“Cultural Heritage Of Kupres: Chance For Sustainable Development“-Foto material per Galleria fotografica- Aleksandar Lugonja Archeological sites Tumuli are a phenomenon 4000 years old. The most famous archeological site within the vicinity of Kupres dates back to the earthly tumulus from Pustopolje (tumulus no.16) near Gornjeg Malovana, dating back to around 1800. b.c, whose remains have been preserved in the Nunnery Museum of Gorica in Livno. Archeologist Alojz Benac dug 1 tumulus and came across a phenomenal discovery. In the central part of the tumulus a wooden chest was discovered where a dead man had been burried covered with a woolen textile robe. The woolen textile robe was the oldest and the largest one in Europe from the period in question - it is about 3,680 years old. With this exploration, it was refuted that the clothes from a female grave in Denmark was the earliest woolen textile. The Kupres textile found in the tumulus in the Kupres field,was 200-300 years older. Picture 1. Tumulus No. 16 - Excavated tumulus at Pustopolje
Picture 2. Wooden chest in the Gorica Museum in Livno (age of about 3500 years)
Picture 3. Remains of the dead man from the chest in the Gorica Museum in Livno (age of about 3500 years)
Picture 4. Pustopolje – Tumulus no.16, unearthed diggings
Picture 5. Tumulus no. 19. - Donja glavica
Picture 6. Position of the tumulus on the Kupres field
Monuments of Culture Medieval necropli-stecaks are stone tombs, of various forms, set all over Bosnia and Herzegovina (59 593 stecaks) from the end of XII till the end of XVI century. The size of the stecaks, the manner of their production, the transport to the quarry where they were set near the tombs supports the fact these had been ordered by the wealthy who had spent a real fortune for them to be placed locations: 1. Ravanjsko polje, 2. Vukovsko polje, 3. The Upper and the Lower necroplis of stecaks in Ravanjska vrata 4. Rilićko polje i 5. Kupreško polje. The necropolis of the stecak called Ravanjska vrata is the most significant necropolis of Kupres plateau. Ravanjska vrata is a passage 100 m wide connecting Vukosko and Ravanjsko polje The necroplos has 25 tombs above the graves. Picture 7. Necropoli in Ravanjsko Polje
Picture 8. Ravanjska Vrata – The Upper Necropolis of the Stecak
Picture 9. Ravanjska Vrata – The Upper Necropolis of the Stecak
Picture 10. Necropoli in Ravanjsko Polje
Picture 11. Necropoli Ljeljen in Vukovsko Polje
Picture 12. Necropoli Ljeljen in Vukovsko Polje
The Comission for the Preservation of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina made a decision in November 2007 that declared the archeological site national monument-the remains of the late ancient fifth century basiliqa, the remains of the Church of the Holy Trinity from the fifteenth century (widely known as Ružica) and the remains os St John the Baptist Church from the nineteenth century on the same foundations, icluding the mobile heritage from the site, fragments of stone residues (Comission for the Preservation of National Monuments in Bosnia and Herzegovina,www.kons.gov.ba -12.06.2021). Near the renewed Church of St Ivan, there is a vicarage were movable heritage from the site is kept. The archeological site of Otinovci is not part of the tourist offer of Kupres. Picture 13. Remains of V Century Basiliqa of Holy Trinity Church in Otinovci
The Church of Enunciation of The Holy Mother of God in Donje Vukosko (built in 1862) is located at Crkvine in the village of Kudilja-Donje Vukovsko and is the only preserved orthodox church in the Municipality of Kupres. The orthodox church of the Enunciation of the Holy Mother of God was damaged during the 1990s war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In November 2007, the Comission for the Preservation of Nationonal Monuments in Bosnia and Herzegovina made a decision according to which the architectual unit- The orthodox Church of the Enunciation of the Holy Mother of God in Donje Vukovsko in the Municipality of Kupres, was declared national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Picture 14. Church of the Enunciation of the Holy Mother of God in Donje Vukovsko
Manifestation The days of mowing is a traditional Kupres cultural manifestation known as Strljanica“. It is held in the Kupres field every year at the beginning of July. This manifestation,dating back to the 19 century, marks the beginning of grass mowing, which used to be the most important work in Kupres plateau. Since in addition to grass mowing and agriculture, cattle breeding is important, the initial Strljanica was a big regional cattle and cattle produce fair. Picture 15. The Manifestation-Stljanica 2021