Monday, September 28, 2015

Visiting Lukomir [Part 1/3]: On the Hills around the Old Village

Visiting the old village Lukomir has been on our list of travel destinations for a while now. And why shouldn't it be. Lukomir has a lot going for itself. First of all it's located on the amazing slopes of the mountain Bjelasnica, it's the highest elevated village (1,495 m/4900 ft) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it's also the last remaining village where people live like they used to hundreds and hundreds of years ago.

As you drive along the mountain roads (most of which you will see in part three, during our departure) you can't help but wonder how people can survive in the harshest conditions. Yes, summer and early autumn here are wonderful, but as soon as the first snow clouds roll in, people have to leave as the roads are cut off until spring arrives.

This is a multi-part travel series. Other parts include:
Part 1: On the Hills around Lukomir
Part 2: Inside Lukomir
Part 3: Sights from the road back Home

click on the images for a bigger view


How to get to Lukomir

I guess I should start with the most useful piece of information. Getting to Lukomir is not hard, but it's also not a task one should take on easily. I will not include a Google map here, simply because the options it shows (other trip planners as well) are simply not the best or most accurate. You should start by arriving to Hadzici, which is a small town near Sarajevo. From there you take the road up the mountain Igman (a sign in the town will show you the way). It's just one road you have to follow. Then when you arrive on top of the mountain Igman, continue to the mountain Bjeasnica (drive until you come to a road crossing, you will find the sign to Bjelasnica there). Continue driving down that road, and pass the first right turn to the village Lukavac. Take the second right turn that will show up shortly. There is a big wooden sign advertising the small Lukomir summer garden (Ljetna basta Lukomir), where you have to drive off the road. Don't be alarmed of the narrow road going up hill, it's the right way. After 10 kilometers the pavement stops and a gravel road continues for 15 more kilometers, until you arrive to Lukomir. Wooden signs will lead your way through the hills. We drove with my SUV, and I would definitely recommend getting a higher elevated car for this, even though the road isn't bad at all.


Arrival in the village Lukomir

As we parked our car, the gravel road stopped and a dirt road continued. The walk through the village is short, and while we would return to see the houses in detail, we wanted to hike up the surrounding hills, while we had some blue left in the sky, to take some areal shots.


A new looking graveyard can be found at the exit of Lukomir, but I also spotted some Stecci in the background. Stecci are old gravestones from the 14th and 15th century, which suggests that this village is very old. As we pass through the village, the people greet us, and we even stop with some of them to talk. They are very friendly, and very well aware of the popularity of this place. While we were there we met German and UK visitors as well as people from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some came by themselves, others with guides.


On the Hills around Lukomir

We eventually passed through the village, and were immediately rewarded with some great aerials of the canyon of Rakitnica river and surrounding mountains. My sister Jasmina climbed bravely on a rock that overlooked the cliffs and we made some pictures here and rested for a while. This wasn't our main stop. We wanted to get on top of the highest hill that we could find in the near vicinity. But first let me show you some images we took on our first stop.












Our hike continues...

We eventually left or first stop and started heading further into the hills. Some moody clouds were already on the horizon, and while there was no rain on this day, it certainly felt like we could have a downpour any moment. It gets very cold up here. We had 9C/48F on the day we hiked and winds were rushing through the landscapes. Definitely wear something to shield you from the cold. Even in summer the temperatures here are lower then in the valley. Check for temperatures and weather conditions before you get here.



The hills gave us a much better view of the whole village as well as the mountains and valley. It is beyond impressive to gaze at the vastness of the mountains here. The views are almost like paintings, and you get lost in them very quickly. Snapping away is also very easy here. You can turn your camera anywhere and you will get a great photo.






End of Part One
To be continued...

I hope you enjoyed the first part of sight from Lukomir. More images taken inside the village will wait for in in part two. For those who came today for a new edition of "Through My Lens" they can find it in yesterdays post. It's up throughout this whole week.

46 comments:

  1. Der runde Berg, halb bewachsen, auf dem dritten Bild ist sehr interessant.
    Tolle Serie.
    Liebe Grüße

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    1. Danke dir. Ja der kleine Berg ist wirklich interesannt und ich weiss auch nicht warum er halb bewachsen ist.

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  2. Also ich weiß gar nicht wo ich anfangen oder aufhören soll....also erst gelesen habe ich mich durch die Bilder mehr als ein Mal durchgeklickt. Einfach nur irre...diese Landschaft so unwirklich schön, teilweise bizarr und dann diese Häuser. Ich weiß nicht ob ich dort leben könnte oder selbst als Ferienort für die Sommermonate. Sicherlich eine schöne Landschaft die auch bestimmt täglich bzw. rundumblickend immer neue Eindrücke bringt, aber.....

    Jedenfalls toll dass du sie so schön bebildert vorgestellt hast. Ein toller Tipp, denn wenn man vor Ort ist dann sollte man es sich nicht entgehen lassen. Zumindest ich würde das nicht...muss man einfach gesehen haben. Übrigens diese eine Hütte am Hang (denke mal ein Stall) ist echt klasse....marode und dennoch schön, also mich fasziniert sie.

    Wünsche dir einen tollen Wochenstart und sende herzliche Grüsse

    N☼va

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    1. Ja, die Hütte am Hang ist ein kleiner Stall und hat mich auch gleich bezaubert (deshalb habe ich so viele Bilder davon :) Die Landschaften sind wirklich verblüffend hier und es gibt wirklich viel zu bestaunen.

