Sokolac Castle, Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The castle of Sokolac is situated on one hill on the east side of the hill Debeljača on the left bank of the river Une. The oldest charter in which Sokolac is mentioned dates from the 14th century. For a long time the town was exposed to the battles between the Bosnian crown and the Kings of Sigismund of Luxemburg and Ladislaus of Naples.

The Ottoman army occupied the fort in 1592. At the site of today’s fortress in the Bronze Age there was a prehistoric fortress of 670 x 170 meters. The traces of prehistoric ceramics found at the time of archaeological excavations indicate the period from the 10th to the 9th centuries BC, which coincides with the time of of Japodian settlements on the river Una in the nearby Ripač.

Sokolac Fort was restored by Bihac Mayor Lothar von Berks in 1897. He began to charge entrance to this old town, which represents the beginnings of tourism in these areas.The fortress was declared a national monument.

References:

unasana.ba

User Reviews

Mariia Tararova (9 months ago)
Gorgeous! Free of charge! Excellent view!

N. (9 months ago)
Nicely preserved fortress without entrance fee with the main tower accesible all the way to the top where you can see the town of Bihać below in the nice natural setting. There is a small parking lot and road to the top is asphalted but quite steep. Below the fortress is a rock climbing spot. Next to the parking lot are a couple of tables with bences to rest a bit, although no shadow so a bit hot during summer.

Leon Makovac (2 years ago)
Great view from up there! It's definetly worth going there!

Chung Karen (2 years ago)
Walking uphill from city centre under the sun for more than one hour but worth it. Not much tourists and you can have great view.

Haris Demir (2 years ago)
Well-preserved medieval castle overseeing Una Valley and Bihac City. Interesting history of the place. Plaques posted on the way to the location, enabling the visitor to learn of the history of the place. Easy to reach on foot or with a car, with parking lots available along the road.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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