in town. Zenjak, +387 30 518 140

Plava Voda

I’m not entirely sure what Plava Voda is, but it is beautiful. It is a river spring underneath Vlaśić, creating a stream that eventually joins forces with the Lašva River. It is a lovely part of town with restaurants and cafes, although the building of a hotel here conjures up mixed feelings. On the one hand, Travnik needs some good hotels, but Plava Voda definitely doesn’t need scaffolding and construction. Still, this place is beautiful.

Regional Museum

Travnik’s museum hits the usual notes with archaeological, historical and ethnographical exhibits, telling the story of Travnik and the surrounding areas. It is one of the better regional museums in the country, with some fascinating reconstructed photos as the highlight. If you want to know about the history and heritage of people in and around Travnik, this town centre museum is the perfect place to start. Mehmed-paše Kukavice 1, +387 30 518 140

Mount Vlašić

Skiing, cows and cheese; what more could you mountain dwellers want? I’m not a mountain-dweller, but I’m all for cows and cheese, so Vlašić gets a thumbs up. The mountain above Travnik has become a winter tourism magnet, with skiing, snowboarding and other exciting adventures available while hiking its undisturbed trails is a charming experience. What the country calls Travnik Cheese is actually Vlašić cheese, an award-winning cheese kept in brine.

Varoš Mosque

The Varoš Mosque was built at the beginning of the 16th century and was the first mosque built outside the fortress, initially with a wooden minaret before taking on its current form following another fire. Today it shimmers in a Neo-Moorish style conceived by Miloš Milošević, an engineer from Sarajevo financed by a man called Ziba Kopčić, while the red and cream facade was a later addition. In the 2nd half of the 20th century, it was a museum before the end of Yugoslavia brought it back to its origins. It remains the only Neo-Moorish mosque in Travnik. Varoš

Lukačka Mosque

Travnik has many magnificent mosques, but is anything in the city more photographed than the door of the Lukačka Mosque? I don’t know the statistics, but I’d be surprised if anything tops it for vibrancy. The mosque itself was constructed in the 17th century and rebuilt over and over again, but that door, oh my. Lukačka 6, +387 30 518 298

Hadži-Ali Bey Mosque & Clock Tower

Travnik is unique in that it has two clock towers (greedy), one of which is next to the Hadži-Ali Bey Mosque. The mosque was built by Mehmed-pasha Kukavica in 1758, and while it succumbed to the many fires that have hit Travnik over the years, it has always been rebuilt as faithfully as possible. The tower is a charming counterpart. Bosanska

Turbes

Travnik is the City of Viziers, but it is somewhat jarring to see these graves on the side of the road, not far from a modern cafe and a steakhouse. The turbes (türbe is the Turkish word for a mausoleum, essentially) are on the side of the road in the town centre and hold the mortal remains of three viziers and a little girl called Fatima. Each vizier has a story to tell, and the mausoleums themselves are charming architectural structures, but the real interest might be in how trivial they are in modern Travnik. Bosanska bb.

BREWS, BOOZE AND BITES

Travnik is the best place in BiH for ćevapi. There. Do with that information as you please. Hari’s (Donja čaršija, +387 30 511 727) gets most of the attention, and rightly so, but Karajlić (Donja čaršija, +387 30 518 288) is another excellent option and happens to be right next to the central mosque. Plava Voda is great, as much because of its views as its food. Ex-Ponto (Zenjak, +387 30 595 212) is a brilliant spot behind the Andrić house for something a little more sophisticated. Burek lovers should make a beeline for Kod Seje (+387 61 993 263). On the coffee front, Konak (Vezirska, +387 30 509 021) offers elegance and class (and tea), while Galerija (Bosanska) is perennially popular and doubles up as a decent spot for a beer in the evening. For more than one beer, head to The Cave Pub (Šehida, +387 62 117 283) by the bus station. Lutvina Kahva (Šumeće bb, +387 61 154 520) is the most famous cafe in town, serving history (Andrić wrote of it) and views (Plava Voda is next to it) in equal measure. Oh, also, a cigarette with your coffee, although that will change eventually.

SLEEPING

For somewhere as important and popular, Travnik sure lacks hotel options. Hotel Vezir Palace (Varoš, +387 61 977 951) is a fancy option up by the fortress, while Ozzy (Đerdan, Donja Mahala) and Downtown Apartment (Zenjak 15, +387 61 265 680) are two excellent informal options in the town centre. Hotel Lipa (Bosanska bb, +387 30 508 100) is reopened in the town centre, although it looks a little pricey. It used to be Hotel Orijent, another architectural charmer from the mind of Zlatko Ugljen.

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