VISIT BLAGAJ FORTESS WITH ME (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA)

Hello readers! Today I'm taking you to fortress of medieval king Stjepan Kosaca. This fortress overlooking Blagaj village (near Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina) is simply a must visit for lovers of history. This fortress is known under two names: Blagaj fort and Stjepan grad (Stjepan's town). Dating back to 15th century, this gorgeous historical town-fortress is well worth the climb. It is officially protected and listed among national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

We visited it earlier this March with some friends. We drove to Blagaj (blogged about it here), asked the locals for directions and went our way up. You can drive up to a certain point, but then you have to climb your way up. It is not a long climb, about half an hour in my estimation. The views while you climb are beautiful but once you enter the fortress, the panorama becomes simply incredible. The panoramic view from the top of the fortress is one of the most beautiful I have seen in my life. 

I'm not including this post into TRAVEL WITH MY ART series because I haven't made a painting of this place yet but I do have a lot of photographs to share. Sure, you could say that photographs are art too, but I made that series with location illustrations in mind. This will be a travel post, but more travel with my photography then with my art. Nevertheless, hopefully these photographs will allow you to visit this place digitally.   I'm also sharing an autoportrait I made with acrylic paints in my sketchbook (both from brand royal talens) but only because colours reminded me of the tartan jacket I was wearing (this mini painting wasn't really inspired by my trip). Anyhow, let's get back to sight-seeing this fortress. 

HOW TO GET TO THE FORTRESS? Once you drive up hill from Blagaj, you'll get to a parking zone of sorts and then you just need to follow the path up. The path is a bit steep but not too much. There were quite a few elderly people and children when we visited (it was a national holiday of some kind) and I didn't notice anyone having difficulties with the climb, so you probably won't have issues either. 

OUT EXPERIENCE VISITING BLAGAJ TOWN- FORTRESS

We weren't the only ones who decided to take advantage of a sunny day and a national holiday to visit this beautiful town- fortress complex but the place wasn't crowded. This fortress is quite large so it could accommodate a larger number of visitors without it getting crowded. In fact, hadn't it been a non-working day, there probably wouldn't have been anyone around. I know that many countries have restricted travel, but keep this place in mind once travelling becomes a possibility again. I'm always up for local travel, so I definitely enjoyed exploring this place. The views on all sides were absolutely mesmerizing and the fortress is in great shape. It is always inspiring to see such a wonderfully preserved fortress. It makes you feel like you have really travelled back in time. I don't think there is any fee for entrance to this fortress, from what I know, the entrance to this fortress is always open. All you need to do is get there ( climb for a bit in the process) and you'll get to explore this wonderful historical site. We enjoyed it all, the climb, the views and exploring the fortress itself. Moreover, it was wonderful observing all the pines and breathing in the fresh air. The curious thing is that there was absolutely no wind at top. I expected the fortress to be windy because it is quite high but there was no wind and it was quite warm.

OTHER MEDIEVAL FORTRESSES WORTH VISITING

Before we wrap this post up, I will link up some of my old travel posts featuring fortresses. First of all, I would recommend Stolac fortress in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It's only a short drive away. There is also a number of lovely fortresses I visited in Croatia (and blogged about) so if that is your cup of tea, visit the posts bellow. 

 STOLAC FORTRESS (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA) 

1. VISIT STOLAC FORTRESS WITH ME (2019)

2.VISIT STOLAC CITY WITH ME (2019)

3. MEDIEVAL FAIR AT STOLAC FORTRESS (2018)

KLIS FORTRESS (CROATIA)

1. HISTORICAL FORTRESS KLIS NEAR SPLIT

FORTICA FORTRESS (CROATIA)

1. CLIMB FORTIZA FORTRESS WITH ME

KAMERLENGO FORTRESS (CROATIA) 

1. VISIT KAMERLENGO IN TROGIR WITH ME

STON FORTRESS WALLS (CROATIA)

1. SIGHT TO SEE- FORTRESS WALLS IN STON

THE STORY OF MY OUTFIT- All the items in this outfit are old. Once again, I shopped my closet. 

THE TARTAN JACKET- This jacket is from Alpine pro (a Czech) brand. I have it in green as well (see here). In fact, it was because I was so happy with the green one that I bought this one as well. I think I wore it first some time in 2014 (see here). Since there, I wore it a lot. I might do 30 wears with it some day.

THE BLACK DRESS (WORN AS A TOP) I got this black dress in a collab in 2018 (see here). It's a bit short so I typically layer it under skirts. 

THE DENIM SKIRT- I devoted a special post to this denim skirt from Croatia brand Amadeus (see here). 

THE BIKER BOOTS- I wore these boots so many times (see a few ways I wore them here). This pair is so comfortable. A pair of comfy leather boots is high on my list of practical shoe options. I plan to post +30 wears post about these boots soon.

 

As always, thank you for reading and visiting.  Tell me your thoughts. Have a greet week ahead!