BILEĆA city guide — John W Bills

The lake! What a lake! It really is a gorgeous lake, and I’m going to focus on it for the majority of this intro to Bileća. A small town (think 7,500 or so people) just 20 miles north of Trebinje, Bileća carries a coastal feel, even if Dubrovnik is 40 miles away. The town was first mentioned by its current name in 1387 and was a productive area for stećci builders between the 14th and 16th centuries. Today, it struggles with unemployment, but the stone houses of the centre are more winsome than many give them credit. Also, the lake!

TRANSPORT

I’m not sure if I’d describe the woman at the bus station (Kralja Petra I Oslobodioca 15, +387 59 370 028) in Bileća as friendly, but she’s generally always very convivial with me. Not cheerful, certainly not, but respectful and happy to answer my idiotic questions, which is enough. The station is of the former glories variety, with the ticket office the only function of note. That isn’t too big of an issue, as the centre of town is a short walk away and a supermarket is right around the corner. As for peeing, use your imagination. Bileća is on the route connecting Mostar and Trebinje, and there are also daily buses to Istočno Sarajevo and Foča.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO

Stećci

The numerous stečci graveyards dotted around Bosnia and Herzegovina may well be the key to the history’s soul, but few are as picturesquely located as this. Okay, so the collection of tombstones at the southern tip of Lake Bileća may have been moved here in the ‘60s, but who am I to judge? This is a gorgeous collection of important monuments with a stunning backdrop, and we’re all for it. These tombstones were carefully chosen to weave with the knowledge of those lying under the water, maintaining cultural integrity along with the obvious aesthetic values. Bilećko Jezero

Bileća Lake

Bileća’s main event attraction is its eponymous lake, a vast body of water summoned from nothing in the late 1960s after the construction of the Grančarevo Dam. It sits a short walk from the centre of Bileća and is a picture of serenity, surrounded by limestone peaks and rugged karst, juxtaposing the magic of nature with the artificial foundations of the lake itself. All this flowery talk is a way of saying Bileća Lake is really bloody lovely. It is also huge, immensely huge, the largest artificial reservoir of water in the Balkans, with part of the lake even dipping into neighbouring Montenegro. There is a large stećci necropolis on its shores, along with a couple of islands featuring structures in various states of repair. The most impressive is undoubtedly the Church of St Elijah the Prophet. I’m not entirely sure how you get to the church unless you own a boat or happen to be a fish. Whatever, not so important, what matters is the beauty of Bileća Lake. If you only do one thing in Bileća, make it hanging out by the lake. Bilećko Jezero

Church of St Sava

The Church of St Sava is the central building of Orthodox worship in Bileća, with a prime location on the main pedestrian street in town. Constructed in 1896, the church is simple in its construction, a single-nave charmer with a rectangular ground plan and solid stone walls, with the bell tower taking predictable focus. The church was financed by donations from the local Orthodox population and extra assistance from the government in Sarajevo. Kralja Aleksandra

Emperor’s Mosque

Constructed in the late 19th century at the same time as the Church of St Sava, Bileća’s main mosque was built on the site of a small minaret-less mosque destroyed by Montenegrins in 1875. As with the Orthodox Church, the new mosque was financed by donations from the local population and government assistance from Sarajevo, although it was initially constructed using uncut stone. Local Muslims were understandably annoyed by this and appealed to Emperor Franz Josef for cut stone to be used. Ol’ Whiskas gave them the thumbs up, and the mosque was completed. It was damaged in World War II before being obliterated in the most recent war, rising from the ashes once more in 2011. Svetog Vasilija Ostroškog

Park of National Heroes

Established in 1956, the Park of National Heroes is another in the long line of sombre memorials to those who died fighting fascism in World War II. A stone memorial and red star landmark the spot, and a nearby crypt contains the remains of the fallen. Above the crypt is a classical socialist monument where a man and a woman work together to carry the wounded. Ravnogorski Park is nearby, with a collection of statues of Serbs that has caused no shortage of controversy, thanks primarily to the Draža Mihajlović statue. Park Narodnih Heroja

Church of St Basil of Ostrog

I’m not 100% sure whether to mention this or not, but I am, obviously, so there we go. The Church of St Basil of Ostrog is a short walk from Lake Bileća, across the road from Restoran Jezero, but you’ll have to ask permission from a lady with a big gun before snapping a photo of the thing. I don’t like asking questions about military things, but I’m guessing this is an army compound of some sort. Needless to say, the lady with the big gun wasn’t impressed with my Bosnian language skills. Srpske vojske

Malden House

Did you know that Oscar-winning actor Karl Malden was from Bileća? Not exactly, that’s more of a lie than a fact, but his family traces its roots back to a small house in the centre of Bileća today. The house is marked with a plaque and currently houses a shop for baby things. Malden was born Mladen Sekulović in Chicago, eventually changing his name and becoming a major star. You probably know him from“A Streetcar Named Desire,” or maybe you know him as the guy whose family used to live in that house in Bileća, you know, the one where Pčelica Maja is today. Kralja Aleksandra 49

Hasan Pasha Predojević Mosque

History is not about individuals. I’m not going to take that to its extreme point and suggest that we are all irrelevant, but history and time aren’t particularly interested in our whims and ways. Take the Hasan Pasha Predojević Mosque in Bileća, for example, or at least what remains of it. Who was Hasan Pasha Predojević? There are differing opinions on the subject, some say he was an influential legator in these parts, others refute that, but his name remains tied to what was one of the oldest mosques in Herzegovina. That mosque was abandoned in 1928 and demolished in 1941. Today, it provides a totem around which sheep graze and time goes on. Sitnička

Church of St Prince Lazar

Located directly next to the Emperor’s Mosque, the Church of St. Prince Lazar is an elegant structure that blends in perfectly with the stone buildings of Bileća. Unfortunately, I can’t find too much information about it, so this will have to do. Svetog Vasilija Ostroškog

Dobrićevo Monastery

Built on the foundations of a former Basilica, Dobrićevo monastery was actually moved to its current position after the completion of the nearby hydropower plant. The great irony of sacral buildings in the Balkans is that these peaceful places have often found themselves at the heart of anger, and Dobrićevo has been damaged and destroyed countless times since its completion in 1232. The last destruction came when soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army obliterated it in 1914. Today, it is a peaceful spot in a tranquil location. Orah

Drakuljica Fortress

When the Austrians came in and occupied Herzegovina, they were quick to build a barrage of fortresses (a contradiction, sort of, but there we go) in and around the area. Drakuljica was one of them, and the responsibility of protecting the road between Ragusa and Istanbul is now a lifetime of enjoying the tranquillity of Lake Bileća. The fortress is neglected in the modern age but remains delightfully serene. Čepelica

BREWS, BOOZE AND BITES

I’ll keep this short and sweet, much like myself. For your coffee requirements in Bileća, head to N N Cafe (Kralja Aleksandra 17, +387 65 655 993) or Lucullus (Kralja Aleksandra 42), both of which serve decent brews in a pleasant environment. Restoran Jezero (Bilećki Put, +387 59 370 818) is the obvious spot for food with lake views and fresh fish, while Roštillj Stanica (Kralja Petra I Oslobodioca, +387 66 299 799) is highly recommended for all your grilled meat requirements.

SLEEPING

Hotel Dijament (Peka Pavlovića bb, +387 59 373 551) is the main formal hotel in Bileća, but I give my doff of the cap to Apartman Jovana (Karađorđeva 11, +387 65 463 386), a brilliant apartment option between the town centre and the lake. The apartment is sizeable, has all the mod cons, a friendly owner and a delightful woman selling bits and bobs in the garden.

BILEĆA