Stecci Medieval Tombstones

ZelenkaBlazek's picture

Location

Dalmatia, Dubrovnik
Croatia
43° 29' 4.9272" N, 17° 12' 15.318" E
HR
General info: 

Some real oddities that are present in Croatia, (and also in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia) are the Stecci. These medieval tombstones are unique in the world and are closely following the borders of the medieval Bosnian Kingdom. There are a total of 70,000 Stecci spread in the area between the above mentioned countries and several thousand of them are in Croatia. The decorative motifs featured on the tombstones are enigmatic, spirals, rosettes and crescent moons being part of the recurrent motifs on the monuments.

Stecci contain epitaphs written in Cyrillic Bosnian and the oldest one dates back from the 12th century. Larger numbers of Stecci can be seen in both Imotski and Dugopolije, border areas of Croatia. Stećci have been nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage List as Joint Cultural Heritage by the four countries in 2009.

Getting there: 

Most of them are located in the areas of Dalmatia and Dubrovnik. An easily accessible location is Cista Provo, only half an hour away from Split.

Costs: 

Free for all

Interesting places nearby

The popular ski resort near the idyllic Spitzingsee lake lies a mere 70 km south of Munich, and offers holidaymakers and day-trippers alike a host of wonderful winter sporting activities.

The sunny skiing-area Spluegen – Tambo is located at the foot of the majestic Pizzo Tambo at the border to Italy in Viamala. Beside the possibility to alpine skiing, it is also suitable for Cross Country skiing.

St. Anton, in the Austrian Tirol, is one of the world’s best known resorts.

St. Corona is situated at the bottom of the Kampstein – a village made up of many small sections.

A modern snow making system guarantees absolute enjoyment for skiers of all levels of ability. The funpark is serviced with great, continuously improved and enlarged, and hence ideally suited for beginning and advanced snowboarders.

The family-friendly place Kirchdorf at the Wilder Kaiser is located among the Kitzbühler Alps.