The River Neretva

The Neretva river is a fast mountain river in the upper regions of Herzegovina, where it springs, and as it flows down to it's delta, becomes a slow and wide spreading beauty, that emerges into the Adriatic Sea. I am a bit late with my contribution to this weeks Friday My Town Shoot Out, but since I was out of town for the weekend I didn't have time to post this sooner. This week's theme is Water in our Town, and If we are to talk about water in Mostar, there is no way to go around our river Neretva.

click on the images for a bigger view

In that dense water system network the Neretva river also holds a significant position among rivers of the Dinaric Alps region, especially regarding its diverse ecosystems and habitats, flora and fauna, cultural and historic heritage.

Geographically and hydrologically the Neretva is divided into three sections. The first section of the Neretva courses from its source all the way to the town of Konjic.

Fast and ice cold: the river Neretva, a couple of miles from its spring in the mountains.

The green river Neretva in its first section in the mountains, during autumn.

The River Neretva flowing into the Grabovica Lake, marking a later part of its second section

The second section begins from the confluence of the Neretva and the Rama between Konjic and Jablanica where the Neretva suddenly takes a southern course. From Jablanica, the Neretva enters the largest canyons of its course, running through steep slopes of magnificent mountains of Prenj, Čvrsnica and Čabulja reaching 800–1,200 metres (2,625–3,937 feet) in depth.

Neretva, south from Mostar. The river here is a popular fishing destination.

The most known sight of the river is it's flow beneath the Old Bridge in Mostar. Here the water basin is covered with green algae, making the water seem to be colored in a magnificent emerald green.

But here is a, not so often seen sight of the river during winter. The water basin is cold and deep blue, while the water flows sharply through the canyon in my city. 

When the Neretva expands for the second and final time, it reaches the third section of its course. Often called the Bosnian and Herzegovinian California, the valley of the downstream Neretva indeed is a true "Golden State" of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. The last 30 kilometres (19 miles) of the Neretva's stream form an alluvial delta, before the river empties into the Adriatic Sea.

 The river Neretva in the last miles of its second section, shot taken in early spring 2012

The end of the journey. Neretva flowing into the Adriatic Sea.

 

Thank you all for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed this quick tour of a part of the geography of the region where I live, and that the blue and green waters relaxed you.