“Two heads are better than one.” That’s what they say. Now, if you can consider those “heads” to be man and nature with both of their creations combined and set in one place, a paradise is created, allowing the first-time visitor to be stunned by the architectural design of the structure built beside the surreal natural formations surrounding the area.
Vrelo Bune fits the description of this certain paradise and what’s all left to make it complete are the visitors who’ll appreciate its beauty.
Vrelo Bune is a unique natural and architectural ensemble located at the Buna river spring in Blagaj, Bosnia, and Herzegovina. The first thing that you can notice in the overall scenery is the strong karstic spring coming from the 15-meter wide karstic cavern beneath the high vertical cliff.
This spring, known to be one of Europe’s most beautiful springs, feeds the river with stream clean and cold water. When you look up from the karstic cavern, you’ll find the 200-meter high stone cliff that offers an amazing view of the perfect combination of urban and rural structures.
And for sure, you’ll never miss the architectural ensemble which stands beside the spring – the Blagaj Tekke (Tekija). The historical Blagaj Tekke is a Sufi monastery built around 1520 by the dervishes from Anatolia with a design that features the mixture of Ottoman and Mediterranean architecture.
The monastery’s guest house called musafirhana was built in 1664 and rebuilt in 1851, close to the site’s natural surroundings, making it look like it naturally carved from the cliff face.
Besides the Tekke, you can also visit Blagaj’s bridges, the Karbađoz-beg bridge, and the Leho bridge, both having certain features of Ottoman architecture. Moreover, there are residential quarters such as the Kolakovic house, the Velagic residential complex, and the Kosic tower that’s worth the visit.
