When someone mentions Jahorina, the first thing coming to one’s mind is snow and skiing, because only Jahorina has the Paradise valley. This Repušin do, as it is called by the locals, was characterized as paradise-like by the skiers due to its beauty and peculiarity.
Since 1923, when the skies were used for the first time on Jahorina, on Vukelina voda plateau, this mountain has been providing excellent conditions not only for the top-notch athletes, but also for all fans of winter sports and joys of winter. The first steps on snow were made here by the Olympic athletes: Zoran Ćosić, Tomislav Lopatić, Momo Skokić, Vlado Lučić, Mirjana Granzov, and Jelena Lolović, who brought the fame of the Olympic sport and East Sarajevo throughout the world in the Alpine and Nordic disciplines during the Olympic games, which made this town proud of them.
Jahorina, which may be reached easily and fast from Sarajevo from two directions: the highway with a length of 28 km via Pale and 32 km via Trebević, offers the skiers more than 20 km excellently designed ski runs for alpine skiing, connected by ropeways and ski lifts with a total capacity of 10. 500 skiers per hour, including an always functioning baby ski lift for the youngest ones.
Places such as Jahorina, where the nature has been so generous to bestow upon it everything that makes it attractive and acceptable for all top-notch athletes, amateurs, hunters, fishers, climbers, farmers, and all those who wish to enjoy and relax in the natural beauty, are rare. The clean mountain air does not only relax the body, but also the soul. Jahorina is not like other mountains. One is never alone here, because it is all in one and in front of one’s eyes. Its peace, far-reaching and beautiful views or snow-covered slopes, springs and brooks, its various flora and fauna, make it the most beautiful of a whole array of gems of Republika Srpska.
Jahorina belongs to the Dinaric mountain system. The length of the massive dominating the surroundings and lacking clear morphological, biological, and hydrological boundaries or a clear boundary to the neighboring mountains is 25-30 km, with a width of 5-15 km. The highest peak is Ogorjelica – 1916 m. The fact that it is under the impact of two types of climate (Mediterranean and continental), its relief, geological composition, vegetation and river basins, as important climate modifying elements, render it peculiar. There is snow on the mountain for around 180 days per year, from November to April. The average height is almost 100 cm, and the lowest temperatures occur in January, with an average daily temperature of -9.9 ⁰ C. Fog is rare and can occur in spring and fall. There is no strong north wind, and southern winds are blowing on the peaks of Jahorina.
Thanks to its water-proof geological composition, Jahorina is rich in springs, especially in its upper parts and usually on the same level above the sea. Around hundred springs are laid out like spider webs towards rivers Miljacka, Prača and Željeznica. Cold, clear and pure water of Jahorina’s brooks and rivers is rich in fish, and even the most passionate fishermen can satisfy their needs here. The most frequent types of fish are river trout, chub, gudgeon, grayling and huchen, and there are even river crabs.
A large part of Jahorina is covered by forests. The green beauty of coniferous forests has a pacifying effect, and the smell of coniferous resin refreshes the body. Zones of oak, beech, fir and mixed fir and spruce forests follow one another from the first clearings towards the top. Mountain maple trees may be found above them. At the peak the forest becomes less dense, with fallen mountain pine trees, and the highest peaks are covered by moss.
When it comes to forest bushes, Jahorina is rich in blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, mint, gentian, St. John’s wort, dandelion, elder and all types of mushrooms.
The territory of Jahorina’s hunting grounds amounts to 12.500 hectares, located at 590-1910 m above sea level. Hunting associations and the local inhabitants provided the hunting grounds with bear gathering spots for bear hunting, introduced locations for food and salt, watering places and planted tuberous plants as sources of food. Roe deer, which is present throughout the hunting grounds, and the bear, the most attractive wild animals, should be emphasized among the animals living on Jahorina. There are also wild boars, male and female chamoises, wolves, foxes, badgers, wildcats, pine and stone martens, rabbits and otters living in the brooks and rivers.
Occasional inhabitants of Jahorina are also stone partridges, hazel grouses, grouses, and migratory birds, which stay for a while on Jahorina on their way to the south. Hawks and eagles are permanent inhabitants.
The remains of medieval towns and fortresses, as well as medieval monuments – stećci necropolises, are interesting cultural and historical monuments proving that this area had been a crossroads of all important roads, but also the center of the land belonging to Pavlovići family, one of the most powerful and most respectable families of the Bosnian Kingdom at the time of Tvrtko Kotromanić.
The remains of the town of Pavlovac near Prača, built in 1415, are insufficiently researched as witnesses of a period of time. There are two mineral water springs in Prača, one of them is called Kiseljak. According to a popular legend, this water heals stomach problems. Even the old Romans believed in its healing properties, which is also proven by the remains of Roman aqueduct pipes and pottery.
There are also medieval remains of the fortress and castle at the spring of Paljanska Miljacka, which belonged to the famous Jerina, the spouse of the Serbian Despot Đurađ Branković. It is believed that the owners of the property of Pavlovići are buried in the small necropolis. There are few pieces of historical evidence – stone remains located in a difficult to access location above the meeting point of Paljanska and Mokranjska Miljacka river in Bulozi, providing evidence on the old town Litaovac, just as the popular legends leading us to the old town – Hadidjed, which used to be the location where the coins for the medieval Bosnian Kingdom were made. All this, just as other interesting locations, such as caves like Orlovača, located in the cliffs of Mokro that have the same name, 16 km of the road from Sarajevo to Sokolac, which is considered one of the most beautiful and interesting caves of former Yugoslavia by experts, Novakova cave located high in the mountains of the mythical mountain Romanija, famous for the haidouk Starina Novak, the cave in Bogovići, Litovac in Miljacka riverbed, Lednjača cave that was used as ice extraction site during summer heat some 20 years ago, make this region an extremely interesting and attractive one.
Although it has not been adequately used, health tourism has its perspective on Jahorina, which has favorable climate elements that have a positive effect on human health. This is primarily related to chronic lung diseases, TBC and anemia, and clean and oxygen and ozone rich air without allergens has a soothing effect on less serious nervous illnesses and recovery from more serious illnesses.
(Source: visitmycountry.net)