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  3. WOW! How the mountains go one forever. It must have ben amazingto stand in this awesome surroundings. I love the village and there unusal roofs. perhaps they are like like so that snow falls off them. I amso glad you made thiss trip asI know i will never be there and I know now through your photographs i have not missed. Thanks for sharing and ma looking forward to seeingmore. Thanks for hosting Through My Lens which you posted yesteday. Have a good week ahead.

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    1. Thanks Margaret. I have to say that it is very impressive to be there in general. The mountains and nature are like out of a picture book. Getting there is also part of the enjoyment because you get to drive through some amazing scenery, which I will show you in later parts.

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  4. It must feel like being on top of the world.... literally. What a great place to visit. I wondered how people coped in winter but I didn't realise they have to move out.

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  5. Hello Mersad, what an beautiful village. The mountain scenery is just stunning. Your photos and post are awesome. Thanks for sharing your visit. Have a happy day and new week ahead!

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  6. you have found a place i would visit if i could. i just love the whole village and its surroundings. the older the better for me and this says ancient and beautiful. i like the way the road goes over the hill and out of sight next to the house on the cliff and the stones are amazing. one of my favorite posts

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    1. Thanks so much Sandra. Glad you enjoyed the start of our travel series and I hope you will like the next part as well. We will move into the actual village.

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  7. Ich spring auch total auf die Hütte an ;-D! Die ist mal cool. Ach diese Berglandschaft ist einfach immer toootal schön und wenns dann noch so ursprünglich ist in der Bebauung und die Menschen so "normal" wie vor 100 Jahren. Ich glaube, ich würds nicht schaffen so den Winter durchzuhalten, bin wohl schon ein echter Stadtmensch, aber beeindrucken tut mich das total! Schöne Ausflüge machst du so! Ich bekomme immer mehr Lust mal nach Bosnien/Herzegovina zu fahren! GlG Anne

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    1. Es würde mich sehr freuen wenn Du uns eines Tages mit deiner Familie besuchen kommst. Hier gibt es so viele Sachen an denen ihr sicherlich Spaß hättet. Mehr von den Menschen im Dorf in Teil 2.

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  8. I was in Bosnia and Herzegovina once, but somehow I missed Lukomir... ;-)
    Great shots of a unique place in your mother country, Mersad!
    Regards from Germany, Uwe.

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    1. It's not a place that you will come across easily, it's definitely off the beaten path.

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  9. What a magnificently beautiful place, Mersad, and well photographed.

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  10. Such a beautiful place and your captures are superb as always, Mersad!! I would love to visit there! From the looks on your faces it was indeed a beautiful, fun day as well!! And, as always, thank you for sharing the beauty and history!! Hope you have a great week!!

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  11. Was für eine beeindruckende Landschaft! Und diese Aussicht! Diese Hütte/Stall ist auf jeden Fall etwas besonderes!
    Wunderschöne Fotos!!

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  12. That old shed is amazing. Nice shots.

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  13. The landscape is breathtaking! The village looks to be very isolated but I guess the people there see tons of tourists so likely stay in touch with what's going on elsewhere.

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  14. What a scenic spot for a village! Love those high mountain views.

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  15. You captured wonderful images of this little village.
    Great post, Mersad!

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  16. Beautiful shots!
    I'm not sure what that building is on the side of the mountain. It looks like a great place for a hermit to live.
    I hope you'll come link up at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2015/09/shake-those-tail-feathers.html

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  17. I love the rolling hills and the old structures. Beautiful.

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  18. Wonderful scenery Mersad, thank you for taking 'me' on this trip.

    Have a nice abc-week / day
    ♫ Mel☺dy ♫ (abc-w-team)

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  19. All I can say is "WOW!" You'd need strong legs to climb around there. I found is fascinating that in one photo, the trees just stop and the rest of the land (on the left) is bare! Is there a reason for this?

    Leslie
    abcw team

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  20. What an amazing country.
    It looks like Time stood still.
    Thank you for sharing.

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  21. Pics are wonderful..thanks for sharing.

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  22. What fantastic views you had from way up there. The mountains in the background are really beautiful.

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  23. Attractive scenery. And models.

    ROG, ABCW

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  24. Such a breathtaking setting. Even the cemetery looks like it will roll down the hill.

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  25. Incredible scenery. I couldn't help but burst out a ....THE HILLS ARE ALIVE....

    My ABC WEDNESDAY

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    1. I actually had that in mind several times as well! :)

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  26. It is a beautiful place, and very scenic, but I can't figure why anyone would want to live in such a desolate place. I guess that is because I like cities and the activity that go along with cities. Can you imagine living in a hut like the one you showed in several of your photos?

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    1. I couldn't imagine living here as well, but there are two reasons for people living here. On is upholding tradition and the other (more important) is agriculture. I will actually show that i part two which is coming out today.

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  27. Interesting photos! Love the tin roofed house.

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  28. picturesque location! Seems the place is untouched by the industrial growth!

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  29. The views from this town are so scenic and beautiful! It looks like you are much higher than 4,9000 feet!

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  30. Very pretty if a little chilly. I love the mountain views and all of you smiling in photos having fun.. Michelle

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  31. A fascinating post, - magnificent mountains and the little village is so picturesque. I will be waiting with bated breath for a continuation of your travels here....

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  32. Somehow cars parked next to those quaint buildings doesn't fit. I love the lone structure on the hillside. - Margy

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  33. What a great location. All shots are wonderful. Great portraits too.

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  34. wonderful.

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  35. Truly beautiful place. Great to read.

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